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...
The UIAA congratulates UIAA Ski-Mountaineering and the Swiss Alpine Club on the great success of the 4th Ski-Mountaineering World Championship, organised in Portes du Soleil in Switzerland. Working under difficult meteorological circumstances, a dedicated group of volunteers from the Swiss Alpine Club ran a series of events which concluded on Friday the 29th of February with the long distance race from Morgins to Champéry (24 km, + 3000 vertical meters for the men’s race.) In...
"Imagine if no one could get to Everest or K2 - what would happen to mountaineering and trekking in Nepal or Pakistan? What would happen to the people who live around those peaks? Afghanistan faces this situation today. Its highest peak, Noshaq (7492m), is virtually inaccessible because the route to base camp is blocked by land mines," says John Mock from the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas. He is eager to explain just how difficult...
23 July to 6 August 2008, the Mountain Partnership is organising a course on “Mountain Environment and Climate Change” in Italy. The course is open to professionals with a University degree working with mountain development in the public or private sector in their country. The course will be held in English and is open to a maximum of 30 participants. Participants coming from countries or organisations which are members of the Mountain Partnership will be given...
