Safety

Safety is a very important issue for the UIAA, as it is for all climbers and mountaineers. Therefore the UIAA has developed the UIAA Safety Label. When you see the UIAA label on a piece of mountaineering equipment, you know that it is up to the highest international standards for safety. Learn more about the UIAA Safety label...

The testing of safety equipment is carried out in UIAA-approved test laboratories. This is a video on how these tests are carried out.

Advice on techniques and equipment  

The following articles outline safety techniques and how best to take care of equipment.

How strong are your carabiners?

Important Notice: UIAA Safety Standard 108 on Sharp Edge Resistant Dynamic Ropes suspended

Marking of Ropes by End-users
NOTIFICATION: Tests done by the UIAA Safety Commission and some rope manufacturers have shown that marking ropes with liquids such as those provided by felt-tipped pens can damage them; even with those markers, sold specifically for marking ropes.

Conference on Nylon and Ropes for Mountaineering and Caving
The Italian Alpine Club under the auspices of the UIAA organized this conference in Turin. While it was known that wet ropes lose much of their capacity, the rapid degradation of ropes in abseiling and top roping is surprising.

Karabiner Breakings when Using a Figure-of-Eight
Article by Neville McMillan, Safety Commission, published in UIAA Journal 3/2000

Analysis of Belaying Techniques
Article by Carlo Zanantoni, Safety Commission, published in UIAA Journal 3/2000

About Ageing of Climbing Ropes
Article by Pit Schubert, Safety Commission, published in UIAA Journal 3/2000

Karabiners: Be Aware!
Article by Jean Franck Charlet, Safety Commission, published in UIAA Journal 3/2000

Bolt failures on Sea Cliffs
Article by Helmut Microys, published in UIAA Journal 3/2000

Anti-Balling Systems for Crampons
Article by Michael Larcher, Safety Commission, published in UIAA Journal 3/2000

Attaching to the Rope by Karabiner?
Article by Pit Schubert, Safety Commission, published in UIAA Journal 3/2000

Beware of Quickdraws for Self-Belay
Article by Neville MCMillan, Safety Commission, published in UIAA 3/2000

Lowering Off and Abseiling - a Huge Difference
Article by Pit Schubert, Safety Commission, published in UIAA Journal 3/2000