The UIAA - International Climbing & Mountaineering Federation - has published a number of resources related to Covid-19. The dedicated UIAA website portal can be found here. Reports from the meetings of the UIAA Covid-19 Crisis Consultation (CCC) task force. 16 April - creation of CCC 28 April - #1 meeting 14 May - #2 meeting 18 June - #3 meeting 4 August - #4 meeting...
Following consultation between various parties – Mountain Protection Commission (MPC) delegates, the Award Assessment Team, the UIAA Executive Board, UIAA Office and main sponsor Bally – the UIAA MPC has taken the decision to postpone the evaluation and prize designation for the 2020 UIAA Mountain Protection Award to 2021. The application portal – live since 1 March – will remain open for proponents to submit projects and initiatives for the 2020-2021 Award. Assessment will commence in...
For the first time in the UIAA’s near 90-year history, and owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, its biannual Management Committee meeting was held online. The virtual format proved to be a success. All discussion topics and voting were successfully negotiated and all MC members, delegates from each and every continent, were able to join. The MC, held on Friday 1 May, was followed by a meeting of the UIAA Commission Presidents on Saturday 2 May. MANAGEMENT...
In October 2020, the second term of UIAA President Frits Vrijlandt will end. After eight years, the current President will leave office according to the UIAA Articles of Association (AoA) that permit a maximum of two terms of four years. The election of a new UIAA President will take place on 24 October 2020, inline with the UIAA Articles of Association (AoA). The electing body is the UIAA General Assembly. According to the UIAA AoA, member federations are...
The following communication was sent to the UIAA Office by Nepal Mountaineering Association President Santa Bir Lama on 28 April. It follows a previous communication from the NMA concerning Covid-19. Dear President, Please kindly accept warm greetings from Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA). COVID 19, which emerged from China at the end of 2019 and now has become one of the strongest reasons for the human loss in China, Europe, USA and other Asian countries. With the aim to...
The following updates have been provided by the Korean Alpine Federation (KAF), courtesy of UIAA Management Committee member and Continental Representative for Asia, Christine Pae. Dr Injung Lee, former President of KAF, and UIAA honorary member has also written a personal message. A Personal Message from UIAA Honorary Member, Dr Injung Lee Greetings from Korea. Covid-19, which emerged from China at the end of 2019 has now become one of the strongest causes of human loss worldwide including in...
To provide a much needed ice climbing fix during lockdown, the UIAA has selected ten of the most compelling clips, features and highlights packages from past World Cups and World Championships. UIAA ICE CLIMBING WORLD CUP DENVER, UNITED STATES Lead Finals, 2019 A record-breaking crowd (over 25,000 fans across the weekend) attended the finale to the 2018-2019 season held in downtown Denver. The lead finals, played out in front of an electric atmosphere, saw Swiss sensation Yannick Glatthard take...
The following communication, a message from American Alpine Club CEO Phil Powers, was published on 30 April. A MESSAGE FROM AAC CEO PHIL POWERS To the American Alpine Club Community, Our world has been radically impacted by COVID-19. And, this week, it hit home for us in Golden. Yesterday, we placed nearly a quarter of our valued employees on furlough. The senior leadership team and I were brought to this decision after thorough and thoughtful forecasting and budget cuts. With...
The following article was published in Gripped on 27 April. It concerns the Province of New Brunswick, Canada. Social distancing and staying safe while crag climbing during a pandemic On April 24, 2020, the Province of New Brunswick introduced a four-phase recovery plan to COVID-19. In doing so, the Province has relaxed some of the restrictions in place. This is good news because we have received word from Range Control that CFB Gagetown land has been reopened to...
At its 7 April online meeting, members of the UIAA Executive Board team unanimously decided to create a Covid-19 Crisis Consultation (CCC) task force - a lean, crisis-related structure, serving the interests of UIAA members wherever and whenever applicable. The CCC held its first meeting, again online, on 22 April. The meeting counted members of the UIAA EB, Management Committee, Office and individual Commissions. The CCC’s mission is to provide fast responses to queries and Covid-19-related...