Today is International Mountain Day, the annual celebration designated by the United Nations every December 11 since 2003. As usual, the International Skyrunning Federation, as a key player, joins in to raise awareness about the vital role glaciers, snow and ice play in the climate system, this year, focussed on Glaciers’ Preservation.
Marino Giacometti, skyrunning founder and President of the International Skyrunning Federation, had this to say, “Glaciers have been the arena of skyrunning since its inception in the early 90s, and year after year, we’ve witnessed changes in just 35 years.
“Human activities have certainly contributed to accelerating these cyclical periods, but now it’s time to ask ourselves: ‘What can we do about this?’
“In the coming years, many things will change in the mountains, not only for winter resorts but also for refuges, visitors, hikers – and profound changes for flora, fauna, and the mountain economy are in store.
“In our little world of skyrunning at high-altitude and on glaciers, from the Alps to the Andes, we can create awareness of some significant changes and adaptations from the historic Monte Rosa SkyMarathon, Europe’s highest race and the birthplace of skyrunning back in 1992.
“Over the last 35 years – a ‘thousandth of a second’ in the history of the Earth – we have witnessed many changes, both in the size of the glaciers, the ice fall, and the changing seasons with intense precipitations, and colder or warmer temperatures than usual.
“A good example of skyrunning action is the new edition of the Monte Rosa SkyMarathon, relaunched in 2018, where the ISO 20121 certificate has been awarded for the sustainable management of skyrunning sports on Monte Rosa, an environmental certification for respect for the environment and the glacier – a sort of sentinel on how to adapt attendance, shelters, and the resulting changes. Our first goal is to preserve glaciers for future generations, but also the general evolution of new era, awaiting the next one, sun storms permitting!” he concluded.
The mountains are the arena for this unique sport and, since 2016, the ISF has joined forces with the UIAA (International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation) underlining skyrunning’s mountaineering heritage.
The skyrunning arena is the mountain and to respect our playground, the International Skyrunning Federation caps the number of race participants – not only for safety, but also environmental impact.
Looking forward to a future of Less cloud. More sky!
United Nations International Mountain Day
ISO
UIAA
FAO International Mountain Day
