The news

Sport climbing: at Margalef in Spain Stefano Ghisolfi has repeated 'First Ley' 9a+, while at Varazze in Italy Pietro Biagini has climbed 'Alphacentauri sit', his first 8B boulder problem.

Last weekend the second stage of the Ice Climbing World Cup 2017 took place in Beijing, China; Russians Nikolai Kuzovlev and Maria Tolokonina won the Lead event, wile the Speed event was won by their teammates Radomir Proshchenko and Ekaterina Koshcheeva.

The video of America’s Kyle Maynard who, despite his congenital amputation, climbed to the summit of Kilimanjaro and Aconcagua.

Philipp Angelo, Fabrizio della Rossa and Thomas Gianola report about their first ascent of All-in (AI 6-, M7, R), a difficult new ice and mixed climb up the North Face of Sas Pegorer, Gran Vernel (Marmolada, Dolomites).

The short film of Luka Lindič e Ines Papert and their first ascent of 'Lost in China' (ED, WI 5+, M6, 1200m) up the SE Face of Kyzyl Asker (5842m), Kyrgyzstan.

In December 2016 Matej Arh and Klemen Gerbec made the first winter ascents of two summer routes up the North Face of Mt Škrlatica in Slovenia. In their winter version these routes offer outstanding and challenging winter climbing in one of the most beautiful and remote corners of the Julian...

Mountaineering in the Mont Blanc massif: on the North face of Aiguille des Pélerins (3318m) Jeff Mercier, together with Lucien Boucansaud, Xavier Cailhol and Bastien Lardat, has climbed 'Les Flammes de l’enfer’, a new variation to the famous ice and mixed climb Beyond Good and Evil.

Sport climbing: at Oliana in Spain Italy’s Laura Rogora has redpointed Joe Blau 8c+, while Stefano Ghisolfi has onsighted the 8c Fish Eye.

A somewhat different climbing duel between the star Czech climbers Adam Ondra and Martin Stranik.

The Journey, a short film by Johannes Mair about Guido Unterwurzacher, Simon Berger, Max Berger and Christian Hechenberger ice climbing in Canada.

At the crag Specchio del Grifone (Angelone) above Lecco Giuseppe Pippo Nolasco has repeated Riti Tribali, the 8c/+ sports climb freed by Adam Ondra in 2009.

Alpinism: on 7/12/2016 Enrico Bonino and Olivier Colay made a dry-tooling reinterpretation of the routes Pinelli-Sabbadini, Lenoir and Ottoz, to forge El Chico (M6+ 4° 250m) on Pyramide Du Tacul, Mont Blanc massif.

Winter mountaineering in the Julian Alps: on 18 December 2016 Enrico Mosetti, Alberto Giassi and Davide Limongi made the first ascent of ‘Amici per sempre’ (IV /4+, 350m), a new mixed climb up the North Face of Cima Verde del Monte Montasio.

The climbing video by Mike Hutton of Englishman Tom Randall taking a huge lob on the Crucifix project he and Pete Whittaker discovered at the White Rim, Canyonlands, USA

During the last few days various forest fires broke out across southern Switzerland, for reasons yet to be determined. Over three dozen people were evacuated, but thankfully no one was injured. Local climber Martin Keller reports from the world-famous bouldering area Chironico, where a fire lit by teenagers got out...

American rock climber Alex Honnold teams up with planetmountain.com to talk about his recent reenactment of Dan Osman’s famous speed solo up the climb 'Bear's Reach' at Lover's Leap, California, USA