INTERNATIONAL MOUNTAIN DAY 2021

11 December marks the United Nations' annual International Mountain Day.  This year's theme is sustainable mountain tourism. This article offers access to a number of resources and details on UIAA activities around the milestone. OFFICIAL THEME FOR 2021 Sustainable tourism in mountains can contribute to creating additional and alternative livelihood options and promoting poverty alleviation, social inclusion, as well as landscape and biodiversity conservation. It is a way to preserve the natural, cultural and spiritual heritage, to promote...

MOUNTAIN WORKER INITIATIVE:
AN UPDATE

In February, the UIAA launched the Mountain Worker Initiative (MWI), guided by its Mountaineering Commission, to promote ethical trekking and mountaineering practices worldwide with a focus on the lives of mountain workers. The idea to form this initiative is inspired by the agency behind The Porter: The Untold Story at Everest. In March, a dedicated webinar was held to kick-off this new project. Details on the background of the initiative and its mission are provided...

2020-2021 UIAA MOUNTAIN PROTECTION AWARD WINNER ANNOUNCED

Giroparchi Nature Trail by Fondation Grand Paradis, a project based in the north of Italy has been named as winner of the 2020-2021 UIAA Mountain Protection Award partnered by the Bally Peak Outlook Foundation. Giroparchi Nature Trail is a nature trekking activity project located in the heart of the Gran Paradiso National Park – the oldest of its kind in Italy – and open to teenagers between the ages of 11 and 14 from both the...

UIAA RELEASES 2022 MEETINGS CALENDAR

The UIAA Executive Board recently confirmed the federation's calendar of meetings for 2022. Highlights include: UIAA General Assembly (GA) The Alpine Club of Canada (ACC) will host the 2022 GA in Banff, Canada on Saturday 29 October. It will be the third time that the GA has been held in Banff following meetings in 1988 and 2006. 2022 marks the 82nd UIAA General Assembly. UIAA Management Committee (MC) The MC is scheduled to convene four times with two confirmed online...

ANCHOR WORKING GROUP PROGRESS HEADLINES SAFECOM MEET

The UIAA Safety Commission held its latest online Plenary meeting from 8-9 November. The session was attended by six UIAA accredited laboratories, 14 internal Safety Commission delegates and 26 leading climbing and mountaineering equipment manufacturers, plus guests.  Anchor Working Group As reported by Commission member Stephen Gladieux (AAC, United States), the Anchor Working Group (WG) is interested in past and near-current manufacturing processes concerning materials and their susceptibility to welding and/or corrosion issues.  The focus is on...

MACGILLYCUDDY REEKS EUROPEAN INNOVATION PARTNERSHIP PROJECT NAMED UIAA MOUNTAIN PROTECTION AWARD RUNNER-UP

The UIAA is delighted to announce that the MacGillycuddy Reeks European Innovation Partnership Project from Ireland has been named Runner-Up as part of the 2020-2021 UIAA Mountain Protection Award partnered by the Bally Peak Outlook Foundation. A total of 24 projects operational in more than 30 countries and on six continents were showcased as part of 2020-2021 MPA. They represent a range of initiatives including encouraging youth participation, tackling pollution and climate change, creating sustainable national...

A Tribute to Carlo Zanantoni

The UIAA pays tribute to Carlo Zanantoni, a long-time delegate of the UIAA Safety Commission (SafeCom) who passed away on 18 November. Carlo Zanantoni was born in Verona in 1930. From an early age, a love for the mountains drew him to the Dolomites. An eager and impressive mountaineer, he was equally passionate about the development into the research of safe climbing equipment. This inspired him to be part of the pioneering team in the early...

ZÉRO DÉCHET MONT BLANC NAMED UIAA MOUNTAIN PROTECTION AWARD BEST NEW INITIATIVE

The UIAA is delighted to announce that the No Bins Project by Zéro Déchet Mont Blanc (France) has been named Best New Initiative as part of the 2020-2021 UIAA Mountain Protection Award (MPA) partnered by the Bally Peak Outlook Foundation. A total of 24 projects operational in more than 30 countries and on six continents were showcased as part of 2020-2021 MPA. They represent a range of initiatives including encouraging youth participation, tackling pollution and climate...

NIKOLAY PRIMEROV AND SINA GOETZ IMPRESS IN BERN

The first event of the 2021-2022 UIAA Ice Climbing season saw the hosting of a European Continental Cup competition in Bern, Switzerland on Saturday 13 November. An impressive span of 47 athletes (30 male, 17 female) from 15 countries took part in the lead only event. It proved to be the most 'international' competition the UIAA has been able to organize since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. In both categories, Swiss athletes made local advantage count....

ACUTE AND CHRONIC OVERSTRAIN INJURIES OF WORLD CUP ICE CLIMBERS

The UIAA Medical Commission, with the support of members of the UIAA Anti-Doping Commission, has released a paper analysing acute and chronic overstrain injuries in World Cup ice climbers. Background While rock climbing injuries have been well investigated this is not the case for ice climbing and its various disciplines. Since extreme body positions are normal in extreme ice climbing specific injury patterns may be expected (fig. 1-3). The authors investigated the participants of the UIAA Ice...