A new group called The Italian Observatory for Liberty set up to resist attempts by national or local authorities to constrain freedom of access and risk taking in mountaineering and climbing was unveiled at the "Festival della Montagna" in Trento earlier this month. “The attacks on...
The UIAA Management Committee, in a bid to enhance a much sought after service to member federations, has approved a set of proposals for voluntary Training Standards to be delivered as a professional service. The call for such a service was rated as the number one priority...
The debate over whether to bolt or not to bolt on mountains has been renewed with a new working paper on a controversial issue that often pits sport climbers versus adventure (trad) climbers. The draft paper which was presented at the UIAA Management Committee meeting in Budapest,...
An international mountaineering competition takes place in the Pamirs July and has attracted teams from a number of countries including Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Ukraine, Belorussia, France, Croatia and Iran. The event starts on 3 July and ends on 22 July 2012 in the mountains of Zamin-Karor...
UIAA Management Committee member Mark Richey of the American Alpine Club and fellow climbers Freddie Wilkinson and Steve Swenson were the proud recipient of the prestigious Piolet d’Or (golden ice axe) award for the successful first ascent of Saser Kangri II, previously the world’s second...
Climbers from Spain, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran took part in a January winter ascent of Damavand (5,671 m) the highest volcanic mountain in the Middle East. Located just two hours by car from the Iranian capital of Tehran, the mass climb of the South Face of...
Ang Tshering Sherpa, Immediate Past President of the Nepal Mountaineering Association provides detailed mountaineering facts and figures in Nepal. His exhaustive study not only provides statistics and highlights exceptional climbs but also tries to show the economic importance of the sport to Nepal’s economy. Here...
The Eco Everest Expedition 2011, under the leadership of Dawa Steven Sherpa, succeeded in efforts to clean and collect garbage, debris and waste left by past expedition groups. The following report was provided by Dawa Steven's father, Ang Tshering Sherpa, of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, and...
Significant progress has been made on the further development of the UIAA Training Standards label. Also discussed at the recent meeting in Switzerland of the UIAA Mountaineering Commission was traditional climbing and an update to the Legal Experts Working Group document on legal liability. The...
Two climbs have been awarded the 2011 Piolets d'Or: Greenland Big Walls Expedition and Mount Logan South East Face. The following text is from the organising committee of the prestigious award, which is supported by French, American, British and Italian alpine clubs - all member federations of...
