APPRECIATING THE FULL PICTURE

The second in our series exploring a profound human passion for the mountains profiles Jason Williams, New Mexico-based mountain rescuer. Jason's skills and experience cover a wide range of mountain rescue sectors. He is a nationally-registered paramedic and obtained his Mountain Emergency Medicine and Rescue Diploma under the shadow of the Matterhorn in the Alpine Rescue Centre, Zermatt. Today, he is Director of the International Mountain Medicine Center at the University of New Mexico where he...

ACCESS COMMISSION PROVIDES GUIDANCE IN IRAN

In the days following the 2017 UIAA General Assembly, a dedicated workshop focusing on mountain access was held at the headquarters of the National Olympic Committee of Iran in Tehran. The workshop titled ‘Educative Access’ united members of the Iran Mountaineering and Sport Climbing federation, national executives and security and rescue authorities. Access Commission President Juan Jesús Ibáñez Martín (FEDME) represented the UIAA and defined the objectives and plans for this new task group. Martín draw on the UIAA’s...

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR UIAA ICE CLIMBING COMPETITORS

Below is a list of important updates for member federations, athletes and officials concerning the 2018 UIAA Ice Climbing season. A Welcome from Rob Adie, new UIAA Ice Climbing contact My name is Rob Adie and I have taken over as Events Coordinator from Carol Kahoun for the UIAA and will be supporting the local organisers and federations with the organisation of the 2018 ice climbing competition season. I think it’s going to be a great season...

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE UIAA ICE CLIMBING EUROPEAN CUPS

The five World Cup events which form the 2018 UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour, partnered by The North Face Korea, represent the ultimate stage for competition ice climbing. In parallel, the UIAA promotes the development of ice climbing through sister events, continental championships and youth competitions. For the first time, four European Cup events will be held from early December to the end of February offering athletes with both the chance to maintain their form for...

APPLICATION OPEN FOR 2018 UIAA ROCK CLIMBING FESTIVAL AWARD

The international rock climbing community is informed that application for the 2018 UAA Rock Climbing Festival Award is now open. The annual Award was created in 2015 and is granted to the festival which best demonstrates a commitment to safety, sustainability and the development of rock climbing as a sport. The chosen festival is selected from a shortlist of applicants and chosen by the UIAA Rock Climbing Working Group. To date, Award winners have come from Africa...

SPANISH FEDERATION REINFORCING ITS COMMITMENT TO MOUNTAIN SAFETY

Over last few years, FEDME (Federación Española de Deportes de Montaña y Escalada), a full UIAA member, has reinforced its commitment to mountain safety, introducing a number of innovative and extensive measures to expand knowledge and consciousness about mountain safety on national level. One of their recent successes saw the publication of a detailed report about tests carried out on anchors in the marine environment. Here is their story. In January 2015, the Board of Directors...

Advice For Gap Year Explorers: How To Check The Quality Of A Commercially Organized Trek Or Expedition

This, the sixth article in the UIAA’s series dedicated to high-altitude medical advice, has a very clear target audience, principally trekking or expedition company operators and their potential clients, notably those on gap years, round the world tickets or taking part in charity events. As the number of mountaineers who are joining organised treks or expeditions continues to increase, so does the incidence of altitude-related diseases. Technically simple high altitude treks and peaks with easy access...

WATCH MOUNTAIN-RELATED DISCUSSIONS AT COP23

In reference to the UIAA news story published on 2 November, further details are now available regarding mountain-related discussions at the 23rd United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - COP23. In collaboration with Mountain Partnership , the UIAA will take part in a side event discussion during COP23, titled “Implementing the 2030 Agenda & Paris Agreement in mountains: building a Framework for Action”. It will be held on Tuesday, 14 November 2017 – 18.30-20.00 – Meeting Room 2, World Conference Center...

CHINESE VENUE CONFIRMED FOR 2018 WORLD CUP

Hohhot will host the Chinese leg of the 2018 UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup from 2-4 February. Located in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Hohhot is an 80-minute flight from Beijing. The nearest airport is Hohhot Baita International Airport. The Chinese Mountaineering Association (CMA) will arrange a free shuttle service to take athletes from the airport to the venue (30 minutes). A reminder that athletes must register for all events through their national federation (which must be a...

UIAA plays integral role discussing sustainability in sport at International Federation Forum

On 9 November, the UIAA took part in a panel discussion at Sport Accord’s International Federation Forum (IF) in Lausanne, Switzerland discussing the relationship between sport and biodiversity and the role of the sporting community. The theme of the three day conference was the International Federations' Impact In Leading The Way To Towards A Sustainability Agenda. The IF Forum programme is a collaboration between the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Global Association of International Sport Federations...