A qualified mountain guide, Englishman Roger Payne has been climbing in the Alps for over 25 years and has been on 19 expeditions to high and difficult peaks. In January 2002, he became the first Sports and Development Director for the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA). He came to this new post from his position as General Secretary of the British Mountaineering Council. This year, he organized an expedition to Nepal for the United Nations Environment Programme to highlight the impact of global warming and the danger of glacial-lake outburst floods, and a Swiss Summit for the World Conservation Union (IUCN) to promote peace and protection of the environment.