FAQs and Logistical Information: Beijing

Q. Where do I register for the event? A. Please contact your Federation which received login details to register its athletes. It must be done through the federation. Q. How do I obtain a visa for the event? A. To obtain a visa go to the closest Chinese Embassy and bring along: Passport copies (2x) Confirmation of residency (if not same as citizenship) Passport picture (1x) VISA application form Copy of flight tickets (there and back) Copy of...

FAQs and Logistical Information: Durango

Q. Where do I register for the event? A. Please contact your Federation which received login details to register its athletes. It must be done through the federation. Q. How do I obtain a visa for the event? A. Apply for the ESTA. Please check that you are on the list of VISA WAIVER PROGRAM COUNTRIES - else please contact the closest US embassy as soon as possible. The Contact address to put on the ESTA is: The Rock Lounge Marcus...

2016 Piolets d’Or Asia winners announced

The Piolets d’Or Asia celebrated its 11th anniversary in Seoul, Korea on 4 November. These Awards, known as the Oscars of Alpinism, have been leading the development of Asian mountaineering culture for the last ten years. Among those recognised were a UIAA honorary member and a UIAA ice climbing champion. 11th Piolets d’Or Asia Awards (co-winners); The joint winners of the main award were confirmed as: A Korean Team led by Mr. Chang-Ho, Kim, who has completed all 14 Himalayan Giants without...

UIAA Mountaineering Commission meets in Jordan

The UIAA Mountaineering Commission (MountComm) met in Petra, Jordan, in November 2016. The meeting, which was hosted by the Jordan Tourism Board, was attended by 14 delegates from 11 different countries, plus the MountComm’s previous President, Eliza Moran. Khaled Al-Raggad, head of sustainable adventure tourism in the Jordan Tourist Board, welcomed MountComm, and described Jordan’s commitment to protecting wilderness areas, and involvement of those who live in these areas in tourist services and the area’s...

Continued evolution of the UIAA Safety Label in China

The UIAA Safety Label extends its international reach. UIAA Safety Commission member Jean-Franck Charlet was recently invited by the Chinese Mountaineering Association (CMA) to assist in the construction of an official UIAA safety laboratory in Beijing, the second of its kind on the Asian continent. The laboratory will be built inside a huge artificial climbing structure, some 48m high and 150m wide, a veritable mountain in its own right. The new laboratory will allow the CMA to test all mountain...

A guide to good practices for holding mountain races in protected natural areas

Experts from the UIAA member federation FEDME (Federación Española de Deportes de Montaña y Escalada) have collaborated with a number of bodies, notably Europarc-Spain, in producing a paper which underlines the good practices for holding mountain running competitions in protected natural areas. The document is available to download in English here. As the document’s Executive Summary states: “The popularization of mountain races has grown so rapidly that it may imperil the conservation of some of the...

Dates confirmed for youth ice climbing training camps in Kirov, Russia

The UIAA Ice Climbing Commission and the Russian Mountaineering Federation have confirmed the programme and registration details for this year’s training camps for youth ice climbers. This annual opportunity for youth ice climbers to train together is a fundamental part of the UIAA’s commitment towards the evolution of the sport, allowing the next generation of ice climbers to develop their skills under expert coaching and guidance. Two youth events form part of the calendar for the upcoming UIAA...

UIAA – Newsletter, October 2016. Now Published.

The October 2016 UIAA Newsletter is now available. The 2016  UIAA General Assembly, held in Brixen (Bressanone), Italy and organised by the Alpenverein Südtirol AVS, took centre-stage this month. UIAA member federations from six continents attended the annual meeting which witnessed Frits Vrijlandt re-elected as President, the confirmation of the Strategic Plan 2017-2020 and the welcoming of five new member federations. Mountain Wilderness was confirmed as the winner of the 2016 UIAA Mountain Protection Award and Reinhold Messner awarded UIAA...

Reinhold MESSNER

2016 is proving to be another busy year for the UIAA Youth Commission and its series of Global Youth Summit (GYS) events ...

At the forefront of mountain medicine

The work of the UIAA Medical Commission is respected and recognized throughout the world of mountaineering. The Commission’s mission of increasing knowledge about mountain medicine among doctors, mountaineers and lay mountain users is achieved through several different means. In order to provide the best possible advice through its network of doctoral-level mountain medicine experts, the UIAA Medical Commission produces extensive advice and recommendation papers (translated in several languages and aimed at all types of mountain users),...