Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become sports in their own right. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, and bouldering are also considered variants of mountaineering by some, but are part of a wide group of mountain sports.
The International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation, commonly known by its French name Union internationale des associations d'alpinisme, was founded in August 1932 in Chamonix, France when 20 mountaineering associations met for an alpine congress. Count Charles Egmond d'Arcis, from Switzerland, was chosen as the first president and it was decided by the founding members that the UIAA would be an international federation which would be in charge of the "study and solution of all problems regarding mountaineering". The UIAA Safety Label was created in 1960 and was internationally approved in 1965 and currently (2015) has a global presence on five continents with 86 member associations in 62 countries representing over 3 million people.
The American Alpine Club (AAC) is a non-profit member organization with more than 26,000 members. The club is housed in the American Mountaineering Center (AMC) in Golden, Colorado.
The Alpine Club of Canada (ACC) is an amateur athletic association with its national office in Canmore, Alberta that has been a focal point for Canadian mountaineering since its founding in 1906. The club was co-founded by Arthur Oliver Wheeler, who served as its first president, and Elizabeth Parker, a journalist for the Manitoba Free Press. Byron Harmon, whose 6500+ photographs of the Canadian Rockies in the early 20th century provide the best glimpse of the area at that time, was official photographer to the club at its founding. The club is the leading organization in Canada devoted to climbing, mountain culture, and issues related to alpine pursuits and ecology.
The Pakistan Rugby Union (PRU) is the rugby union governing body in Pakistan. It is in charge of the Pakistan national team. Also among the Union's chief activities are conferences, organising international matches, and educating and training players and officials.
The Fédération Française des clubs alpins et de montagne (FFCAM) is a federation of clubs promoting mountain sports. It offers multiple training programs and courses to help people understand mountains and manages 142 mountain huts, mostly in the Alps and the Pyrenees.
Hayatullah Khan Durrani, PP is a Pakistani caver, mountaineer, environmentalist, organizer, and a rescuer. He is also a part-time sports anchor actor on Pakistani television. He played a significant role in the promotion of mountaineering, rock climbing, caving, canoeing, and, kayaking as adventure sports in Pakistan. He is naturalist and early advocate of preservation of Juniper forests Juniperus macropoda wilderness in Ziarat and adjacent areas in Balochistan. He is the founder and President of the Pakistan Cave Research & Caving Federation (PCRCF) and the Director of the Asian Canoe Confederation (ACC).
The French Federation of Mountaineering and Climbing, located in Paris, is the French federation of mountain and climbing sports, especially of non-motorized alpine sports like mountaineering, canyoning, climbing, mountain touring and hiking, snowshoe hiking and ski mountaineering. The FFME is member of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee. The foundation of the FFME in 1987 was the result of the fusion of the French Federation of Mountaineering, founded in 1942 by the high commissariat of sports in addition to the existing Club Alpin Français (CAF), and the climbing association French Federation of Climbing, which was founded in 1985. A further fusion of the FFME and the CAF in the beginning 2000s failed.
The Pakistan Cycling Federation is the national governing body of cycle racing in Pakistan. It was established in 1947 and is currently based in Peshawar.
The Pakistan Golf Federation, also known as the PGF, is the national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf in Pakistan.
Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) is the governing body of tennis in Pakistan founded in 1947. It has played a vital role in the development of domestic, national and international tennis in Pakistan, producing a number of young talented players. It also governs teams such as the Pakistan Fed Cup team and the Pakistan Davis Cup team.
Mandip Singh Soin is a prominent Indian mountaineer, explorer, adventure travel expert, environmentalist, speaker and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. He has spent over forty years in the field of adventure, having gone on expeditions to all the seven continents of the world. His mountaineering ascents and explorations include several Indian “firsts” like the first Indian ascent of Mount Meru in 1986 in the Himalayas as well as several first Indian ascents in the French and Swiss Alps, Italian Dolomites, Wales and Scotland. He is a strong advocate of responsible tourism and the Founder President of the Ecotourism Society of India.
Kazuya Hiraide was a Japanese ski mountaineer, Alpine climber, and professional mountain cameraman. Hiraide has won the Piolet d'Or mountaineering award on four occasions.
The Pakistan Sailing Federation is the national governing body of the sport of sailing in Pakistan. Affiliated with World Sailing and the Asian Sailing Federation, it has its headquarters at the National Sailing Centre in Clifton, Karachi.
Israfil Ashurly is an Azerbaijani mountaineer, executive secretary of the Ice-Climbing Commission (2010-2017) under the UIAA, president of the youth committee UIAA, president of the Azerbaijan Mountaineering Federation (2010-2016), Member of the Presidium of the Euro-Asian Association of Mountaineering and Climbing, judge of the international category in ice climbing, master of sports of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Artimes Farshad Yeganeh is an Iranian rock climber who has specialized in both competition climbing, and outdoor sport climbing and bouldering. He has been climbing for 30 years as a professional climber, a member of the Iranian National climbing team for many years, as a route setter in many national, continental, and world cups and championships, and Head Coach of the Iranian National climbing team for 6 years. He also participates in sport climbing and bouldering competitions and is one of the most famous Iranian climbers.
Mike Mortimer is a Canadian alpinist. He was president of the Alpine Club of Canada and the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA).
Tamotsu Nakamura, FRGS, is a Japanese explorer, alpinist, photographer and author. Since 1990, he has explored the mountainous areas between the Himalayas and the Sichuan basin; which he documents in photographs. He is a leading authority on the Alps of Tibet, the south-eastern sector of the Tibetan high plateau.
Mountaineering Ireland is the representative association for hikers and mountaineers on the island of Ireland. It is recognized by both Sport Ireland, the Irish authority for sport, and Sport Northern Ireland, the corresponding authority of the Government of Northern Ireland, thus operating across the island of Ireland. The association has been an International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA) member since 2004, as well as a member of other federations. The association is also a publisher of walking and climbing guides.
The Armenian Mountaineering and Hiking Federation, also known as the Armenian Federation of Alpinism and Mountain Tourism, is the regulating body of mountaineering, hiking, and climbing in Armenia. The headquarters of the federation is located in Yerevan.
