Dear mountain fans,

your enthusiasm for the International Mountain Summit last year really surprised us and thanks to you, this year we have put even more effort and passion into the second edition. 8500 visitors, more than 20 of the world‘s best mountaineers and climbers, 88 journalists from a great variety of different sectors - in short, a never-ending number of unique encounters have really inspired us to work even harder and add even more to the internationality and wide range of topics of the IMS.

We are very pleased to have gained so many important and influential partners from the mountaineering world and the support of some of the largest alpine clubs as well as leading organisations working in the fields of mountain rescue, mountain guides and mountain medicine. This year, a number of scientific institutions will once again use the IMS as a key platform together with international bodies and organisations. The effect of the IMS Congress is steadily growing, and we are getting increasingly close to our objective of turning the IMS into a „contest of ideas“. And with the latest addition to our schedule, we aim to provide a public platform for projects and ideas which
are all about the mountains: IMS Projects.

Many encounters and conversations at the 2009 IMS have shown and reassured us that the International Mountain Summit is not just for mountaineering and climbing pros, mountain guides or rescue teams. It is equally fascinating for kids, who can try out rock climbing and much more in our school activities, and generally all mountain sports enthusiasts who don‘t want to miss a unique chance to hear the world‘s rock pioneers talk of their adventures.

We will be pleased to welcome you to the beautiful town of Bressanone / Brixen in South Tyrol and to an unforgettable few days filled with experiences of a kind at our mountain festival in the heart of the Dolomites, our stunning World Heritage Site.

Best wishes,