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This page explains what standards bodies, federations and makers publish. It is not a substitute for instruction from a qualified instructor or guide, and it does not replace medical advice.
The UIAA, in a 2018 extract from its Alpine Skills Summer Handbook, says that anyone using technical climbing gear needs to read its instructions, get specific training, understand its limits and accept the risks, and warns that failing to do so may lead to severe injury or death. This section is written with that in mind. It explains what gear is and how it is tested, and leaves every question of how to use, place, check or rig it to the maker's instructions and to qualified instruction.
How to read these pages
- Test figures describe a laboratory test. A kN rating, a fall count, an impact force or a stretch percentage is what a new sample achieved under the conditions a standard sets. It is not a statement of what anyone may do with the gear.
- Standards are a baseline. The UIAA says a standard sets a baseline of performance on new equipment, that field conditions and the gear's state matter just as much, and that the maker is the primary source on any product.
- Lifespans belong to makers. Every lifespan or retirement figure is a named maker's dated statement for its own products. Makers disagree, and the pages show where. The maker's instructions and a competent person decide when an item is retired.
- Every claim has a source and a date. Where something could not be confirmed, the page says so.
The pages in this section
| Page | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Standards and markings | The UIAA Safety Label, EN standards, the CE and UKCA marks, and a table of every standard by type of gear |
| Ropes | Single, half, twin, low-stretch and static ropes, and what the EN 892 and UIAA 101 tests measure |
| Harnesses | The four EN 12277 harness types, strength tests and required markings |
| Helmets | EN 12492:2025 and UIAA 106 impact and retention tests |
| Carabiners and quickdraws | EN 12275 connector classes, the three kN markings and gate designs |
| Belay devices | EN 15151-1 and -2 and UIAA 129, and how makers' terms differ |
| Cams and nuts | Frictional anchors and chocks under EN 12276 and EN 12270 |
| Slings and anchors | EN 566 slings, accessory cord and anchor-related accident reports |
| Bolts | EN 959 and UIAA 123, corrosion classes and fixed-gear rules |
| Ice tools and crampons | EN 13089 tool types, EN 893 crampons and makers' lifespans |
| Via ferrata sets | EN 958 and UIAA 128, and the 2012 to 2013 recalls |
| Crash pads | UIAA 161, critical fall height and bouldering fall data |
| Shoes | Why no standard applies, and which shoe claims are unconfirmed |
| Chalk and chalk rules | Forms of chalk and the chalk rules land managers publish |
| Gear lifespan | Makers' dated lifespan statements side by side |
| Gear care | Makers' storage and cleaning statements, and where they disagree |
| Recalls | Published recall notices from 2012 to 2026, with publisher and date |
Why the standards matter
In the EU, the European Commission's guidelines on Regulation (EU) 2016/425 (October 2025) place mountaineering, rock climbing and caving equipment for protection against falls in Category III, the category for risks of death or irreversible harm. They name dynamic ropes, slings, karabiners, chocks, pitons, ice anchors and ice tools that can serve as an anchor in that category, along with sports helmets. The UIAA listed 29 numbered equipment standards on 21 October 2026. The standards and markings page is the best place to start.
For gear choices by category, the guides section covers each type without naming brands or prices. For what accident reports and injury studies show, see the safety section.