Tajik horse tour operator in the Pamirs wins UIAA Mountain Protection Award

NEWS RELEASE 20 October 2014, BERN, Switzerland:  The 2014 UIAA Mountain Protection Award has been awarded to Pamir Horse Adventure, a Tajikstan-based community tour operator, for its conservation and tourism development initiatives in the Pamir Mountains. The award was given today at the Kiku. International Mountain Summit by Dr. Carolina Adler, a member of the UIAA Mountain Protection Commission with representatives of sponsors Western University and Golden Rock in Brixen, Italy. From left to right: Dr. Carolina Adler of the UIAA Mountain Protection...

American climber and mountaineer Steve House given UIAA Achievement Award

On summit of Cho Oyu (Photo: Steve House for UIAA) American climber and mountaineer Steve House who was awarded the UIAA Achievement Award at the 2014 General Assembly in Flagstaff, Arizona has climbed tough and punishing big walls on some very big mountains in far flung corners of the world. They include what he considers his toughest climb yet, Nanga Parbat (8,125m) where he made the difficult first ascent up the Central Pillar of the Rupal Face of Nanga Parbat...

2014 UIAA General Assembly: Rock Climbing in the Flagstaff area offers variety and reward

Climbing at the Forks near Flagstaff (Photo: http://flagstaffclimbing.com/) Editor's Note: We've added a Q & A about climbing in the Flagstaff area with Jason Henrie to this article. Thanks for the tips and be sure to check out their climbing wall or use their services if you are in the area. The 2014 UIAA – International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation General Assembly takes place in Flagstaff, Arizona, the gateway to the Grand Canyon. To mark the occasion, we’ve posted some information about...

Member spotlight: Freedom lies in the mountains for Turkish climber Tunc Findik

Tunk Findik: "For all their perils, the 8000 meter mountains had enriched my life beyond my wildest dreams" (Photo: Tunc Findik for UIAA ) Turkish climber and mountaineer Tunc Findik has just four more peaks to climb before he completes his quest to summit the world’s 14 highest mountains above 8000 metres. He’s also a sports hero in his native Turkey and a role model for members of his climbing club, the Zirve Mountaineering Club (ZMC), an associate member...

Advice sheet on risks of drug use in the mountains developed by UIAA Medical Commission

Mt. Ader (Photo: Phil Wickens for UIAA) The UIAA Medical Commission has developed a new layperson’s advice sheet on drug use in the mountains. UIAA Medical Commission president David Hillebrandt said the advice sheet is the result of five years of discussion and consensus building between experts on the UIAA Medical Commission and the international mountain medicine community. The paper titled Drug use and Misuse in Mountaineering (Please click on this link to read the paper) is intended for mountaineers and...

Training camp for young ice climbers to be held in Kirov, Russia

The UIAA Ice Climbing Commission is holding a training camp for young competition ice climbers in Kirov, Russia. Two tentative dates for week long camps have been set: Week of 25 November 2014 Week of 9 December 2014 A focus on broadening youth participation in competition ice climbing has been a focus of the UIAA Ice Climbing Commission with next year’s Word Youth Ice Climbing Championships in Saas Fee, Switzerland being the third such annual event. "The support...

Book tribute for Stefano Tirinzoni to be held in Sondrio, Italy

The Italian Alpine Club (CAI) and Bombardieri Foundation are jointly holding a book launch on 3 October 2014 dedicated to climber and environmentalist Stefano Tirinzoni, a founding member of the UIAA Access and Conservation Commission. The event for the book Stefano Tirinzoni: une vita per la montagne e per l'ambiente is being held in Sondrio, Italy and is open to all of Tirinzoni’s friends said UIAA Management Committee member Lucia Foppoli. "The Bombardieri Foundation, of which he was President from 1998 to April...

UIAA officials discuss Olympic quest for ice climbing with International Olympic Committee

UIAA – International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation president Frits Vrijlandt lead a delegation to meet International Olympic Committee (IOC) officials to discuss a range of issues including the inclusion of ice climbing as a sport in the 2022 Winter Olympics. Vrijlandt was accompanied to the 15 September meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland by board member Thomas Kähr and UIAA Office Manager Sophie Gerard. "We have been developed our competitive ice climbing program and expanded its global reach for...

Reciprocity agreement allows members to use each other’s huts

The Moiry Cabin is managed by the Swiss Alpine Club Member federations of the UIAA – International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation are entitled to use about 1,200 mountain huts offering accommodation for 66,000 people in the entire alpine region – from Slovenia to France, including the Pyrenees. Those eligible to benefit from reciprocity are offered the same overnight rates as members of the hut-owning associations; in some huts, these special conditions are up to 50 per cent...

UIAA to develop first para-iceclimbing event in Russia

Training for the first para-iceclimbing competition near Ufa, Russia (Photo: Gulnara Sakhibzadaeva for UIAA) The first official UIAA para-iceclimbing competition is being planned for one of the European rounds of the UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour in 2015. Dr. Evgeny Mashkovskiy of the Russian Mountaineering Federation who has led the push for this event said athletes from the United Kingdom, Russia and Netherlands have confirmed their participation and there is interest being expressed from athletes in other...