UIAA member associations are informed that applications are open to submit films for the fourth edition of MFM – Mostra Filmes de Montanha, an international exhibition of mountain films, whose objective is to promote mountain culture, mountain sports and free access. Application closes on 20 April.
The festival, a free event, is supported by the UIAA member association in Brazil, CBME – the Brazilian Mountain Hiking and Climbing Confederation. The festival was founded in the city of Foz do Iguaçu in the state of Paraná. Last year it screened 20 films from seven countries and across five cities in Brazil to over 15,000 people.
The organisers would also be interested in hearing from anyone interesting in partnering the festival.
Following a long campaign stretching back to 2009 when UIAA members were asked to lobby their respective governments, late last year, Alpinism was officially recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (please refer to the dedicated article).
Cultural Heritage recognizes various traditions, expressions and the wealth of knowledge that are inherited and passed on to future generations and communities to be preserved and protected. The unique challenges, history and culture of Alpinism were considered and the governments of France, Italy and Switzerland played a key role in achieving this goal.
Benefits of the Ruling
There are numerous benefits resulting from Alpinism’s inclusion on the UNESCO list.
Firstly, there is now an official document describing the specific characteristics of Alpinism including the claim that its value towards humanity makes it worthy of preservation.
Secondly, greater clarity is now provided. The term Alpinism is often both misused and misunderstood, and therefore creates some confusion when referencing the diverse activities of mountaineering as opposed to Alpinism specificity.
No other form of climbing activity has the same history and cultural significance as Alpinism; other forms of mountaineering activities such as hiking have a very broad and diverse scope and fail to have the same defined practicing community, having a sense of community worldwide, as required by UNESCO’s rules.
UNESCO recognition provides an opportunity for all UIAA member federations to both raise awareness about the ethos and values of Alpinism and to motivate people to join the practicing community thanks to the initiation and training provided through its federations and their clubs. Recognition can also serve as a tool to encourage concerned authorities (sports ministries, mountain regions) to lend their financial and material support to the UIAA and its members’ actions in this respect.
Thirdly, safeguarding the activity of Alpinism means taking measures to avoid any development impairing its practice. Since inadequate training or misunderstanding can sometimes result in the imposing of restricting measures by authorities, the UNESCO certification can be used as a means to convince authorities that issues such as access and practice restrictions are not the right approach, since these work against the self-responsibility spirit of alpinism. Efforts should instead be directed at :
– Training of intensive guides and leaders; and
– Working closely with juridical bodies to avoid future inadequate interpretations of the activity Alpinism which could threaten the viability of the practice which is now internationally recognized as having a high value to the humanity.
Finally, mountains have become increasingly accessible by motorized and/or artificial means, and the spirit of discovery or exploration, immersion in the wild and the search for contact between the practitioner and the environment are disappearing, as is the culture of alpinism. In order to counter this trend and affirm the spirit of Alpinism, new measures should be introduced to reinforce the implementation and complete existing ones. Such safeguarding measures are described in the corresponding UNESCO documents and are duly signed engagements of the three States mentioned above.
How UIAA members can use supporting resources
Having the specific activities and descriptions of Alpinism officially recognized by UNESCO as a Heritage of the Humanity is an extremely useful tool. It ensures steps can be taken to safeguard these practices, ethics and values for future generations. This in any further concerned state/country and achieved by supporting the practicing community and by managing the mountain regions of that state/country. This creates a greater worldwide opportunity to promote and showcase Alpinism, its activities and values, to gain further support and recognition, and to continue to preserve responsible freedom of practice and access to sites.
Going forward, there will be future opportunities for additional countries to formally join the present, successful applicants. In the meantime, UIAA member federations are encouraged to take use of the Intangible Cultural Heritage assets (see below) to continue to promote and preserve the activity of Alpinism as a reference towards their own respective authorities.
Dedicated UNESCO and Alpinism Resources and Guides
The Russian city of Kirov played host to the UIAA World Youth Ice Climbing Championships this past weekend (6-8 March) and it proved to be a highly successful one for the home nation who took home all but three of the medals across all age categories. Athletes from eight countries competed at one of the staple venues of the UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour. There were some familiar faces back in action to defend their titles, while some new, exciting talents emerged.
Fresh from a bronze medal on the UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour, Switzerland’s Sina Goetz repeated her victory in the Women’s U21 lead event, having also taken the title in Oulu, Finland last year. The speed event saw the continued emergence of Russia’s Irina Dubovtseva. The 18-year old recently beat the formidable Maria Tolokonina into second place during the World Cup event in Saas-Fee and won the lead event as well as taking silver in the speed category at the U19 World Youth Championships last year. Compatriot Valeriia Bogdan, the defending champion had to settle for second place as the host nation enjoyed a clean sweep of the medals.
In the men’s U21 events, the Russian athletes ultimately proved too strong. Ilia Kurochkin and Anton Sukharev winning the lead and speed events respectively. The reigning UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour Champion, Louna Ladevant of France had to settle for fourth place in the lead event.
The women’s U19 events were dominated by another rising star of the sport, Russia’s Daria Glotova. Having won both events in Oulu in the U16 age category, the step up to the next level posed no problems for Glotova who repeated the feat in Kirov.
The host nation’s stranglehold on the medals was broken in the Men’s U19 lead event. Having won bronze in Oulu, Liechtenstein’s Linus Beck took gold this time around, beating Keenan Griscom of the United States into second. Russia’s Danila Bikulov took the speed title. Normal service was resumed in the U16 events as Zakhar Novoselov of Russia won both the men’s lead and speed events, while Polina Bratukhina won the women’s lead before finishing second to compatriot Olga Vylegzhanina in the speed event.
The event concludes the 2019-20 UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour partnered by Outdoor Research. Details on the calendar for the 2020-21 season will be published this summer.
The UIAA Youth Commission held its first 2020 meeting on 29 February in Cyprus, expertly hosted by the Cyprus Mountaineering Climbing & Orienteering Federation. Among those attending were President Mark Dennison (UK), Pavlos Georgiades, Niki Karoulla, Nektarios Vilandis (Cyprus), Tiberiu Pintilie (Romania), Barbara Bajer (Slovenia), Christian Baird (France) and Rob Adie (UIAA Office) via video link.
The meeting opened with introductions from the delegates and a short presentation by the Vice President of the IOC Cyprus. For the benefit of new member of the commissions, there was a brief overview of the UIAA and the workings of its Commissions.
YOUTH COMMISSION AND TRAINING PANEL (JOINT PROJECTS)
With Steve Long (President, UIAA Training Panel) joining the meeting via Skype, there was a discussion focusing on the work of the Training Panel and the possibility of future collaboration between the Youth Commission and the Training Panel. It was agreed that the two groups would discuss the possibility of developing personal performance standards and certificates that could be issued at youth events as well as developing separate standards in newer member federations and introducing youth climbing to the UIAA.
GLOBAL YOUTH SUMMIT EVENTS FUTURE CONCEPT
Pavlos Georgiades (UIAA Mountaineering Commission VP) outlined his thoughts as to how the Youth Commission could both plan and implement Global Youth Summit Events. Various options included – UIAA personal certifications or delegates attending events; additional support for federations; events organised by the Youth Commission and a revision of standards and Global Youth Summit Handbook to reflect the new process and standards. Also proposed was a certificate of personal competence to delegates at an initial fee of €10.
It was agreed that a two-tier system be adopted, with current events (Plan A) being subject to a set of transitional rules and new events (Plan B) being governed by the newly proposed and developed standards. Further discussion was held as to whether a pyramid scheme of events could be developed – ranging from local events at the bottom of the pyramid, national events in the middle and global events forming the top of the pyramid.
Regarding timescales, it was proposed that there be two annual deadlines for registration; in February for summer events and September for winter events.
2020 GLOBAL YOUTH SUMMITS EVENTS
The Youth Commission’s well established events in France, Iran and North Macedonia will all take place this year. Some of these events are still to be confirmed; these along with any further events will be added to the UIAA website.
CERTIFICATION
It was agreed that there should be a focus on three main areas of certification; hiking, indoor climbing and outdoor climbing (single pitch).
Photos courtesy of Lena Drapella, UIAA Global Youth Series Event in Guillestre, France (February 2020)
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES WITHIN THE COMMISSION
There remains a need to identify those responsible for youth within each member federation. This will be tackled in a variety of ways, including discussions at the 2020 General Assembly, direct contact from the UIAA Office and through contact from current Youth Commission members. It was suggested that future plans should include each Youth Commission member having responsibility for communication with groups of members. It was agreed that consideration should be given to whether current members, those that have no direct contact with the workings of the Commission, should be re-designated as corresponding members or dropped from the Commission entirely.
A list of all active members, including contact details will be shared with all other active members, with a Whereby Group established to be used for meetings.
FUTURE OF THE YOUTH COMMISSION
There are a number of challenges for the Youth Commission going forward. In particular, the need to encourage a number members of the Commission to be more active and urge their federations to hold events that are open to all UIAA members. It is essential that all events run by member federations comply with the basic principles as detailed in the Youth Commission guidance notes for planning and holding an event. Furthermore, there is a need to develop a training programme for national federations to produce a set of standards and a recognised way of working when organising Youth events as well as to develop a succession plan for future commission members.
GLOBAL YOUTH SUMMIT HANDBOOK REVIEW
The Handbook would greatly benefit from a makeover to include photos of events and projects.
The camp has been successfully held for a number of years and provides young climbers of every ability the opportunity to learn the many forms of ice climbing as well as being able to meet fellow young climbers from across the globe.
International Youth Climbing Camp, Ariege, France
The focus of the camp is to learn and practice the many forms of climbing; cliffs with a single pitch or routes with a number of pitches, all on a variety of rocks such as granite and limestone.
International Youth Climbing Festival, Iran- to be confirmed
The event will take place on Mount Damavand (5671m) and Mount Alamkuh (4848m). This is now an annual event. As a result of the collaboration between the UIAA and The Iran Mountaineering and Sport Climbing Federation (IMSCF) it has afforded many Iranian climbers the opportunity to take part in many other GYS events.
Land Camp, North Macedonia – to be confirmed
This popular camp continues to grow year by year. It is now an annual event held in August.
A reminder that the UIAA global youth calendar includes not only UIAA Global Youth Series events but allows member federations to promote international or national events on the platform. Register your events for the UIAA’s global youth events calendar here
OTHER POSSIBLE YOUTH EVENTS/PROGRAMMES FOR THE YOUTH COMMISSION
The Commission will look at ways to engage with national federations and Youth members to organise both national and international events with the aim of encouraging and inspiring young people to take to a life in the mountains. There will also be a focus on working with greater synergy with other Commissions, looking at their plans going forward and to link their programmes with young people.
The meeting set out the vision of the commission for the period 2020-21 and how this fits in with the current UIAA Strategic Plan. The key points from the discussion focused on identifying the main objectives for the year ahead, attracting more member federations to participate in the activity of the Commission, to establish cooperation between the Youth Commission and other UIAA Commissions and to enhance the promotion and publicity of the Commission within each member federation.
Report courtesy of Mark Dennison
UIAA Youth Commission President
FURTHER READING
UIAA Youth Commission and Events
Discover more about the UIAA and Youth Events here
UIAA Global Youth Calendar The UIAA global youth calendar includes not only UIAA Global Youth Series events but allows member federations to promote international or national events on the platform. Register your events for the UIAA’s global youth events calendar here
The UIAA World Ice Climbing Youth Championships heads to one of the most emblematic venues on the World Tour, in Kirov, Russia this weekend 6-8 March. The venue is a familiar one for athletes and officials alike having hosted the UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup finale in 2018, the World Championships in 2019 as well as acting as a training base for a number of athletes. An enthralling competition between some of the most talented young climbers in the World is sure to provide a thrilling spectacle.
Athletes from nine countries (host nation Russia, Czech Republic, France, Great Britain, Korea, Liechtenstein, Mongolia, Switzerland and the United States) are set to compete. They will compete in the lead and speed events in three age categories U22, U19 and U16.
Qualification for the lead and speed events will take place on Saturday 7 March, with the finals set to held on the following day, Sunday 8 March. Livestreaming of all finals will be available on the regular UIAA channels from all finals. YouTube embed codes can be found at the foot of this release.
Several faces who tasted success at both last year’s event as well as on this season’s UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour will be among those taking part. Sina Goetz of Switzerland will be looking for a repeat of her victory in the women’s U-22 lead event having finished in third position in this season’s World Cup season. Likewise, Russia’s Valeriia Bogdan, fresh from a silver medal behind compatriot Maria Tolokonina in the women’s speed World Cup season will be hoping to repeat last year’s win in the U22 event. One man looking to go one better will be France’s rising star Louna Ladevant, who produced a thrilling performance in the season ending event in Saas-Fee to take the overall men’s Lead prize. Having finished runner up to Yannick Glatthard in last year’s Youth World Championships, Ladevant will surely be among the favourites for gold this year. The home nation will have high hopes for Nikita Glazyrin who took the overall silver in the men’s speed World Cup.
This February, in Guillestre, near Briançon in the French Alps, the first meeting of the 2020 UIAA Global Youth Series took place. The event, held from 9-15 February, welcomed around 70 participants from across Europe and beyond, all under the expert tutelage and knowledge of the local instructors.
International participants came from across Europe – Germany, Ukraine, Slovenia, Belgium, Great Britain as well as India and those from host country France, where youngsters from the Club Alpine Français, Toulouse, Tarbes and from three regional Pyrenean Alpine teams took part.
The event, held in the stunning paradise location, included a wide variety of activities and a great mix of ice climbing in a number of different locations, catering for both beginners and non-beginners. Owing to the mix in ages and skill levels, the participants were divided into sub-groups and were able to undertake several forms of climbing, from pitch to multi pitch, to W13 and complex mixed climbing.
The youngsters had the opportunity to spend several days in Aiguilles, a small village in Queyras which has an artificial ice structure, as well as time in Ceillac, Crevoux, Cervieres, Val’d’escriens, Vallon du Fournel and St Véran. The purpose of the camp was to provide tuition on the all aspects of ice climbing, an approach to how to climb dry tooling; the use of different types of equipment, such as crampons and ice axe, how to make a safe belay as well as several abseils.
The youngsters all had a wonderful time, with the camp providing inexperienced and experienced climbers the opportunity to learn new skills, continue their passion for ice climbing as well as developing new friendships.
Photos from the event can be found here (Christian Biard) and here (Lena Drapella)
For further reading about UIAA Youth Events please click here. On this page organisers can also register events to be showcased on the UIAA’s global rock and ice climbing calendar.
Report courtesy of Christian Biard/UIAA Youth Commission
Photos shown in the article by Lena Drapella
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