The news

Two excellent Melloblockers share their impressions about Melloblocco 2010: Nico Favresse who visited the Val di Mello for the first time and Adam Ondra who won the special "Mello" boulders for the third year running.

At the end of April Riccardo Scarian freed two new routes in Val Noana (Dolomites), Shantaram 8c and Hatù per tu 8b+.

Melloblocco 2010 turned out to be a success once again. Despite the bad weather 1900 registered climbers took part in the world's largest bouldering meeting in Val di Mello, Italy from 6 - 9 May 2010. The valley was visited by a circa 3500 boulderers, as can be read in...

Escala'Buoux and the meeting at Buoux to celebrate the lifting of the climbing ban on Face Ouest.

Silvio Reffo from Italy redpoints Nagay 8c and Super Ale 8c+ at the Covolo.

On 16 April Maurizio Oviglia and Rolando Larcher carried out the first free ascent of De rerum natura (230m, 7c max, 7a obbl, /RS2+/II) on Punta u Corbu at Col de la Bavella, Corsica.

Young Adam Ondra is visiting Britain, in particular the climbs at Malham Cove and Kilnsey where he has climbed and attempted some of the hardest routes in the country established by Steve McClure.

In March an international group of climbers including Leopoldo Faria from Portugal forged a 400m line up poor rock on El Gigante in Mexico.

The official website of the IFSC Climbing World Championship 2011 in Arco is now online. The portal also hosts all the information about the next edition of the classic Rock Master competition which has been brought forward to July 2010 as a World Championship pre-event.

After 25 years the climbing ban at Face Ouest at Buoux has now been lifted.

Gabriele Moroni and the first Italian ascent of Action Directe 9a, the route freed by Wolfgang Güllich in 1991 and which still today represents an important test for sport climbing.

Armando Menocal explores the delights of climbing in Cuba around the Valle de Vinales and suggests 40 superb routes at the main crag Mogote del Valle.

Video of Chris Linder making the second ascent of The Dunce Cap 5.13a at Joshua Tree.

Angelika Rainer and her repeat of Outsider at Cornalba.

Maja Vidmar from Slovenia has carried out her first ever on-sight of an 8b+, Humildes pa casa 8b+ at Oliana, Spain

Rainbow Slab is arguably the jewel in the crown of Llanberis slate. The immense, smooth face is broken by a series of smaller ripples and of course by the rainbow itself, a pulsing vein which arches steeply in all its beauty from right to left.