The news

In Val Bavona (Switzerland) Tobias Wolf has made the first ascent of Saga di Valle Bavona (7c+/8a, 205m).

Vittorio Messini and Isidor Poppeller have made the first ascent of Die Ritter der Kokosnuss up Großer Falkenstein, Austria.

In Valle dell'Orco Alex Ostorero and Enrico Griotto have made the first ascent of Waiting for the sun behind the moon (7b, 6b obl./RS2/II).

German climber Michi Wohlleben has made the first free ascent of Hystrix (200m, 8a+ max, 7a obligatory), the climb established by Matteo Giglio with partners up the north face of Pizzo Campana (Rocca Busambra), close to Palermo, Italy.

The new website Climb for Life [www.climbforlife.it] went online on 1 October 2012. This aims at providing the climbing community with information about bone marrow donation. The initiative and new campaign to raise awareness is entitled: "You don’t have to be big".

At the Red River Gorge (USA) Adam Ondra has on-sighted Golden Ticket and Pure Imagination which, as he states in his report, he feels are 8c+.

Manuel Brunn and Daniel Jung have both repeated The Elder Statesman 9a in the Frankenjura, Germany.

At the Italian crag Covolo (VI) Silvio Reffo has repeated Tentacoli 8c. The video of Reffo climbing Bella Regis 8c/c+ at Bus de Vela.

On 28/10/2012 New Zealand's Mayan Smith-Gobat succeeded in the first female ascent of Punks in the Gym (32/8b+) at Arapiles, Australia.

At Red River Gorge (USA) Adam Ondra has flashed Southern Smoke Direct 9a, while young Ashima Shiraishi has repeated the 8c+ climbs Southern smoke and Lucifer.

American filmmaker Fred Padula has launched an appeal to raise funds to digitally restore the classic, award winning climbing film El Capitan.

Pirmin Bertle has made the first ascent of Le lézard communiste (8c/8c+) at Jansegg, Gastlosen, Swtizerland

On 26/09/2012 Matthias Trottmann freed the sports climb Quattro stagioni, 8c 40m, on Engelberg, Switzerland.

On 6/10/2012 Ines Papert made the first free ascent of Schwarze Madonna (8a+, 180m) on Untersberg in Germany.

A new sport climb and new boulder problems at Amiata in Italy's Tuscany: Michele Caminati has freed the highball Apollo 7B+ and made the first repeat of Alibracciapinne 8b.

Simone Pedeferri has freed Dream of love 8c at Grotta del Ferro, Val di Mello, Italy.