Serving the rock climbing community

This website page offers a compendium of information provided by the UIAA which is pertinent to rock climbers of all experiences, ages and backgrounds.

Topics covered:

  • Purchasing safe and certified equipment and gear
  • Guidance on rock anchors and bolts
  • Medical considerations
  • Training guidance
  • Grades & ethical documents
  • Climate change

Climbing Gear and Equipment

  • UIAA Safety Standards
    Internationally recognised standards for climbing equipment (ropes, harnesses, helmets, anchors, etc.)
    Cover 25+ categories of gear, often exceeding other standards in strictness
  • UIAA Safety Label
    Certification mark confirming equipment has been independently tested to high safety standards
    Helps climbers make informed, risk-aware gear choices
  • Certified Equipment Database
    Public, searchable database of gear that meets UIAA standards
    Includes thousands of certified products across many brands
  • Equipment Recalls & Safety Warnings
    Centralised information on faulty or recalled climbing gear

Rock Anchors & Bolting

Medical Advice

Alpine Handbook

The UIAA Alpine Summer Skills Handbook is available to purchase and includes a number of sections dedicated to rock climbing including:

  • Equipment guide
  • Tying-in
  • Single-pitch routes
  • The belay station
  • Multi-pitch routes
  • Rappelling
  • Tips and troubleshooting

Ethics, Grades & Sustainability

Interviews with Rock Climbers

The UIAA podcast series Mountain Voices regularly covers rock climbing topics and interviews with noted rock climbers. This has included:

Would you like to discuss rock climbing festivals with the UIAA?

Contact the UIAA with details about your initiative:

Related
Pages

ROCK
CLIMBING
GRADES

CLIMBER
SAFETY
PORTAL