PASSION FOR THE MOUNTAINS: 35 YEARS AT THE SERVICE OF MOUNTAIN SAFETY

Jean-Franck Charlet was recently recognised for his outstanding thirty-five years of commitment to the UIAA. Charlet joined the federation in 1983, served as Safety Commission Vice President under Pit Schubert for seven years and then became Commission President from 2002 to 2009. During its most recent meeting, the Frenchman was bestowed the title of Honorary Commission member by Amit Chowdhury, current President. Charlet, born in Argentière in the French Alps, has both climbing and the mountains...

IRAN – AN EMERGING FORCE IN COMPETITION ICE CLIMBING

The most recent UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour featured athletes from 29 different countries. Teams varied from the 52-strong Russian presence to countries such as Ireland, India and Bulgaria represented by single athletes. While the overall World Cup winners of the speed and lead disciplines hailed from Russia and the second most represented team in South Korea, competition ice climbing continues to develop its foundations in a number of countries. To cite a few: France, which...

INTERNATIONAL RELEASE DATES ANNOUNCED FOR THE DAWN WALL

The UIAA is delighted to share details of international screening times for The Dawn Wall, winner of numerous international awards including the UIAA Prize at the 2018 Trento Film Festival. About The Dawn Wall In January 2015, Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson captured the attention with their attempt to scale the Dawn Wall, an apparently impossible 3,000 foot rock face in Yosemite National Park, California. The two lived on the rock face for weeks, provoking media frenzy...

Skills Series: Spacing between members of the party

The latest article in the UIAA Summer Skills series focuses on spacing between climbers. Characteristics of the terrain, the conditions for progression and the experience of the members of the party will determine how they rope up. Wide spacing Advantages Allows use of intermediate belay points. Allows climbers to cross dangers separately (crevasses, cornices...

ALPINE CLUB OF CANADA WELCOMES UIAA ACCESS COMMISSION

At the end of August, the UIAA Access Commission travelled to Canmore, Canada for its 31st annual meeting. Hosted by the Alpine Club of Canada (ACC), the Commission welcomed members from Azerbaijan, Canada, Iran and Taiwan together with President Juan Jesús Ibañez Martin (FEDME, Spain) and UIAA Executive Board member and Commission link Peter Farkas. Among the key topics discussed were the recent, and temporary, access restrictions imposed by French authorities on Mont Blanc (see more...

MONGOLIA PREPARES FOR UIAA GENERAL ASSEMBLY

In a little over a month’s time the 2018 UIAA General Assembly will take place in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. For many delegates it will be their first opportunity to visit a fascinating country with a rich climbing and mountaineering culture. The event will be hosted by the Mongolian National Climbing Federation (MNCF). Established in 1955, the federation’s principal function is to develop all forms of mountain activity from mountaineering to hiking, ice climbing to skyrunning, rock climbing...

EIGHTEEN PROJECTS NOMINATED FOR PRESTIGIOUS AWARD

Submissions for the 2018 UIAA Mountain Protection Award came from all corners of the globe with the project’s dedicated assessment team confirming the nomination of eighteen projects. As of 31 August, all project profiles have been available to view on the UIAA website. Each nominee is also being promoted through the UIAA’s social media channels. The 2018 Award welcomes projects from a diverse range of fields. Six projects are re-nominations and twelve have applied for the...