 After the tragic death of the King, Walter Amstutz, who was at the time Director of the Tourist Office of St. Moritz, decided to set up a fund in memory of “Le Roi Alpiniste” as he was called. It was started in St. Moritz with benefit concerts, postcards etc., and continued in Belgium with the approval of the Royal Family. During the long and difficult years of the Second World War and the rebuilding of Europe it had to be interrupted.
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Walter Amstutz
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When fundraising was taken up again, plans were gradually modified. As King Albert I had been sympathetic to the socially disadvantaged, it was suggested to dedicate funds to the support of injured guides or their bereaved families. Another project was to erect an Alpine hut as a training camp for young mountaineers, but in the end these ideas had to be abandoned due to financial and other reasons.
Finally in Walter Amstutz's mind the determination matured to form a foundation in memory of the King which would honour distinguished persons or institutions for outstanding achievements associated with the mountain world so dear to the King. Since it was intended to fund the activities from the proceeds of the capital, leaving the capital itself intact, further appeals for subscriptions became necessary in order to reach the minimum goal of one million Swiss francs. This was ultimately achieved, but not without difficulty, due to fading public awareness of the King.
The Foundation became operative in 1993. The Award comprises a Gold Medal which is presented together with a Certificate outlining the particular merits of the Award Winner. The text of the Certificate is in English, emphasizing the international character of the Foundation.
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