Russia has its first UIAA-certified climbing instructors

In the following report, Anna Stolbova of the Russian Mountaineering Federation (RMF) describes the successful conclusion of the first UIAA-certified course for Russian climbing instructors: Nine candidates successfully completed the training course on Rock Climbing Instructor programme which took place in the Mountaineering Camp Bezengi in the Caucasus region in June 2010. Organization of the Rock Climbing Instructor Course became possible thanks to the programme of cooperation between the RMF and the UIAA. The long-term aim of the RMF activities is the...

Safety Label Holders reduce carbon footprint

Many UIAA Safety Label Holders are increasing efforts to reduce the environmental impact of their manufacturing processes. Three companies, Grivel, Beal and Mammut, tell the UIAA about their initiatives and why these efforts not only protect the environment but also make good business sense. “Respecting the planet should be logical for outdoor industry players,” says Betta Gobbi of Grivel about the Italian company’s decision to cover the 7,000m2 roof of its factory with solar panels. Grivel says the solar panels will produce enough energy to reduce carbon...

UIAA sends condolences to Graftiaux family

The UIAA is saddened to learn of the death of Chloé Graftiaux, who died on August 21 while descending from the summit along the South Face of Aiguille Noire de Peuterey in the Mont Blanc massif. “We would like to express our condolences to her family and friends. She was a very kind person and a great climber,” said Pavel Shabalin, president of the UIAA Ice Climbing Commission. In January of this year, Chloé Graftiaux attained a...

UIAA partners with International Mountain Summit

The UIAA is a partner with the International Mountain Summit, a multi-faceted event that brings together some of the greatest climbers the world has ever known. The IMS, taking place this year from October 30 to November 7 in the South Tyrol town of Brixen/Bressanone, includes talks with such renowned mountaineers as Reinhold Messner, Kurt Diemberger and blind climber Andy Holzer. The IMS Congress will tackle issues such as risk taking and rescues, climbing ethics and women in...

Updates to Diploma in Mountain Medicine

The widely respected qualification, Diploma in Mountain Medicine, was the focus of a joint meeting on August 8 of the UIAA Medical Commission, the International Society of Mountain Medicine (ISMM) and the International Commission for Alpine Rescue (ICAR). Dr David Hillebrandt, Vice President, UIAA Medical Commission, wrote the following report on the joint meeting: Unfortunately the UIAA Medical commission president Dr Buddha Basnyat from Nepal has been unable to attend the International Society of Mountain Medicine (ISMM) World...

Kazuo SAITO

2016 is proving to be another busy year for the UIAA Youth Commission and its series of Global Youth Summit (GYS) events ...

Hepatitis/HIV risk for climbers?

What is the risk of blood-borne infections being transmitted to climbers? The UIAA Medical Commission attempts to answer this vital question in its latest advice paper. “Sustaining cuts, abrasions or lacerations, typically on the fingertips in contact with holds, is a common occurrence in climbing,” say the medical experts in the document, the most recent recommendations document to be published on the UIAA website. The Medical Commission reminds climbers of the seriousness of blood-borne infections, with millions of people suffering...

Alpine Journal editor goes on Swiss odyssey

Editor of the American Alpine Journal, John Harlin III, is attempting to become only the second person to encircle Switzerland, following its largely mountainous border. “According to simple map-distances, I’ll cover roughly 800 kilometres by bicycle and kayak and 1,000++ kilometres on foot—including lots of technical climbing over difficult mountains (for example, the hardest ridge on the Matterhorn),” said Harlin who began his journey on June 22. He is first tackling Switzerland’s alpine border with Italy,...

UIAA responds to Everest age restrictions

The UIAA welcomes China’s decision to ban people under 18 years of age from climbing Mount Everest. According to press reports and climbing and trekking agencies in Nepal, the decision was taken on June 10 by the Lhasa-based Chinese Tibet Mountaineering Association (CTMA) - a branch of the Chinese Mountaineering Association, which is a UIAA Member. The move was welcomed by the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA). “While concerned about the restrictions on the freedom for exploration and human...

New classification system for reporting injuries

The UIAA Medical Commission has released a new recommendation to improve the reporting of mountaineering injuries. In the past, the expert panel says, “objective reporting of the injury site and its severity varied according to the injury definition and methodology used”. This led to different conclusions making “inter-study comparisons difficult or impossible”. The newly published paper describes the common protocol developed by the Medical Commission to report injuries in studies. It uses a single climbing grade reference...