By Kaelan Young
Viristar was pleased to collaborate with the Union of International Mountain Leader Associations (UIMLA) to host a webinar on “Risk Management in the Mountains” for International Mountain Leaders around the world
The session drew over 330 participants from diverse regions, including Tanzania, the French Pyrenees, the Bavarian Alps, the United Kingdom, and Chile. The discussion centered on approaches to enhancing safety in mountain leadership.
The 90-minute webinar introduced several models relevant to risk management. Attendees learned about the Risk Domain model for understanding incident causation and prevention.
This systems-informed approach provides a comprehensive framework for understanding and addressing risks in dynamic environments, improving safety outcomes for mountain leaders and participants.
Attendees explored the Risk Domains Model, a tool designed to help organizations enhance safety by examining eight direct domains—such as culture, staff, participants, and business administration—and four underlying domains, including government and society. By assessing their operations through these domains, International Mountain Leaders can establish values, policies, and procedures to more effectively manage risks.
The webinar further highlighted the importance of risk management instruments—broad-based tools that offer structured approaches to reducing risks and improving safety outcomes in outdoor programs.
These tools provide organized ways to identify, evaluate, and reduce risks in settings like mountains and other outdoor environments. Mountain leaders can better manage risks and encourage safety by using these tools.
Another focus of the session was the role of standards-setting organizations, such as the Union of International Mountain Leader Associations (UIMLA), in promoting consistent and high-quality safety practices across the industry. Jeff underscored the importance of such bodies in creating professional guidelines, training, and certification programs that enhance safety in outdoor activities.
Viristar and UIMLA Partnership
Viristar collaborates with the Union of International Mountain Leader Associations (UIMLA) to support outdoor safety. As part of this partnership, Viristar provides International Mountain Leaders with access to its 40-hour Risk Management for Outdoor Programs online training.
Information about the course is available at https://www.viristar.com/course/risk-management-for-outdoor-programs/.
To take advantage of this offer, add a course to your cart and enter the coupon code UIMLA20 during checkout.
Access the Webinar Materials
The presentation slides from the webinar are available for download. Access them at https://bit.ly/Viristar-UIMLA.
