The news

On 19/01/2017 Hansjörg Auer and Reinhard Obweger made the first ascent of Freizeitstress, a new mixed climb in Ötztal, Austria.

On 08/02/2017 Adam Ondra made the first ascent of Mamichula at Oliana in Spain, a route the 24-year-old climber from the Czech Republic has graded 9b.

In November 2016 Christoph Hainz and Andrea De Martin Polo established 'November Sun' (7b, obligatory 7a, 270m), a new multi-pitch rock climb on Monte Monaco, San Vito lo Capo, Sicily, Italy.

Mountaineering: Italian alpinists Matteo Bernasconi, Matteo Della Bordella and David Bacci have made the first ascent of the East Face of Cerro Murallon (Patagonia). This is the second Ragni di Lecco success after the historic first ascent, carried out by Casimiro Ferrari, Carlo Aldè and Paolo Vitali.

Winter mountaineering: the video of the first repeat of Metanoia, carried out in December 2016 by Thomas Huber, Stephan Siegrist and Roger Schaeli, 25 years after the first ascent at the hands of Jeff Lowe in 1991.

Czech climber Adam Ondra has repeated Pachamama 9a+ at Oliana in Spain and is currently attempting a difficult new linkup at this top Spanish crag.

For organisational reasons, the date for Melloblocco 2017 has been changed. The most important climbing and bouldering meeting in the world, which has been taking place ever since 2004 in Val Masino - Val di Mello (Italy) will take place from Thursday 11 to Sunday 14 May 2017.

During the first 12 stages of Rebuild Boulder, the series of informal bouldering competitions currently taking place at climbing walls throughout Italy, over 11,000 euro have been raised to help those affected by the earthquakes that rocked central Italy in August and October 2016.

Interview with Polish alpinist Marek Raganowicz who, from 11 - 26 January 2017, made the first solo winter ascent of Troll Wall (Trollveggen) in Norway by repeating the climb Suser gjennom Harryland (6/A3).

Alpinism: the video documenting the first ascent of Pleishornwasserfall, the new ice and mixed climb established on 13/12/2016 by Daniel Ladurner and Johannes Lemayer up the NE Face of Ortler (3905m).

The last stage of the Ice Climbing World Cup was held last weekend in Corvara; HeeYong Park and Han Na Rai Song won both the stage in Val Passiria and the overall World Cup. The fastest Speed climbers were Pavel Batushev and Ekaterina Feoktistova, while the Speed World Cup was...

Video and interview with Italian climber Stefano Ghisolfi who yesterday, on 30/01/2017, repeated 'First Round, First Minute' at Margalef in Spain. This 9b sport climb was freed by Chris Sharma in 2011 and had been repeated previously by Adam Ondra and Alexander Megos.

Over the coming weekend the small village of Corvara in Val Passiria, Dolomites, Italy, will host a stage of the Ice Climbing World Cup 2017. A total of 100 ice climbers from 20 countries and three continents have registered. Live streaming of all Saturday and Sunday stages.

Alpinism: on 18/01/2017 German alpinist Michi Wohlleben, climbing with Lukas Binder, made the first ascent of 'Stirb langsam' (M11+/WI6+, 200m) a difficult new ice and mixed climb in the Wetterstein massif, Tyrol, Austria.

The video of American climbers Emily Harrington and Alex Honnold repeating Solar Flare, the 5.12d rock climb first ascended by Conrad Anker and Peter Croft up Incredible Hulk, High Sierra, California, USA.

Last weekend South Korea’s Han Na Rai Song and HeeYong Park won the fourth and penultimate stage of the Ice Climbing World Cup 2017 in Saas Fee, Switzerland. The Speed event was won by the Russians Vladimir Kartashev and Ekaterina Koshcheeva.