RocExs 2017 is organised on behalf of the Rockfall Expert Network (RocExs.NET) and the Joint Technical Committee of the ISSMFE, ISRM and IAEG (JTC-1) by the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) and the Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya (ICGC).

Rockfalls are frequent and damaging hazard in mountainous regions and coastal cliffs. They are also frequent in cut slopes of the transportation corridors, in quarries and other excavations. Significant progress has been achieved in the last decades, particularly in the characterization of the rock masses at the potential rockfall sources, in detecting premonitory instability features and monitoring of displacements, in the rockfall modelling and in the design of both protective and stabilization measures. The analysis and management of the rockfall hazard and risk often requires a multidisciplinary approach. The aim of the workshop is to bring together earth scientists, engineers, practitioners, decision makers and end-users, in order to discuss and evaluate new methods, models and approaches for the analysis and management of the rockfalls that have been recently developed.

Previous workshops were held in Japan (Kanazawa 1999), France (Vaujany 2005, organized by Cemagref), Switzerland (Morschach 2008, organised by WSL, ETHZ und EPFL) and Austria (Innsbruck-Igls 2011, organized by the Geological Service of the Austrian Torrent and Avalanche Control) and Italy (Lecco, 2014), organized by the Politecnico di Milano, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca and Ordine degli Ingegneri della Provincia di Lecco.