Mountain Voices

Growing up near Lake Constance, Swiss mountain guide Rita Christen was immersed in mountain life from an early age – cycling to school in her ski boots and joining mountain rescue teams on their final runs of the day to ensure the pistes were clear. A talented runner in her youth, she was encouraged to pursue athletics, but conventional sport held little appeal. The mountains were calling.Rita discovered climbing relatively late, at the age of 25, but soon committed herself to becoming a mountain guide. She became only the 12th woman in Switzerland to qualify, entering a profession in which just seven other women were working at the time.Her remarkable career has since combined many different worlds. She has worked as a mountain guide, lawyer and court clerk, mountain rescuer and yoga teacher, while raising two sons. She has also lectured on mountain law and contributed to numerous initiatives supporting youth and sport.In 2020, Rita broke new ground when she became the first female president of the Swiss Mountain Guides Association. In November 2026, she will make history again when she becomes the first female president of the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA).Rita reflects on the mountains that shaped her, her unconventional route into guiding and a career spent breaking new ground in the mountain community.--Mountain Voices is a podcast from the UIAA, International Climbing & Mountaineering Federationhttps://www.theuiaa.org/mountainvoices/Presented and produced by Tarquin CooperCo-produced by Peter BourneEdited by Tom Tushaw

Bouchra Baibanou is a true pioneer. As a girl, she discovered a love of the outdoors which ultimately led to the mountains and to climbing Mt Toubkal, Morocco’s highest peak. A career as a software engineer followed, as did motherhood. But in her 40s the mountains came calling again – big time.In 2011 she climbed Kilimanjaro which kicked off an interest in the Seven Summits and six years later she became the first woman from North Africa to scale Everest. This culminated her Seven Summits challenge, climbing the highest mountain in each of the seven continents. She’s gone on to tick off Lhotse, Annapurna and attempt Manaslu.In October 2025, she was elected onto the UIAA’s Management Board as the Continental Representative for Africa where she is now pursuing her latest project — encouraging other girls to follow their dreams. In this interview she discuss the importance of faith, her desire to be a role model and what first drew her to the mountains.--Mountain Voices is a podcast from the UIAA, International Climbing & Mountaineering Federationhttps://www.theuiaa.org/mountainvoices/Presented and produced by Tarquin CooperCo-produced by Peter BourneEdited by Tom Tushaw

Swiss climber and IFMGA mountain guide Caro North has spent much of her life seeking out new challenges in some of the world’s most remote mountain regions. In this episode of Mountain Voices, she reflects on a journey that began on the slopes at the age of two, progressed to climbing at 11, and led to her first major expedition on Aconcagua when she was just 16 years old.Although she turned back only 100 metres below the summit, the experience sparked a lifelong passion for exploration and a deep connection with South America. Since then, Caro has built an impressive climbing résumé that spans the Himalaya, Iran, Armenia, Alaska, Antarctica and Greenland. Her achievements include establishing dozens of first ascents and developing 55 new routes in a remote area of Patagonia near Bariloche.Among the stories shared in this episode is a remarkable sailing expedition across the North Atlantic to reach unclimbed objectives in Greenland, as well as her recent participation in the first all-female ascent of the South African Route on the East Face of the Central Tower of Paine in Patagonia. The demanding climb took 13 days in difficult conditions and highlighted the resilience and teamwork required for success on big-wall objectives.Caro also discusses her work as a mountain guide, the lessons learned from years of expedition climbing, and the balance between life in Switzerland and El Chaltén, Patagonia. The conversation offers an inspiring insight into a climber whose career has been defined by curiosity, determination and a passion for discovering what lies beyond the horizon.--Mountain Voices is a podcast from the UIAA, International Climbing & Mountaineering Federationhttps://www.theuiaa.org/mountainvoices/Presented and produced by Tarquin CooperCo-produced by Peter BourneEdited by Tom Tushaw

Lara Neumeier is one of Germany’s best trad and big wall climbers, describing big walls as ‘the ultimate adventure’. She was born in the Allgau mountains of Germany, near the Austrian border and first put on a climbing harness at the age of two. A love of rock climbing began early…In 2023, Lara and BABSI Zangerl made the first female ascent of the route Muir Blast and El Corazon on El Capitan, a 5.13 climb. The 35 pitches, which they free climbed, took them 6 days. Amazingly, this was her first big wall climb on El Cap. The following year she would return to El Cap, and free El Nino via Pineapple Express variation with Nemo Feurle. Closer to home she recently made the fourth repeat – the first female ascent – of the trad-route Psychogramm at Bürser Platte, in the Vorarlberg region of Austria which has a grade of 8b+.She now has a new project – repeating the famous Alpine trilogy of hardest climbs put up by Beat Kammerlander, Thomas Huber and Stefan Glowacz, back in the day. First was Silbergeier (8b+) on the Swiss side of the Rätikon, the next was End of Silence, a 14 pitch 8b+ in her native Berchtesgarden Alps. Only the third remains: Des Kaisers neue Kleider (The Emperor’s New Clothes).In this episode, Lara reflects on her achievements to date, her current targets and her desire to inspire others to climb.--Mountain Voices is a podcast from the UIAA, International Climbing & Mountaineering Federationhttps://www.theuiaa.org/mountainvoices/Presented and produced by Tarquin CooperCo-produced by Peter BourneEdited by Tom Tushaw

Season 3 of Mountain Voices is dedicated to interviews with a wide range of noted individuals – climbers, mountaineers and experts in specific mountain fields including safety, rescue and climate change.Kicking off the season is a British climber for whom Sir Chris Bonington once said: ‘Tom Livingstone, one of the finest climbers in the world, always using the purest techniques.’ As Tom’s own website biography details he has a penchant for trad, winter and alpine climbing - the bigger and badder, the better. He works as an outdoor instructor and a noted writer.Some of his favourite routes include Cracking Up (IX,9), The Fourth Dimension (E7 6c), Fun or Fear (ED), The Secret (IX, 9), Rare Lichen (E9 6c), Conan the Librarian (E6 6b), Divine Providence (ED), a winter ascent of the Walker Spur on the Grandes Jorasses, The Great Game on Koyo Zom (ED+) and the North Ridge Variation on Latok I (ED+). Now in his mid-30s he remains ambitious to take on more.In this series guests go on a journey, looking back at what got them into climbing, onto the walls and into the mountains, the lessons learned along the way, the equipment they never go without, the people they’ve met, their strengths and weaknesses and what the future holds.

An exclusive interview with Kilian Jornet, an athlete whose feats almost defy description. A multiple ski mountaineering world champion and a trail and ultra running legend, Kilian has set speed records on numerous mountains - most recently his 19-day challenge to climb all 82 4000m peaks of the Alps, a classification recognised by the UIAA.In this interview, Kilian discusses: the logistical and physical challenges of that feat; the current initiatives of Kilian Jornet Foundation which focus on the environment, youth engagement and inclusion; his thoughts on the importance of ethics in mountaineering; reflections on some of his notable achievements including his time on Everest.Further Information:https://www.kilianjornet.cat/https://www.kilianjornetfoundation.org/

Episode 11 of Mountain Voices takes a deep dive into the mountain hut culture of the Alps. What makes a great hut? Why do huts exist? What impact is climate change having on hut operations and maintenance?Part one features Ben Tibbetts, an IFMGA mountain guide and a photographer, artist and writer based in Chamonix, France. Ben has published a number of books dedicated to his passion for huts, notably ‘4000m peaks of the Alps guidebook’ and coming soon Volume 1 of Cabin Wild – West Mediterranean to Mont Blanc. Available to pre-order here. Ben is joined by UIAA Management Board member and FFCAM (Fédération Française des clubs alpins et de montagne ) Board member Jean Miczka, a hut expert who has written a thesis dedicated to how mountain guides are adapting their activities due to climate change.In part two, Marion Herren, a hut specialist working for the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC), provides an overview of the federation’s network of huts across the Alps, the current challenges faced in operating huts and what makes these locations so compelling.Links to publications by Ben Tibbetts:https://www.bentibbetts.com/4000m-peaks-of-the-alps-guidebook/https://www.bentibbetts.com/product/cabin-wild-alpine-bivouac-huts/Climate change case studies/huts by the UIAA:https://www.theuiaa.org/german-alpine-club-setting-standards-in-climate-action/https://www.theuiaa.org/climate-change-case-study-abbot-pass-hut/https://www.theuiaa.org/the-cost-of-climate-change-the-story-of-the-swiss-alpine-clubs-huts/Details on hut exchange project for UIAA members:https://www.theuiaa.org/mountain-huts/

This episode of Mountain Voices explores the safety and ethics of climbing bolts. In part 1 renowned Swiss climber and guide Stephan Siegrist and International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation CEO André von Rotz explore the bolting culture in Switzerland, notably the importance of preserving historic routes, and introduce the Swiss Rebolting Project.In part two, von Rotz is joined by UIAA Safety Commission members Fred Campos and Per Forsberg who delve into the science of bolt corrosion—particularly the hidden dangers of stress corrosion cracking in humid and coastal environments.In recent years, the UIAA has dedicated significant investment, some 200,000 euros and counting, primarily to research related to rock anchors and bolts. Initially, this centred around the subject of corrosion and stress corrosion cracking failure. A significant milestone was reached when the updated UIAA Rock Anchors Standard was released in 2020. While bolt failures are rare, the consequences can be severe, underscoring the importance of using corrosion-tested gear, like that certified under the UIAA’s 123 Standard. The panel discusses the ambition behind the “Bolts That Last a Century” initiative, which aims to preserve both safety and rock integrity for future generations.Discover more about the UIAA’s work in climber safety and rock anchors:https://www.theuiaa.org/safety/https://www.theuiaa.org/safety/rockanchors/Support the UIAA’s research into climber safety by making a donation:https://www.theuiaa.org/donate/

Episode 9 of Mountain Voices focuses on ethics in mountaineering inspired by the release of the UIAA Declaration on Hiking, Climbing and Mountaineering earlier this year.Part 1 (00:00-35:57)Is dedicated to adventure. Alpine legends Mick Fowler and Victor Saunders, discuss their 2024 first ascent of Yawash Sar in the Karakorum.They first climbed together based in London in the late 70s where their enthusiasm for Scottish ice would go down in folklore – they once drove the 1,000km from London to Scotland and back 11 weekends in a row often pinching first ascents from the locals. In 1987 they made a landmark first ascent of the Golden Pillar of Spantik over six days.For many years their paths diverged, Mick focused on remote climbs in places like Tibet’s Nyaingentangla East – remarkable given he usually only had three weeks holiday as a government tax inspector, while Victor worked as a mountain guide, including on Mt Everest. But lately they’ve reprised their partnership, most recently in 2024 with the first ascent of Yawash Sar in the Karakorum. They’re in their late 60s mid 70s respectively, they’re still climbing, still making first ascents, and I believe, despite some impressively uncomfortable bivouacs, still friends…?Part 2 (36:49-46:54)Greg Moseley, UIAA Mountaineering Commission President, discusses what inspired the creation of the new UIAA Declaration, its importance and its guiding principles.Part 3 (47:50-57:05)Victor Saunders, also UIAA Mountaineering Commission Vice President, and author of a number of chapters in the UIAA Declaration discusses the role of ethics in mountaineering, ‘the rules of the game’.Discover more here:https://www.theuiaa.org/uiaa-declaration/--Mountain Voices is a podcast from the UIAA. Throughout each series, the UIAA explores different climbing and mountaineering topics. The series provide a platform for both experts from the UIAA and renowned figures from the mountain world to share their views and opinions. Each series is made of up of six episodes. Season 2 launched in March 2025.https://www.theuiaa.org/mountainvoices/Presented and produced by Tarquin CooperCo-produced by Peter BourneEdited by Tom Tushaw