With eight of the fourteen world's highest mountain peaks located within its borders, Nepal is well known as one of the greatest destinations for climbing and mountaineering. From Everest to Kanchenjunga, its mountains have created legends and have inspired incredible feats of human endeavours. Over recent...
In 2013, the UIAA Safety Commission (SafeCom) undertook the development of worldwide minimum standards for avalanche probes and shovels. Previously, formal requirements for avalanche shovels and probes only existed for participation in International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF) ski touring races, mainly with the aim to...
Always protect your belay station with a redirect point in order to limit the consequences of a lead fall. Ideally this should be a high anchor that is separate to the belay station, however this is not always possible. If the belay station is bomber, the lead climber can...
As reported in several international news outlets over the past few days, including the BBC, French authorities have issued a decree restricting access to the summit of Mont Blanc. The reasons are related to overcrowding and 'safety and public order' risks. As the BBC reports, the...
Your partner is in trouble (e.g., knot stuck in his rappel device, friction hitch has jammed, etc.)—he is stuck mid-rappel! The following steps will let you free him either from above or below. Freeing your partner from above 1 — Reach your stuck partner by rappelling down the rope under...
The UIAA Medical Commission has produced a dedicated paper on the use of hiking sticks. It was first published in 2008 and is available in Czech, English, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. Many hikers, mountaineers and climbers use telescopic (hiking) sticks because they...
First launched in 2015, the annual UIAA Rock Climbing Festival Award is a celebration of rock climbing in its purest form, placing an emphasis on events which put the climber and the sustainable development of rock climbing at its very core. The Award recognises festivals which...
Two major international gatherings for the outdoor community took place in June 2018 with the UIAA represented, and leading discussions, at both events. First, the biennial Sustainable Summits Conference took place in Chamonix, France from 12-14 June where the three-day discussions focused on the future for...
As part of its commitment to raising awareness about the importance of preserving natural rock and to reducing indiscriminate bolting, the UIAA is sharing an article from Norwegian climber Robert Caspersen concerning an expedition made in late 2017 with three friends to climb the high east...
The International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation - UIAA - is delighted to announce the publication of its 24th international safety standard for climbing and mountaineering equipment. After extensive research and development, the UIAA published Standard 109 dedicated to Belay Lanyards in June 2018. Standard 109 can be...