Obituary

Robert Renzler (1956-2023)

by Janet Britnell

ÖAV General Secretary October 2002 – October 2020, ÖAV Honorary Member since 2021.

We were shocked and saddened to learn of the death of Robert Renzler in his 68th year on 20 May 2023, in a climbing accident in his beloved mountains. In reporting his death the ÖAV said “Climbing was not just a passion for Robert, but the essence of life itself.”

Robert worked for the Alpenverein (AV) for over 30 years, starting in the Alpinreferat, now the Bergsport department. While head of the Alpinreferat, he played a key role in shaping the UIAA Tirol Declaration of best practice in mountain sports in September 2002. He had been planning to lead an expedition to K2 when he was persuaded to apply for the role of General Secretary.

As General Secretary, Robert oversaw the structural re-organisation of the AV, including the setting up of the Präsidium and Bundesausschuss and new constitutions for the Gesamtverein and the sections. The central administration in Alpenvereinshaus was transformed: a modern financial system was put in place; many departments were revitalised to the benefit of the sections and membership; in 2008 they moved to the new Alpenvereinshaus in Olympiastraβe. Membership almost doubled to nearly 600,000 members, partly due to the development of the AWS insurance, another of Robert’s initiatives. Younger members were attracted by the development of climbing as an indoor and competitive sport in Austria and internationally. Robert was a founding member of the Climbing World Cup in the early 1990s and organised the 1993 World Climbing Championships in Innsbruck.

Robert was a mountain and ski guide, and a fine all-round alpinist who completed over 1000 climbing tours of the great north faces in the Alps, the Dolomites and Yosemite. He led successful AV expeditions to Gasherbrum II (8035m) and Masherbrum (7821m) in Pakistan. The AV 1985 Masherbrum expedition was one of the very few to reach the summit via the 3500m North Face.

Above all Robert is recognised for his loyalty to the AV, supporting everyone – the Präsidium, his colleagues in Alpenvereinshaus and the sections, solving problems and diffusing arguments. He was always very supportive of Sektion Britannia, not least during his last weeks in Office, helping us with Brexit-related problems.

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