Mountaineering

Mountaineering Commission

Mountaineering
Peak Classifications

The Mountaineering Commission (MountCom), was one of the four Commissions founded at the first UIAA General Assembly in 1933 in Cortina d’Ampezzo. The other three commissions were: Alpine Tourism, Mountain Science, Mountain Art & Literature.

Until 2022, MountCom comprised the Legal and Training working groups which are now independent commissions.

General purpose of the UIAA Mountaineering Commission:

The Commission was created to promote best practices by identifying and addressing development, access, ethical, cultural and technical issues of international importance. The UIAA’s and the Mountaineering Commission’s strategic priorities are to focus on:- Providing guidance on critical and emerging mountaineering issues
– Setting and maintaining high ethical standards in international mountaineering such that the style of climbing without causing damage to the human or natural environment is maintained
– Encouraging and supporting national federations and their members in their mountaineering activities

Tasks of the Commission:

Support member organisations in their climbing, mountaineering and mountain sport activities.
Seek for solutions to all issues of international importance.
Promote and develop mountaineering and mountain sports as activities with specific high human and social values.
Encourage the development of best practice in mountaineering.
Promote responsible access and conservation of mountain areas and promote awareness of, and respect for the environment among all users of mountain terrain.

MountCom’s activities focus on:

In general, to provide support and advice to member federations and the global climbing and mountaineering community.
Develop, promote, and monitor official UIAA recommendations and declarations on best practice in climbing and mountaineering by:
- Renewing the Tyrol Declaration from 2022 to fit with modern views
- To promote the ethical principles for climbing and mountaineering
- Facilitate communication and collaboration between «traditional» mountaineers and their adventure industry partners and between different cultural groups in mountaineering»
- Attempt to bring the adventure tourism industry into the mainstream of mountaineering
- Attempt to further develop, promote and monitor the “UIAA Mountain Worker Initiative”
- To resuscitate the Access Working Group
- To assist with timeous media queries
- Maintain, promote and further develop UIAA standardisation, statistics and grading concepts.
- Compile and collate, a statistical accident data base on a global level with a focus on accident prevention, and to disseminate the relevant information.
- To investigate ways of including the hiking fraternity into the Mountaineering Commissions work.
- To work on ways to disseminate the UIAA views on mountaineering
- Other tasks as from time to time directed or approved by the UIAA Management Committee, e.g., the 8000-metre peak issue