HONOURED ON TWO CONTINENTS: LLOYD GALLAGHER

Lloyd "Kiwi" Gallagher was recently granted Honorary Membership of the New Zealand Alpine Club (NZAC). Lloyd made many ascents in New Zealand and was a member of a successful NZAC expedition to the Cordillera Huayhuash in Peru. However, it was primarily for his many contributions to mountaineering and the guiding profession in Canada that the NZAC bestowed this honour on Lloyd. Since arriving in Canada from his native New Zealand in 1965, Gallagher forged his place in...

Statement on Proposed Changes in Nepali Mountaineering Regulations

Following recent headlines about the climbing and trekking industry in Nepal, the Alpine Club has issued this statement, written in collaboration with the BMC, the UIAA and the mountain guides body the IFMGA, highlighting some of the issues facing the Nepali government and how we might help in its efforts to drive out bad practice and secure the future of mountain tourism in Nepal. The last few pre-monsoon seasons on Everest have generated a great number of negative...

NEW PODIUM STARS EMERGE AT WORLD CUP OPENER

The first act of the 2020 UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup season proved to be a terrific event for France. In the men’s lead competition, youngster Louna Ladevant claimed a first ever World Cup gold with compatriot Marion Thomas (main photo) securing bronze in a pulsating female competition. The results come after intense and extensive pre-season from the team. Nearly 80 athletes competed in the competition in Changchun City, China. This year’s World Tour, partnered...

PREVIEW: ROUND 1 OF UIAA ICE CLIMBING WORLD CUP SEASON

The UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup season, partnered by Outdoor Research, gets underway with a first visit to Changchun City in China’s Jilin Province from 3-5 January 2020.  This will be the third different location to play host to the event in China, following previous visits to Beijing and Hohhot. The event is organised with the support of the Chinese Mountaineering Association (CMA). [vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" text_align="left" box_shadow_on_row="no"][vc_column][vc_video link="https://youtu.be/qI__td-Y7UA" align="center"][/vc_column][/vc_row] Three days of competition lay...

WORLD TOUR PREVIEW: INTENSE ICE CLIMBING AWAITS

The UIAA World Tour 2019-2020, partnered by Outdoor Research, began in earnest with Bern, Switzerland playing host to the opening European Cup event on 23 November. This was one of four European Cup events held as part of a wider Continental season, allowing athletes to have more opportunities to compete in between the main World Cup events. Fewer events, greater focus Owing partly to some logistical and organizational constraints and a desire to place greater focus on...

ALPINISM GETS RECOGNITION FROM UNESCO AS INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE OF HUMANITY

Alpinism is not only a physical activity requiring athletic qualities and technical expertise. Defining it simply by pursuits like the exploration of fascinating landscapes or the quest for personal achievements is incomplete. It is all of these features and furthermore characterized by a frame of mind of personal engagement, sense of self-responsibility, knowledge of - and respect - for its natural playground, and strong solidarity and social relationships. These exceptional characteristics, its historical and cultural backgrounds,...

From sea to summit: IOC launches sports group – including the UIAA – to protect mountains

To mark the International Mountain Day, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has today announced the launch of the Mountain Summit – a group of sports organisations concerned with the current state of the world’s mountains and committed to protecting them. The group currently includes 11 members – organisations engaged in sports that are practised in or around mountains. Their aim is to assess and minimise the negative impact of sports activities on mountain environments, and leverage...

STATEMENT: UIAA AND CLIMATE CHANGE

The impact of climate change on mountain regions was one of the core topics discussed at the 2019 UIAA General Assembly (GA) in Cyprus. This scope of this statement is to provide a summary of the UIAA’s longstanding commitment to the protection of the mountain environment and climate action, and its future goals. Overview The mountain environment occupies around 22% of the Earth's land mass and is home to 13% of the world’s population. Mountains provide fresh...

UIAA PUBLISHES 2018 CARBON FOOTPRINT CALCULATION

As part of its commitment to tackling climate change and reducing its own CO2 emissions, the UIAA has published its first annual Carbon Footprint Calculation. This report, covering 2018, outlines the ongoing results of monitoring and reporting of the UIAA's carbon footprint, which is in response to its signed commitment in early 2019 and participation under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Sports for Climate Action. As a participant in this initiative, the UIAA...

FIFTY YEARS OF THE
UIAA MOUNTAIN PROTECTION COMMISSION

In the lead up to International Mountain Day, 11 December, and to celebrate the 50 years of the UIAA Mountain Protection Commission (MPC), the UIAA takes a trip through the archives to select ten stories from the Commission’s proud history. 1969 – Official foundation of the Commission In 1939, W. Goetel from Poland was asked to form a UIAA Commission for nature protection. However, since this was just before the outbreak of World War II, the Commission...