In focus this month News

The UIAA - International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation is issuing a worldwide warning to users of via ferrata sets to check the websites of manufacturers in order to find out whether the unit they are using is safe.

Japanese mountaineer Tamotsu (Tom) Nakamura is a modern day adventurer modeled along the lines of early explorers who carefully and methodically documented their journeys to remote areas of the world.

This agreement, drawn up by the founding associations over 30 years ago, offers members of alpine clubs party to the agreement an extraordinary range of mountain accommodation.

How well does the UIAA look after the interests of the world’s mountaineering federations and clubs? At the 2010 UIAA General Assembly in Bormio, Italy, representatives from around the globe voiced their desires – which are as diverse as the mountain cultures they come from.

The UIAA is a partner with the International Mountain Summit, a multi-faceted event that brings together some of the greatest climbers the world has ever known.

The International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) is seeking a senior manager to coordinate the office functions and support volunteer activities of the federation from its office in Bern, Switzerland.

The UIAA is updating a mountain code, putting into ink mountaineering’s longstanding values of good sportsmanship, respect for cultures and care for the environment.

The draft code is intended to reach all who love mountain sport, from the hut-to-hut hiker to the expedition alpinist.

It also addresses some of the biggest debates in mountaineering today, such as the use of bottled oxygen on 8,000-meter-peak attempts.

The intent, say mountaineers involved in the process, is to create a document that reflects the sport’s high ideals and evolves with changing times.