Established in 1932, the UIAA is an institution devoted to the safe development of climbing gear and practices. Their safety label program requires members’ equipment to meet stringent loading and performance standards. The UIAA label on a piece of gear indicates that samples of that item have been subjected independently to the required testing. Seeing the value of such labelling, especially for gear never before seen at the crags, Zartman Rigging joined the UIAA and sends samples of every new product for testing. While it’s a costly and time-consuming process, climbers can have the confidence that their gear from Zartman Rigging is fully certified and exceeds the load rating standards.
Many of the UIAA standards overlap those of newer agencies; for example, the Seamless runners and friction products are also EN and CE compliant. Rather than clutter up the tags with all that nomenclature, we’ve chosen to print only the UIAA rating there, as the one most known and trusted among mountaineers and rope access professionals.
Here is what the UIAA have to say:
UIAA, have you ever noticed these four letters on our products? What do they mean exactly? What is the UIAA Safety label ?
The UIAA is the the international climbing and mountaineering federation. Active all around the world, its purpose is to promotes the growth and protection of mountaineering and climbing by :
- preserving their spirit and traditions
- advanced safe and ethical mountain practices
- promoting responsible access, culture and environmental protection
- supporting youth participation and the Olympic movement.
The UIAA Safety Label on a piece of equipment means that samples of the equipment have been tested by an accredited, independent third party and shown to satisfy the requirements set forth in the UIAA standard. These UIAA safety standards are regularly revised and updated by the UIAA Safety Commission to ensure they meet ever-changing nature and demands of the market and climbing and mountaineering world. The UIAA Safety Commission constantly reviews mountaineering and climbing accidents to determine if the standards are at a high enough level. Standards are not only revised, brand new standards are frequently introduced.
Purchase of climbing equipment bearing the UIAA Safety Label supports the UIAA and its global mission to support and promote climbing and mountaineering.