UIAA - International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation

Review of key decisions: 2025 UIAA General Assembly The 2025 UIAA General Assembly took place in Peja, Kosovo from 24-26 October and was hosted by the Kosovo Mountaineering and Sport Climbing Federation. Kosovo became the 35th country to host a UIAA GA. Annexed to the GA programme was the second edition of the UIAA Mountain Sports Symposium. Includes links to photo galleries & videos. https://lnkd.in/eWXKEqhQ

Day 2 of the UIAA General Assembly Where votes were cast; interesting panel discussions held and new Court & Management Board members elected. A full review of the GA will be published on Tuesday 28 October.

A snapshot of today at the UIAA General Assembly in Peja, Kosovo in 60 seconds. Information session, Climate Change Summit and Mountain Protection Award announcement among the highlights.

Flagship Shelters for the Environment by UIAA member association FFCAM | Fédération française des Clubs Alpins et de Montagne was announced as the winner of the 11th edition of the UIAA Mountain Protection Award (MPA) at the UIAA General Assembly (GA) in Peja, Kosovo earlier today. It is the second time a French project has won the Award following Mountain Wilderness France in 2016. The Best New Initiative was also announced at the GA, and awarded to Walking the Tra Tra by Mountain Club of South Africa. A total of 20 international projects operational on five continents and in 19 countries were showcased as part of 2025 MPA nominee list. While the two prize winners were confirmed at the General Assembly, the official award ceremony will take place in 2026, specifically at the Alpine Museum in Bern, Switzerland held 23-24 October and jointly to the ceremony of the King Albert I Foundation’s Mountain Awards. As of 2025, the MPA functions on a two-year cycle with one year being an adjudication and award year; with the alternate year having a focus on community building and associated knowledge sharing. The MPA Award is sponsored by presenting partner Lenovo and Altezza Travel as supporting partner. https://lnkd.in/ds7-Zvg3

UIAA newsletter for October 2025 now available. - Preview of 2025 UIAA General Assembly - President's Report - UIAA Standard 110 Static Ropes published - A Year On: Progress of UIAA Declaration - UIAA and Mammut Sports Group AG team up for 2025 General Assembly - Statement: Nepal makes 97 mountains free to climb - UIAA and Altezza Travel agree sustainability partnership - UIAA makes revisions to three Safety Standards https://lnkd.in/evxAU-2t

Introducing UIAA Safety Standard 110 for Static Ropes The publication of the UIAA Standard 110 for Static Ropes heralds the latest achievement of the UIAA Safety Commission. It was approved at the Commission’s 50-year anniversary meeting in Chamonix in April following five years of intense efforts from a dedicated working group, composed of delegates from various climbing, mountaineering and rescue federations, technical experts, rope manufacturers and testing laboratories. Standard 110 will be joined shortly by Standard 171 for Via Ferrata Construction as well as updates to five existing Standards as outlined here. The delivery of these updates has been achieved in parallel with the impressive and ongoing work in the field of rock anchors and bolting for which a dedicated library of assets for climbers, bolters and gear manufacturers is available.  “The process to establish a new Standard was complex and very thorough, for example it took us several meetings to come to an agreement first on the scope, which is the root of the Standard and then eases the discussions about technical requirements and test methods.” Lionel Kiener (SAC, Switzerland), UIAA Safety Commission President “Static ropes have evolved as rope technology has advanced. And the way we use these ropes has evolved. This revolutionary standard has no minimum diameter, a first for global rope standards. It focuses on performance and ensures minimum requirements focused around supporting human life – anyone using ropes only certified to an accessory cord standard is missing out on real important guarantees that come with this Standard.” Stephen Gladieux (USA, American Alpine Club), UIAA Safety Commission Working Group Lead for UIAA Standard 110 Full story and download Standard 110: https://lnkd.in/ej5_xGkU

Global reach of UIAA Declaration on Hiking, Climbing and Mountaineering Approved nearly twelve months ago at the 2024 UIAA General Assembly in Malta and officially published shortly after, the UIAA Declaration on Hiking, Climbing and Mountaineering has delivered on its promise of being a ‘living, breathing’ and global document. UIAA member associations have embraced the Declaration. The Alpine Club of Canada (ACC) was the first to officially print the Declaration and make both the paper and its poster version available in a cross section of its clubhouses. The Corean Alpine Club (CAC) was the first federation to translate the Declaration, followed by a version in French and as of October 2025, an Arabic translation courtesy of UIAA associate member Fujairah Adventures Centre (based in the United Arab Emirates). Translations of the poster, essentially a short-form version of the Declaration depicting its nine norms, have been produced in an incredible 33 languages. These have been courtesy of a number of UIAA member associations as well as the UIAA Office. Full story: https://lnkd.in/e_ve9tDQ

🔔 Call for Abstracts – Special Issue on Mountain Huts 🔔 (French below) Mountain huts are facing unprecedented challenges: 🌍 Climate change impacts and environmental transformations 🏔️ Evolving recreational and professional practices ⚡ Resource management, energy transitions, and sustainability issues 🏡 New imaginaries, architectures, and governance models To explore these crucial questions, the Journal of Alpine Research / Revue de Géographie Alpine is launching a special issue on “Mountain Huts in the Anthropocene” coordinated by Riccardo Beltramo, Sophie De Rosemont and I. 📅 Deadline for abstracts: 1 November 2025 We invite contributions from diverse disciplinary perspectives — geography, sociology, architecture, environmental sciences, engineering, and beyond — as well as comparative and non-European contexts. Articles can be submitted in English, French, Italian, Slovenian, Spanish and, German 👉 Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/ecrUTUcP #MountainResearch #Anthropocene #AlpineStudies #Sustainability #Tourism #ClimateChange 🔔 Appel à communications – Numéro spécial sur les refuges 🔔 Les refuges de montagne sont confrontés à des défis sans précédent dans l’Anthropocène : 🌍 Impacts du changement climatique et transformations environnementales 🏔️ Évolutions des pratiques récréatives et professionnelles ⚡ Gestion des ressources, transitions énergétiques et enjeux de durabilité 🏡 Nouveaux imaginaires, architectures et modèles de gouvernance Pour explorer ces questions cruciales, la Revue de géographie alpine | Journal of Alpine Research lance un numéro spécial sur “Les refuges de montagne à l’ère de l’Anthropocène.” 📅 Date limite pour les résumés : 1er novembre 2025 Nous invitons des contributions issues de diverses disciplines — géographie, sociologie, architecture, sciences de l’environnement, ingénierie, etc. — ainsi que des perspectives comparatives et extra-européennes. Plus d'info ici : https://lnkd.in/edTp8Bzy

UIAA and Altezza Travel agree sustainability partnership The International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation, the UIAA, and Altezza Travel, a leading Mt Kilimanjaro operator, are delighted to announce a two-year sustainability partnership. The UIAA and Altezza Travel have agreed to collaborate and promote activities in the field of sustainability. This includes two of the UIAA’s most prominent projects – the biennial Mountain Protection Award and the federation’s Climate Action Plans. Founded in 2014, Altezza Travel is a Tanzania-based tour operator with over a decade of experience in Kilimanjaro climbs and wildlife safaris, trusted for its exceptional service, safety, and local expertise. Social responsibility initiatives dedicated to the community and environment are closely tied to Altezza’s guiding services. On Kilimanjaro itself, Altezza is the largest outfitter and a Leave No Trace advocate and has started several forest restoration projects. In 2025 it became the first B Corp in the industry.  “We are delighted to welcome Altezza Travel as a partner of our sustainability initiatives. Their support will enable us to invest more resources in the delivery of our mountain protection projects and help increase visibility of the actions and advice delivered in the seminal UIAA Sustainability Charter, published in 2024.” Andre von Rotz, UIAA CEO “Ten years ago, we started Altezza Travel on Kilimanjaro. Since then, we have witnessed every day how its fragile ecosystems balance between global travel and conservation. Our team has always been at the forefront of preserving Kilimanjaro’s environment for future generations, and now it is the right time to extend this commitment to the global mountaineering at large. We could think of no better partner than the UIAA to begin this journey” Alex Altezza, Altezza Travel, Chief Executive https://lnkd.in/gMRU35Cc

A number of important announcements were made at the UIAA Safety Commission meeting held in Chamonix, France in April. This included the approval of two new Standards: UIAA 110 Static Ropes and UIAA 171 Via Ferrara Construction (further details coming soon) as well as the validation of a new UIAA testing laboratory and the first one in North America – ACT Labs. Another milestone was the latest revision, version 5, of one of the UIAA’s most important standards – UIAA 123 Rock Anchors. https://lnkd.in/eDmhHEM8