Rethinking our mountains

As I gather my thoughts, I begin wondering how to describe in a few lines what the CYC is and what the recent retreat meant. At its core, the CYC is a group of young people from different backgrounds and nationalities, sprinkled across the Alps, united by a shared passion for the mountains. Since January, we have been meeting online every two weeks to share ideas and projects within CIPRA, whose support we gratefully acknowledge. The desire to meet in person naturally emerged as a spontaneous and human consequence.

And so, we found ourselves in Imst-Pitztal, gathering around the fire, enjoying traditional dishes. The venue could not be more authentic, a former cowshed, now an alpine hostel for backpackers. On Saturday, the rain slowed down our plans, but gave us time to read, talk, and get to know each other better. Two main topics were discussed: overtourism and youth employment, both relevant for the future of the Alpine region. We decided to focus on the first topic, imagining a more balanced and sustainable mountain tourism.

During our afternoon hike along gorges and bridges, we kept talking about the topic, planning a youth-led event related to mountains to promote hidden gems in the Alps. Despite the vastness of the Alpine chain, stretching from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Adriatic and encompassing eight countries, in recent years, some areas have been overrun by visitors, largely due to social media. While contributing to overcrowding, social media can also serve as an accessible tool to promote lesser-known valleys.

In this context, young people play a central role, and an event organized directly by them could become an opportunity to combine several different but not conflicting objectives. On the one hand, promoting lesser-known destinations in the Alps and, on the other, offering young people themselves the opportunity to experience the mountains in a more accessible way. At the same time, the initiative would benefit local communities, which, thanks to greater visibility, could strengthen their social, cultural, and economic development.

We therefore imagined an event focused on the mountains, with activities and debates in which young enthusiasts could discover new opportunities, share ideas, and contribute to strengthening the resilience of the Alpine environment and its communities.

Sunday arrived quickly, along with final reflections, breakfast together, and farewells before the long journey home. The projects discussed are ambitious, as one would expect at this age. Perhaps they will come to life, perhaps everyone will return to their daily lives. However, simply organizing this retreat and coming together was already a success, what will remain is the feeling of not being alone in thinking about and loving our mountains.