Beat Kammerlander frees Kampfzone, a rare climbing gem in the Rätikon
Interview with Austrian climber Beat Kammerlander after the first free ascent of his alpine sports climb Kampfzone (8c) in the Rätikon massif.
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Chris Sharma catches his Big Fish, spectacular and difficult new Deep Water Solo at Mallorca
At Mallorca in Spain American rock climber Chris Sharma has made the first ascent of Big Fish, an extremely high Deep Water Solo (DWS) climb rated 8c+/9a.
Anak Verhoeven claims 9a+ first female ascent at Pierrot Beach in France
Belgium's Anak Verhoeven has made the first ascent of 'Sweet Neuf' at Pierrot Beach in France, a sports climb she believes is 9a+. Should the grade be confirmed, Verhoeven becomes only the second woman to have climbed 9a+ and the first to have freed a route of this difficulty.
Larcher and Marazzi free Così parlò Zarathustra in Vallone di Sea, Italy
On 28 July 2017 Jacopo Larcher and Paolo Marazzi made the first free ascent of Così parlò Zarathustra, a A3 aid climb in Vallone di Sea established in 1983 by Isidoro Meneghin and Daniele Caneparo.
Spaniards claim two new climbs and one first free ascent in Peru
The brothers Iker Pou and Eneko Pou, together with Manu Ponce and Pedro Galán, have made the first ascent of two new rock climbs in Peru: Yaku Mama (7a+ / 185 m) next to the Gocta Falls in Amazonia, and Zerain 8a / 860 m in the valley of Quebrada Rurec in Cordillera Blanca. In the same valley the four also made the first free of Qui Io Vado Ancora, the route put up in 2006 by the Italian Ragni di Lecco climbers.
Sílvia Vidal climbs new route up Xanadu West face in Alaska
From 5 to 21 July 2017 Catalan alpinist Sílvia Vidal made the solo first ascent of 'Un pas més' (A4 / A4+, 6a, 530 m) up the West Face of Xanadu (Arrigetch Peaks, Alaska).
Adam Ondra calls hardest climb in the world Silence
The first 9c sports climb in the world freed by Adam Ondra last Sunday at Flatanger in Norway has lost its 'Project Hard' status and now has official name: Silence. Ondra explains why and, indirectly, provides insight about his own climbing.
Gabriele Moroni repeats 29dots, grand highball boulder problem in Valle dell'Orco
Interview with Italian climber Gabriele Moroni who on 02/09/2017 in Val Noasca (Valle dell’Orco, Italy) pulled off the first repeat of 29 dots, the difficult highball boulder problem freed in 2015 by Austria’s Bernd Zangerl.
Devils Tower El Matador climbed by Jorg Verhoeven and Katharina Saurwein
Video: Jorg Verhoeven and Katharina Saurwein repeat El Matador (5.11a), one of the classic climbs up Devils Tower in Wyoming, USA.
Russia dominates Speed climbing at IFSC Youth World Championships Innsbruck
Russian athletes excelled on Sunday and Monday in the Speed climbing discipline at the IFSC Youth World Championships 2017 in Innsbruck, adding 11 more medals to the count.
L'or du temps on Grand Capucin, Slovaks claim first free ascent
The report by 16-year-old Slovak climber Pavel Kratochvíl who on 27/08/2017 with Róbert Luby (21) and Martin Krasňanský (34) made the first free ascent of L'or du temps, the new route put up on Grand Capucin, Mont Blanc, by Nina Caprez and Arnaud Petit.
Adam Ondra climbs world's first 9c at Flatanger in Norway
Interview with Czech climber Adam Ondra who on 3 September 2017 at Flatanger in Norway made the first free ascent of his Project Hard, a sport climb which the 24-year-old has graded 9c. Should this be confirmed, then the 45m line checks in as the first 9c in the world. The new climb is now called Silence.
Hakuna Matata, Lisi Steurer and Hannes Pfeifhofer climb new route up Taè in Dolomites
The report by Lisi Steurer who teamed up with Hannes Pfeifhofer to make the first ascent of Hakuna Matata (400m, 8a), a new multi-pitch rock climb up the South Face of Taè (Spalti di Col Becchei), Dolomites.
Filip Schenk and Ashima Shiraishi new Youth A Boulder World Champions
Yesterday at Innsbruck, Austria Filip Schenk and Ashima Shiraishi won their Youth A category during the Youth Boulder World Championship.
Bouldering in Valle dell'Orco and the Orcoblocco climbing meeting
One day before the Orcoblocco bouldering meeting in Italy’s Valle dell’Orco Andrea Migliano introduces the valley in the Gran Paradiso National Park and in particular the new El Dorado sector with its 120 new boulder problems.
Schreckhorn, new rock climb in Switzerland by Thomas Senf and Martin Reber
In July the Swiss alpinists Thomas Senf and Martin Reber made the first ascent of Freudenschreck (6a+, 485 m), a new rock climbing up the SW ridge of Schreckhorn (4078 m), Bernese Oberland, Switzerland.
Solar eclipse at Smith Rock, the story behind the viral photo
The 'behind the scenes' video documenting how the viral photo was taken of the solar eclipse by Ted Hesser on August 21, 2017 at Smith Rock, Oregon, USA.
Video: Chris Sharma climbing his Deep Water Solo at Pont d'Arc
The video of American climber Chris Sharma making the first ascent of his difficult deep water solo at Pont d’Arc in Ardèche, France..
Adam Ondra and Julia Chanourdie win Arco Rock Master 2017
The 31st Arco Rock Master Trophy was won using the Duel formula on 26 August 2017 by Adam Ondra and Julia Chanourdie. A few hours earlier the fourth stage of the Lead World Cup was won by Jakob Schubert and Jain Kim, while the Speed World Cup was won by Vladislav Deulin and Anouck Jaubert.
Arco Rock Legends: Mike Kosterlitz, Margo Hayes and Janja Garnbret win in 2017
On Friday 25/08/2017 the 12th edition of Arco Rock Legends took place in Arco, Italy. Scottish climber and Nobel Prize in Physics laureate Mike Kosterlitz received the Climbing Ambassador by Dryarn® di Aquafil award. America's Margo Hayes won the Wild Country Rock Award, while Slovenia's Janja Garnbret won the La Sportiva Competition Award.The other nominees were Adam Ondra, Stefano Ghisolfi, Domen Škofic and Shauna Coxsey.
