The UIAA Management Committee will be meeting in Kalymnos on May 6^th-9^th 2010. This is the first time the island of Kalymnos hosts the UIAA; the venue for the conference is the Plaza Hotel, in the heart of the island’s climbing area, Massouri. The Greek Mountaineering & Climbing Federation (EOOA) and the Kalymnos Municipality have also collaborated on this. The conference will bring a few more people to Kalymnos in May, traditionally one of the livelier climbing months on the island.

In brief, the UIAA is a global community of volunteers founded in 1932, with a current 1.3 million members from 82 member organizations in 57 countries. Its mission is to ‘promote the growth and protection of mountaineering and climbing worldwide’. This is mainly achieved through the work of the UIAA’s commissions, which make recommendations, set policy and advocate on behalf of the mountaineering community. Since 1964, climbing equipment which has been tested to the highest standards is labelled with the UIAA Safety Label. Also, since 2004 the UIAA has awarded the Environment Label to those who follow its environmental guidelines when organizing activities in the mountains. Click here for more information about the UIAA and its activities.

Photo above: The Grande Grotta (Sam Bié)