Statement: At the General Assembly of the UIAA in October 2007, the member federations applauded the promise of the Chinese Mountaineering Association (CMA) to take the UIAA flag to the summit of Mt Everest, as part of the Olympic torch relay. The logic was simple. The torch relay was part of the Olympics, the UIAA is a member of the Olympic family and the Chinese and Nepalese mountaineering federations are members of the UIAA. At this time...
UIAA regrets Mount Everest access decision by China Statement by Mike Mortimer, President of UIAA (International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation) The UIAA regrets the recent decision by the government of China to close the north side of Mount Everest to mountaineering expeditions for several weeks during May of this year. This restriction will effectively curtail all expeditions attempting to climb the mountain during the spring of 2008. The only exception appears to be the Chinese expedition that...
If you have never before climbed a 5000 meter peak, here is your chance. This summer young mountaineers aged 18-30 years will ascend Mt Kazbek in Georgia. This international ascent is organised by the the Club Mountain Traveller (CMT) on behalf of the Mountaineering & Climbing Association of Georgia from 12th – 19th July. Young members from all UIAA associations are welcome. The event has been offered since 2003 and you can read a report by...
Are you living in the northern hemisphere and can't get enough of snow and ice? Then why not take the chance to try out ice climbing in Africa in the middle of July? The KwaZulu-Natal Section of the Mountain Club of South Africa is inviting you to a Winter meet, taking place in Drakensberg, South Africa from the 5 to 13 July 2008. The objective is to introduce the participants to Africa and its premier ice climbing...
You might not be going to Beijing this summer, but you still have the chance to be a part of the Olympics. As part of the Global Youth Summit, we are inviting young mountaineers to ascend Mount Olympus (mt.2917), Greece. The ascent to the top will be on Sunday 24th of August, the date of the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing. While one Olympic Torch is dimming, another Torch will be lit on...
The expeditions planning to ascent Everest this spring are facing problems. Permits are currently not being issued either by Chinese or Nepali authorities. The UIAA Expedition Commission is using their contacts in Tibet and Nepal to stay updated and we will pass on any information we can to you. However, there is much confusion and contradictory messages from the authorities. The situation at the time of writing is this: No mountaineering expeditions will be allowed in Tibet (including...
The UIAA is to become a Friend of the Rowell Award For the Art of Adventure. The award is given to an "adventurer whose artistic passion illuminates the wild places of the world, and whose accomplishments significantly benefit both the environment and the peoples who inhabit these lands and regions." This year's winner is adventure photographer James Balog. His latest project, the Extreme Ice Survey, involves Balog and his team installing 26 time-lapse cameras on 16 glaciers in...
The Board of the Himalayan Environment Trust has decided to institute an award in Sir Edmund Hillary's memory. The annual award will be given to an organisation or an individual for outstanding lifetime contribution to the cause of the Himalayan Environment. The 'Sir Edmund Hillary Himalayan Environment Award’ will keep alive the memory of Sir Ed and his outstanding contribution to the cause of the Himalayan Environment. The award will be presented annually on October 14,...
15-18 May 2008 the Russian Mountaineering Federation and the Red Fox company are organising the Red Fox Elbrus Race festival. The programme includes a high-speed run to the Elbrus Peak, snow-shoes race and ski-mountaineering competitions. Those who want to take part, should download the race regulations and register by e-mail before the 20 April 2008. There will be three diciplines: High-speed run to the Elbrus Peak. This is a unique event for the real sportsmen and women. The climb to the West...
At the Extraordinary Plenary Assembly of the ISMC (UIAA Ski-mountaineering) on February 27th 2008 in Champéry, Switzerland, it was unanimously decided to take the first step in the process to work towards Unit membership of the UIAA. This new category of UIAA membership was created in October 2007 at the GA in Matsumoto and has been specifically developed to meet the needs of the competition sports in the UIAA. For this purpose, a separate legal...
