The news

The International Federation of Sport Climbing has been granted provisional recognition status by the International Olympic Committee. This is the first step towards the Olympics for sports climbing. An interview with Marco Scolaris the president of the IFSC.

In October and November 2007 Albert Leichtfried traveled to Madagscar and discovered the island climbing paradise. In addition he added a further five routes in his new sector Honeymoon.

Patxi Usobiaga, on tour and on firing form, proposes the world's first 8c+ on-sight, Bizi euskara at Etxauri, Spain.

Aleksandra Taistra redpoints Geminis 8b+ at Rodellar, Spain.

Psyche by Alastair Lee has recently won two awards at the annual British Kendal Mountain Film Festival.

Over the last two years Albert Leichtfried, one of Austria's leading mixed climbers, has almost single handedly developed the mixed-crag Dryland. The result is one of the hardest coldspots in Europe, with 10 routes weighing in from M5 to M13- and plenty of potential for new routes.

On 12/11 the English climber Mike Robertson was arrested while climbing the Eiffel Tower in Paris to raise public awareness about the current political situation in Burma and the responsibility of the French oil company Total.

Lucy Creamer repeats 'Slab and Crack' E8 6c at Curbar, Peak District and becomes the first British woman to breach this grade on gritstone.

Toni Lamprecht, Felix Frieder, Sandra Wielebnowski and Benno Wagner have established the multi-pitch Manara-Potsiny (8a) on Tsaranoro Be, Madagascar.

Nicolas Favresse has made the first ascent of Inshallah 8c/8c+ in the North Cape sector, Kalymnos, Greece.

Gabriele Moroni repeats SS 26 8c+/9a (Gressoney), Shangri-la 8c+ (Frankenjura) and Zauberfee 8c+ (Arco).

Fred Gentet, Nicolas Kalisz, Stéphanie Bodet and Arnaud Petit have made the first ascent of Babel (7c+, 800m) in Morocco's Taghia Gorge

On 20/10/2007 Markus Bock made the first ascent of Matador 9a in the Frankenjura, Germany.

On 07/10/2007 Stephan Siegrist and Ines Papert carried out the first free ascent of Herbstzeitlose (max 7c), on the S. Face of the Mittaghörnli (P.ta Signal), Bernese Oberland, Switzerland.

On Monday 9 October Thomas and Alexander Huber set a new speed record on The Nose, El Capitan, Yosemite, climbing the route in 2:45:45 and beating the old record by over 3 minutes.

On 23/08 Mauro Bubu Bole carried out the first repeat of 'Mezzogiorno di fuoco' (8b max, 7c obligatory, expo) on Punta Giradili, Sardinia.