International Mountain Summit to debate "Show Alpinism"

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The International Mountain Summit (IMS) will discuss a lot of issues of importance for the global mountaineering community at its 2011 meeting in Brixen-Bressanone, Italy.

There will be debate at the 2011 IMS (October 21 – 30) on topics such as the role of forests in mountain sports, security and safety regulations for materials, and alpinism’s impact on mountain ecosystems.

According to Heinrich Mayer Kaibitsch of the IMS, “the development of new sports could be boosted by creating [standard] UIAA guidelines for international competitions (bouldering, slacklining)”.

The UIAA supports the IMS since it is an international platform to discuss, celebrate and shed new light on the mountains in all their different facets. The organisers expect around 10,000 visitors this year.

The event is based on several pillars including “Walk” (hikes with well known alpinists), “Talk” (presentations by invited climbers), “Discussion” (round table talks), and a “Boulder Festival”.

Show Alpinism

A 2011 highlight is expected to be a round table discussion on what IMS calls “Show Alpinism”. The debate on October 28 will showcase the increasing importance of sponsorship for top climbers, and whether the lure of money makes maximum visibility more important than individual performance. “Their market is the public eye, and the more visible they are, the better for both the sponsors and the mountaineers themselves,” says the IMS in its programme.

President of the UIAA's Medical Commission, Buddha Basnyat, speaks during at an IMS round table in 2010 (to his right: Reinhold Messner)

Another round table will focus on the increasing pressure on ecosystems from leisure activities. Mountain forests are now the playground not only for traditional hikers and climbers but less environmently friendly pursuits such as downhill mountain biking, paintballing, and bouldering. This increase in human interference with flora and fauna can lead to conflict. New approaches to resolve this conflict will be discussed.

Rounding off the Summit will be a series of photo exhibitions, mountain film screenings and slackline and bouldering shows.