Assistance and gentle reassurance can be helpful when moving the group over an exposed section, where a fall would be serious; or you can install a safety line or fixed rope. In either case, do not hesitate to rope up less experienced or less skilled hikers if a...
The UIAA and the German Alpine Club (DAV) have teamed up to produce a series of ten videos designed to help improve climber's belay technique. Originally produced by the DAV, the videos have recently been translated into English following collaboration with the UIAA Safety Commission...
One of the UIAA’s core services and direct benefits it offers member associations comes courtesy of its training qualifications and programmes which are both supported by a rich library of practical information. At October 2018’s UIAA General Assembly, details on the impressive collaboration between the UIAA,...
A year delivering diverse projects, initiatives and events at the UIAA witnessed significant activity across the federation’s three pillars of safety, sport and sustainability, thanks to the endeavours of its eight commissions, Management Committee, Executive Board and Office based in Bern. Highlights include a new...
EAWS (European Avalanche Warning Services) have introduced a standard for typical avalanche problems and changed the names of avalanche sizes and the wording of the European avalanche danger scale. Full details can be found here. Please also find a recent article about the UIAA Safety Commission's progress in launching...
The UIAA Mountaineering Commission held its latest meeting in Lisbon, Portugal, in April 2018. The meeting, which was hosted by the Federação de Campismo e Montanhismo de Portugal (FCMP), was attended by 11 delegates from nine different countries. Pedro Cuiça (Head of Training, FCMP) welcomed...
The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) recently published a guide regarding the potential perils of buying climbing equipment online, notably the abundance of non-certified equipment offered by dubious sellers. The UIAA endorses the BMC article which advises buying gear 'which conform(s) to the relevant CEN or UIAA standard,...
The latest in our series of extracts from the UIAA Alpine Skills Summer handbook focuses on group dynamics and forms part of a chapter dedicated to 'Leading a Group' which tackles the way people behave and relate to others in an exacting environment which can elicit unexpected...
Orienting yourself in the mountains in good weather poses few problems for the attentive navigator. It is, however, quite different with reduced visibility. In a thick fog, even the most seasoned mountaineer has no point of reference. Although you can navigate in bad weather with a solid...
The UIAA Alpine Skills Summer guide was first published in 2015. Produced in collaboration with the Petzl Foundation, the guide and has been well received worldwide and is currently available in five languages. To mark the launch of a digital version of the publication, the UIAA...