SHIN WOONSEON AND ALEXEY DENGIN MAKE EARLY STATEMENTS

The 2017 UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour, supported by The North Face Korea, is underway. And in some style. The Ska Brewing Company in Durango, Colorado (USA) hosted the first event of the season, a World Cup event in lead, on 16-17 December. Finding themselves on top of the podium at the end of two days of absorbing and rainsoaked action were South Korean athlete Shin Woonseon and Russian Alexey Dengin. Action at the first event of...

UIAA Honorary Member Tom Nakamura explores new frontiers

UIAA honorary member Tom Nakamura has an insatiable desire to share his passion for the mountains. At a recent conference on Climate Change and Tourism in Nepal, he presented photographs from a recent trip to the hidden mountains of Southern Tibet. Nakamura's findings were also recently the subject of an article in Alpinist. [caption id="attachment_65600" align="alignright" width="300"] Shelika (6045m), south face, northeast of Jindong. [Photo] Tom Nakamura[/caption] In November 82-year-old Japanese mountaineer Tamotsu "Tom" Nakamuraentered the restricted area of southern Tibet to explore and photograph...

Tributes paid to former UIAA Medcom President Bruno Durrer

The UIAA is saddened by the news that former UIAA Medical Commission President and longstanding UIAA Medical Commission member Bruno Durrer passed away at the age of 62 earlier this month. “Bruno was very much an internationally respected figure in mountain medicine and mountain rescue, and more than that, he was a very kind and very funny man. He is gone much too soon - a tragic loss to us all,” explained current UIAA Medical Commission President George...

British climber summits all UIAA-listed 4,000m Alpine peaks

The British Mountaineering Council (BMC), a UIAA member federation, recently reported on the achievements of British climber Steve Hartland. The 53-year old has become the first known British climber to scale all 82 of the UIAA-listed 4,000m peaks in the Alps. The UIAA would like to congratulate Steve Hartland on his outstanding achievement. BMC's report read: Steve Hartland has become the first known Brit to complete the UIAA list of 82 peaks over 4,000m in the Alps,...

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). ‘Waste Management Outlook for Mountain Regions. Sources and Solutions’.

International Mountain Day, Sunday 11 December 2016 To mark International Mountain Day, UNEP has produced a dedicated report titled ‘Waste Management Outlook for Mountain Regions. Sources and Solutions’. It will be published on 11 December. Its Executive Summary sets the scene for this groundbreaking report. Mountains play an essential role in supplying water, energy, food and other services to millions of people living in the mountains and downstream. Ensuring the continued supply of these services has never been more...

RESEARCH PAPER: LAND USE AND LAND COVER CHANGE EXPLORED IN SAGARMATHA (MT EVEREST) NATIONAL PARK, NEPAL

Article published for International Mountain Day 2016 UIAA Mountain Protection Commission members play an active role in leading, contributing to, and editing significant papers on the subject of sustainable mountain development. Their work brings valuable knowledge and expertise to the UIAA and its member federations. A recent publication by UIAA Mountain Protection Commission member Rodney Garrard (based at the University of Bern) and coauthors explores diverse topics like climate change, local resource use, resource conservation, and mountain...

UIAA & MOUNTAIN SUSTAINABILITY. AT THE HEART OF MOUNTAIN PROTECTION

Article published for International Mountain Day 2016 The UIAA believes all those who have a stake in the well-being of the mountain environment should collectively work to raise awareness about the fragile nature of mountain ecosystems, as well as to encourage responsible and sustainable behaviour and practices. The UIAA’s activities focus on: Promoting sustainable mountain development and rewarding innovative initiatives in adventure tourism, recreation and mountain conservation. Raising awareness about environmental issues and furthering education on conservation and sustainable practices. ...

UIAA MOUNTAIN PROTECTION AWARD. PROMOTING AND REWARDING GOOD PRACTICES

Article published for International Mountain Day 2016 The UIAA Mountain Protection Award (MPA), supported by Golden Rock Travel and Western University of Azerbaijan, was created in 2013. The Award serves as a platform for showcased initiatives who receive promotion as part of the extensive international UIAA network. Each year, one project claims the annual prize for best initiative, awarded at the UIAA General Assembly. The Award is a fundamental part of the UIAA Mountain Protection Commission’s commitment...

TACKLING THE WASTE ISSUE: UIAA RESPECT THE MOUNTAINS SERIES

Article published for International Mountain Day 2016 With the support of several of its European member federations and project partner KEEN, the UIAA spearheaded its first Respect the Mountains Series during the northern hemisphere summer of 2016. Across nine events in eight countries, over 600 volunteers covered 3,000 kilometres in removing Europe’s slopes of five tonnes of tourist waste. The Series was created as a two-fold project. On a practical level, lay the direct action clean-up operation that...

UIAA & INTERNATIONAL MOUNTAIN DAY

International Mountain Day takes place on Sunday 11 December. This occasion was designated in 2003 by the United Nations General Assembly and has been observed on 11 December each and every year since. Its primary goal is to raise awareness about ‘the importance of mountains to life, to highlight the opportunities and constraints in mountain development and to build alliances that will bring positive change to mountain peoples and environments around the world.’ This year’s...