UIAA Logos:
A History
Over sixty years ago, in an inspired moment, a universal seal of approval was born. The UIAA logo which is recognised today around the world as a symbol of excellence, quality and safety was the spontaneous creation of a boy named Oliver, the son of Jean Juge, then Vice President of the UIAA Ropes Commission.
Under some pressure to come up with a logo that would be the “Seal of Approval” for mountaineering equipment, Juge turned to his son for help. He asked Oliver to draw a mountain. Juge added the circle and the letters UIAA inside it.
“The logo stands for the values of the UIAA including love freedom, respect, risk awareness, decision-making and willpower,” said Juge.
Within an hour, father and son had finalised the concept and the logo was registered in Switzerland that same year and internationally a year later.
That mark of safety came to be associated with the UIAA – International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation – in the decades to come until 2001. That’s when the UIAA General Assembly decided the organisation needed its own unique logo. Today that original logo serves as the UIAA Safety Label logo.
UIAA Safety Label logo
Official UIAA logo