The long list of potential nominees for the 2014 Piolet d'Or has been released. A smaller group of nominees for the prestigious 2014 awards will be chosen from this super long list published on the Piolet d'Or website: CHINE Kyzyl Asker (5,842m) A free ascent of the southeast pillar by...
Editor's Note: Carlo Zanantoni sent us this speech by Bernard Amy, the well known French mountaineer and writer, member of GHM and President the French Observatoir pour les Pratiques de la Montagne et de l' Alpinisme (OPMA), which he thought would of interest to UIAA members. Ami recently become...
The development of a proposed worldwide accidents database run by the Mountaineering Commission has been given a boost from the Petzl Foundation’s board of directors who have agreed to support the project in principal. The Foundation’s support is contingent on the ability of the Mountaineering Commission,...
Editor's Note: Last month, we received sad news of the death of Zdeněk Hrubý (1956 – 2013), president of the Czech Mountaineering Federation. Hrubý fell to his death in August 2013 while attempting a new route via the southwest face of Gasherbrum I (Hidden Peak)...
The Nepal government announced this week it would set up a permanent government team at the base camp of Mount Everest which observers believe is a first step towards the tightening of regulations around the number of climbers on the mountain, and what they do...
The UIAA Mountain Protection Commission has expressed concern that a proposal by the mayors of two towns near Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps, endangers ongoing efforts to designate it as part of the UNESCO World Heritage List. The letter signed by commission president...
The UIAA Mountaineering Commission has approved a proposal to develop a standardized, international system of collecting and analysing accidents to better identify areas where safety and training can be improved, and help insurance companies better understand risk in mountain activities. The idea for a global database...
Second wave of via ferrata set recalls within six months 25 Feb, 2013 Editor's Note: This release contains an updated table of affected via ferrata sets dated 17 April 2013. Press Release Second wave of via ferrata set recalls within six months Considerable deficiencies found in many via ferrata sets 25 February 2013, BERN,...
An innovative multi-year UIAA Training Standards program conducted in cooperation with the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) is in the final stages of evaluation and will provide a template for a much sought-after service from federation members. The Nepal program, supported by a charity called the Petzl Foundation,...
An attempt to make the first successful winter ascent of Broad Peak (8047 metres) led by well-known Polish climber Krzysztof Wielicki and organized by the Polish Mountaineering Association (PZA) is underway. The expedition by the UIAA federation member is part of a series of Polish winter...