The news

With 2500 registered climbers on the second day, the eighth Melloblocco has already broken all previous records. The number will increase tomorrow during the final day of the world's biggest bouldering and climbing meeting.

After yesterday's debut, Melloblocco #8 got underway in Val Masino today, Friday 6 May. More than 1300 registered climbers have already reached the valley to take part in the world's biggest climbing and bouldering meeting, but the number continues to rise by the hour and over 2500 climbers are expected...

The Melloblocco 2011 bouldering area, prepared by Simone Pedeferri and introduced by Nicola Noè

More than 2200 people have pre-registered for the 8th Melloblocco, the world's biggest climbing and bouldering meeting due to take place in Val Masino, Italy from 5 - 8 may 2011.

April 22nd marked the 41st Earth Day, celebrated in 2011 by 190 different countries. We recommend the film/documentary Home by the GoodPlanet foundation, to look at and think about our Mother Earth.

The 59th Trento Film Festival takes place from 28 April to 8 May to celebrate mountains, society, cinema and literature. Numerous mountaineering personalities gather in Italy's Trento including Messner, Herzog, Bonatti, Mazeaud, Erri De Luca, Mauro Corona, Neri Marcoré, Enrico Brizzi and Mario Brunello.

Two Piolets d'Or were awarded on 15 April in Chamonix, France, during the IXX Piolet d'Or 2011: to the Greenland Big Walls by Sean Villanueva, Nicolas and Olivier Favresse, Ben Ditto and Bob Shepton and to the ascent up Mount Logan in Canada by Yasushi Okada and Katsutaka Yokoyama from...

Two prizes awarded last night in Chamonix during the IXX Piolet d'Or: Mount Logan in Canada by Yasushi Okada and Katsutaka Yokoyama, and the Big Walls in Greenland by Sean Villanueva, Nicolas and Olivier Favresse and Ben Ditto.

From 5 - 8 May 2011 the 8th edition of the Melloblocco will take place in Val Masino, Sondrio, Italy. The Melloblocco is the biggest and most important bouldering meeting in the world and this year it is dedicated to the International Year of Forests.

Adam Ondra has become a bone marrow donor. Pietro Dal Pra and Giovanni Spitale of Climb for Life explain this important gesture for donors and the climbing community.

Published below is an open letter written by Agostino Cittadini, a Mountain Guide from L'Aquila, who invites everyone to not forget the terrible earthquake which shook the Abruzzo region on 6 April two years ago...

CLIMB FOR LIFE-GIVE BONE MARROW is aimed at all climbers worldwide who wish to do something good and donate bone marrow. Italian climber Pietro Dal Prà presents the initiative.

On 22 December 2010 the Slovenian alpinists Francek Knez and Silvo Karo were awarded the Order of Merit by Slovenia's President Dr. Danilo Tuerk. This high state decoration was confirmed on the pair for "their achievements in Slovenian mountain climbing and for their contributions to the reputation of Slovenian mountaineering...

4 evenings and 4 great mountaineering stories as told by Valery Babanov, Hans Kammerlander, Silvio Mondinelli and Stevie Haston. The evenings will be introduced by Vinicio Stefanello, editor of PlanetMountain.com.

On Saturday 18/07/2010 the V Arco Rock Legends was celebrated in the Arco Climbing Stadium. Adam Ondra received the Salewa Rock Award while Akiyo Noguchi won the La Sportiva Competition Award. Maurizio Manolo Zanolla received the Sector Climbing Award, a new prize created by the Rock Master association.

All the nominations for the V edition of the Arco Rock Legends which will take place on Saturday 17 July 2010 in Arco (Garda Trentino, Italy) during the XXIV Rock Master. This year the legendary competition has been brought forward from September to July as it serves as the pre-event...