The news

The World Ski Mountaineering Cup 2016 is comprised of five stages: Andorra 15-16 January, Albosaggia (Italy) 30-31 January, Les Marécottes (Switzerland) 5-7 February, Alpago (Italy) 19-20 February and Prato Nevoso (Italy) 18-20 March.

Rock climbing at the Black Wall and other granite crags at the world class Donner Summit in California has been secured thanks to the Access Fund, the local climbing community and other partners who have purchased the land.

At Santa Linya in Spain Mina Markovic has repeated Fabela Pa La Enmienda 9a, Janja Garnbret has flashed Rollito Sharma 8c and Domen Skofic has redpointed Fuck the system 9a.

In 2014 Pietro Biasini, Daniele Bianchi and Mirko Masè established the first seven pitches of Here today gone tomorrow (X-, 215m) on Scoglio delle Metamorfosi in Val di Mello, Italy. In November 2015 Bianchi and Masé completed the climb in memory of their friend Pietro Biasini, who died in Norway...

On Friday 25 December 2015 Roland Hemetzberger freed an old project of Stefan Fürst at Achleiten in Austria, for which he suggests the grade 9a+.

The 2015/16 ice climbing season in Corvara was originally planned to begin on Saturday, 26 December. Unfortunately, the unseasonally high temperatures forced the Association Verein Eisturm Rabenstein to change their plans.

The video of Tanja Schmitt, Heike Schmitt and Matthias Scherer repeating the icefall Fjåne Fossen and making the probable first ascent of the ice climb Stormbringer at Eidfjord in Norway.

Download free of charge today’s crag in the climbing advent calendar by Vertical Life and planetmountain.com: Lumignano in Italy.

Yesterday 22 December 2015 the body of missing Japanese alpinist Kei Taniguchi was found on Mount Kuro in Japan. In 2009 she had been the first woman to win the prestigious Piolet d'Or.

Download free of charge today’s crag in the climbing advent calendar by Vertical Life and planetmountain.com: Spartan Wall at Kalymnos, Greece with 37 climbs from 4a to 8c+

Download free of charge today’s crag in the climbing advent calendar by Vertical Life and planetmountain.com: Monte Cucco at Finale Ligure with 293 climbs up to 8c.

France's Romain Desgranges explores his physical and psychological limits bouldering on highball problems at Joshua Tree, USA.

In August 2015 on the Drusenfluh the Rätikon massif in Austria Alexander Luger made the first ascent of The Gift (8c, 350m).

Download free of charge today’s crag in the climbing advent calendar by Vertical Life and planetmountain.com: Calisio (Trento, Italy), 18 sport climbs from 5c to 7b+.

The journey of American rock climber Alex Honnold to Angola, to discover the country’s potential for rock climbing and also to follow up the Honnold Foundation pilot program of home solar systems for the local population. His travel companion Stacy Bare returned to see the progress made by the landmine clearance...

Andrea Polo, Gabriele Gorobey and Carlo Giuliberti retrace this September’s first free ascent of Never the Same up Tsaranoro Atsimo in Madagascar. The three were accompanied by Marco Sterni who, in 1998, had made the first ascent of this multi-pitch rock climb together with Rolando Larcher and Erik Svab.