 The list of the King's major climbs includes the following routes and peaks: Piz Bernina, first ascent of the NE ridge of Piz Caral in 1907 (with his wife Elizabeth and the guides Martin Schocher and Benedikt Supersaxo), Ago di Sciora, Piz Bacone, Salbitschijen and Salbit needle, Jungfrau Rottal ridge, Kleines Wellhorn SE face, Matterhorn Hörnli ridge, Monte Rosa, first ascent of the NE ridge of the Hübschhorn, traverse of the Aiguille du Grépon, traverse of the Grand and Petit Dru, Fleischbank SE face (Wiessner-Rossi route), Predigtstuhl W face (Fiechtl-Weinberger route) and E face (Dülfer route), Totenkirchl E face (Dülfer route), Cima Grande di Laveredo E face, Cima Piccola di Laveredo N face, E face and Innerkofler route, Cima Piccolissima di Laveredo Preuss route, traverse of the Cimon della Pala, Tofano di Rozes S face, Marmolada S face, Punta Fiames S face, Roda di Vael E face, Torre Venezia W face (Castiglione route), Sass Pordoi S face, Crozzon di Brenta NW face (Preuss route), Cima della Madonna NW face, Sassolungo N face, Second Sella Tower NW edge, traverse of the Vaiolet Towers, Campanile Basso (Preuss route, 14th ascent), Croz dell' Altissimo SW face, Catinaccio N face (Piaz route), new route in the S face of the E peak of the Punta di Campiglio in 1932, Rocca Castello (Matterhorn of the Cottish Alps), Croce Provenzale. The complete list is to be found in the book "Picchi piccozze e Altezze Reali – ricordi alpine".
The climbing activities of the King have left their mark on the world's mountains:
- The Commune of Chamonix, by a decree passed on 23 February 1919, named the W peak of the Aiguille de l'M Pointe Albert (2816 m).
- In the Val di Mello in the Southern Bregaglia Alps Aldo Bonacossa and Giusto Gervasutti reached on 6 October 1933 an unclimbed tower and named it Torre Re Alberto (2732 m).
- The third highest peak of Ruwenzori, the most alpine-like summit in Africa, bears the name Pointe Albert (5088 m); it was first climbed in 1932 by the first expedition of the Club Alpin Belge.
- The NW ridge of the Hübschhorn (3192 m) situated E of the Simplon pass is known as the Belgian Ridge. The first ascent was made by the King on 12th June 1913 with Albert and Benedikt Supersaxo.
- The Rifugio Re Alberto I (2621 m) below the Vaiolet Towers in the Dolomites was built and named in memory of the King by Tita Piaz in 1933. The hut is also known as Gartl-Hütte; www.rifugiorealberto.com.
- The Refuge Albert Ier (2706 m) was built in 1930 by the Club Alpin Belge at the foot of the Aiguilles du Tour et du Chardonnet near Chamonix.
- In 1920 the Hôtel de Milan in Chamonix was renamed Hôtel Albert Ier, one of the best addresses in the capital of alpinism.
King Albert I was an Honorary Member of the Club Alpin Français since 1919, the British Alpine Club and the exclusive Groupe de Haute Montagne. Later he became a member of the Club Alpino Accademico Italiano, admitting new members only after having given proof of leading difficult climbs. The Roi Alpiniste was also Patron of the Club Alpin Belge.
On 17 February 1934 came the tragic news which shocked the world. King Albert I had been killed in a fall when climbing alone on the "Roche du Vieux Bon Dieu" at Marche-les-Dames in the Meuse valley near Namur.
A biography of King Albert I (1875 – 1934), published in Flemish and French, concludes with the following words:
"He was brave, upright, generous, straightforward, humane, possessing complete self-control. He was an excellent sportsman, and he never shrank from any challenge, no matter how great. Every guide and every mountaineer respected, appreciated, loved and admired him. He spoke with equal goodhumour and understanding to everyone whether shepherd, taxi-driver, or the republican guide Tita Piaz. He shunned crowds and loved to savour in peace the beauty of the mountains and the splendour of Alpine slopes. Mountaineering was the only real leisure King Albert I allowed himself."
Walter Amstutz has adopted as the motto of the Foundation one of the King's own maxims, which appears in golden letters on the Foundation's Medal, and also on its notepaper:
"La Volonté,
la Qualité maîtresse
de l'Homme".
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