To accompany the statement confirming the resumption of UIAA Training Commission activities, Ron Funderburke (American Alpine Club), UIAA Training Commission President, offers an overview of what member associations can expect, how training qualifications will be delivered and his own professional background.
My background in training
I started teaching climbing in 1997 at a summer camp in the United States, initially helping kids rope work and how to belay. I didn’t take any of that work very seriously, though, until 2001 when I became a professional climbing instructor, working in indoor and commercial climbing gyms while completing university studies.
A big moment came in 2007 when I began delivering “train-the-trainer” courses for the American Mountain Guides Association, which is one of the MQL holders in the United States. I became the curriculum manager and the national coordinator for that programme in 2012. So that was another layer of not only train-the-trainers, but train-the-trainer-trainers, so to speak. I didn’t really step up to an international role until I started working for the American Alpine Club full-time as their education director and trying to look at their relationship to the rest of the world and what we could teach other training organisations. That’s when I joined what was then called the Training Panel of the UIAA, then just a subcommittee of the Mountaineering Commission. I went to meetings around the world and added my vote to inspection and induction reports. And I weighed in on best practice and subject matter expertise. And I would say I was a faithful and diligent member of the Training Panel and then the Training Commission since 2016.
My current professional role
I currently work full-time as a manager for an avalanche education programme in the United States. My role focuses on curriculum design and training trainers. Alongside this, I maintain multiple professional connections, including voluntary roles with organisations like the American Alpine Club and American Mountain Guides Association, as well as ongoing writing and publishing work.
My motivation for becoming UIAA Training Commission President
Becoming President was not driven by ambition but by a combination of capability, responsibility, and timing. It was a “coincidence of ability and duty.” I serve at the pleasure of the American Alpine Club, my fellow commissioners, and the UIAA Management Board.
What has changed with the relaunch of the UIAA Training Commission?
The biggest change is shifting into something that resembles what the Safety Commission does, something that resembles the maintenance of standards and the inspection of standards. With a growing number of federations already delivering training to a minimum standard, the Training Commission can now step back from developing training around the world and focus on what matters most — defining international standards and verifying who is meeting them.
Who was involved in process and when will the Training Commission resume its activities?
The relaunch of the Training Commission has been guided by a working group established by the UIAA Management Board, led by Executive Board member Simon Alden and supported by key staff, experts and leadership. Following the Management Board’s recent decision to formally hand the commission back to its members under a new structure, the Training Commission will hold its first meeting in June 2026 — marking the official restart of operations.
What has changed for member federations?
The biggest thing you need to know is that our Commission is prepared to help evaluate your training programme. The single most important change for federations is that the Training Commission will not build training programmes for them. Rather, it will evaluate and accredit programmes once developed.
Member federations are responsible for developing their own training programmes. The Training Commission provides guidance and conducts the final assessment of those programmes against international standards.
What is the nature of the inspection and accreditation process?
The process has two main stages. Firstly there will be a remote, desk-based review, the ‘induction’. This will consist of a review of materials such as syllabi, itineraries, websites, and instructor rosters and then an assessment of whether standards are met “on paper”.
Once this process is complete and certified, there will be the on-site inspection. Depending on the nature of the qualification, this could take between three and seven days.
The UIAA will directly contract inspectors and the selection process will be based on technical expertise, language/cultural compatibility and regional relevance, where and when possible.
What are UIAA qualifications important?
Currently, there are over 175 UIAA qualifications across 44 countries. International accreditation helps federations demonstrate credibility and quality of their courses which further encourage participation in training programmes. They also ensure consistency across different countries and regions. The aim is that training in one country is comparable in quality to another, increasing trust and uptake.
How can federations apply?
Federations can apply through the dedicated UIAA training database. There is an upfront application fee and additional costs are tied to inspection duration and logistics. Fees are outlined in official documentation on the UIAA website. Once accredited, member federations receive an official UIAA Mountain Qualification Label certificate, which they are encouraged to display publicly as a mark of international recognition.
It is worth reiterating that the UIAA does not certify individuals — it accredits training programmes. An instructor who has completed a UIAA-accredited programme is certified by their federation, not by the UIAA directly. This is an important distinction: the UIAA’s quality mark belongs to the programme, and the federation stands behind its instructors. This keeps accountability where it belongs and ensures the integrity of the label.
Once operations are fully restored, where does the Training Commission go from here?
The Training Commission has a clear sense of its priorities for the years ahead. First and foremost, the standards themselves are overdue for attention. The current MQL standards have not been formally revised since 2018. Over the years they have been adapted incrementally to accommodate individual federation needs — which reflects the Commission’s responsiveness, but also means it is time for a more deliberate and comprehensive review. The Training Commission intends to move from case-by-case adjustments to formal, transparent amendments that apply consistently across the board.
Alongside this, the Commission is committed to strengthening quality control. Rather than expanding into new areas, the focus will be on doing the core work better — ensuring that the standards mean something, that assessments are rigorous and consistent, and that the MQL label carries the same weight everywhere in the world it is awarded.
There is also genuine excitement about revisiting how qualifications are defined and applied globally. Climbing and mountaineering look different in different parts of the world, and the Commission sees an opportunity to ensure that international standards are both ambitious and genuinely applicable across diverse contexts.
Further Information
Home of Training website page
About Mountain Qualification Labels (MQLs)
Database and world map of UIAA MQLs
Statement: Resumption of UIAA Training Commission activities
