The International Mountain Summit, one of the world’s largest mountain festivals, celebrates its 10th edition. Once again there will be an extensive range of speakers, topics and experiences for visitors for one week. From Monday 8th October to Sunday 14th October 2018 the most famous mountaineers and climbers as well as personalities from sport, society and politics will be in Brixen.
The IMS is also the culmination of the year as the official “Alpine Town 2018” of the city of Brixen.
The International Mountain Summit (IMS) was founded in 2009 by Markus Gaiser and Alex Ploner as a summit meeting of alpinism. They preside over the volunteer association EVENTUS, which has been able to present a high-quality programme to over 82,000 visitors and 900 journalists for 10 years with great commitment and ideas. For the best mountaineers and climbers in the world, the festival has developed into an annual meeting place. From Reinhold Messner, Hans Kammerlander, Simone Moro, Sir Chris Bonington, Lynn Hill and Steve House, to Peter Habeler and Manolo, 171 greats of alpinism have already been to Brixen.
While the program was initially held under the motto “Near-Near-Vicino”, close to the mountain and close to people, close to the mountain themes, now it evolved to „Meet.Mountain. People. Soul“.
Encounter with the MOUNTAIN from above, below, inside and outside. Festival visitors meet the mountain during hikes, theme walks and e.g. discoveries in the mine. Encounters with mountain people change perspectives and inspire reflection. Mountain people know about the power of the mountains. Their experiences in the alpine habitat stand for both rootedness and change and adaptation. Dealing with animals and nature makes mountain people extraordinary and impressive interlocutors. The IMS brings people together, into an exchange from which both sides benefit. The encounter with the mountain soul, its very personal inner mountain, shows how strong one’s own will is to reach goals, overcome mountains and motivate oneself.
All these meetings take place in the context of lectures, discussions, discussion rounds, hikes and workshops. “We are independent in our choice of topics and are not committed to any current or other organization. We live out this freedom in the selection of our speakers and topics,” says Alex Ploner. “In the past 9 years we have had 479 professionals sitting on our stage. Attractive topics were also discussed. In the end, however, all have one thing in common – the passion for the mountain,” emphasises Organising Committee President Markus Gaiser. More than 8000 articles and reports published in the international media underline the media impact of the festival.
The 2018 anniversary programme is worth seeing again. The most famous German-speaking thinker of our time, Richard David Precht, will open the festival on Monday 9 October. In the following days the war reporter Antonia Rados, the star chef Norbert Niederkofler, the Austrian Federal President Alexander van der Bellen, as well as the mountaineers Stefan Glowacz, Beat Kammerlander, Alex Megos and Tamara Lunger follow.
Once again this year, visitors can look forward to typical mountain cuisine and live music, as well as conferences on winter sports, mobility, architecture and mountains. The best young athletes meet again at the KIKU Sports Academy.
The International Mountain Summit is supported by the umbrella brand Südtirol, KIKU, Sparkasse, DURST, Alperia, GoreTex, City of Brixen and Region Trentino/Südtirol.
INFO: IMS
