Educating mountain users about the UIAA’s Seven Ways to Respect the Mountains, a fundamental component of the federation’s Respect the Mountains events, was recently integrated as part of the programme at the Chinese Mountaineering Association (CMA)’s National Youth Outdoor Summer Camps.
The eight camps attracted more than 3,000 children from 32 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions as well as foreign nationals, coaches and team leaders. It also received news coverage through state broadcaster CCTV, Xinhua News Agency and other major media tracking reports.
The events were held in Beijing, Inner Mongolia, Shanghai, Fujian, Shandong, Henan, Sichuan and Gansu covering diverse environmental terrain – hills, grasslands, oceans, valleys, mountains, lakes, mountains, deserts and vineyards.
In addition to introducing the Seven Ways to Respect the Mountains, the events comprised an array of outdoor activities. For example, at the Sichuan event, youngsters hiked the Xiling Snow Mountain, at an altitude of 3,250 meters. Under the guidance of professional camp instructors, participants learned about tent structures, fire drills, rope skills, field first aid skills and outdoor safety knowledge. Meanwhile in Shanghai, participants engaged in water-based activities like rowing, canoeing, sailing and other water sports. In parallel, more than 200 experts and scholars from the youth outdoor camp met to discuss the future development of the camp. Plans for a dedicated UIAA Respect the Mountains event in China are also underway.
Photos courtesy of the Chinese Mountaineering Association.
