The news

Todd Skinner, one of America's pioneering free climbers, died on October 23 when abseiling from the Leaning Tower in Yosemite.

At the start of October Markus Bock made the first ascent of what he believes to be the hardest route in Germany's Frankenjura, "Corona" 11+ (French 9a+).

On 2 October Rolando Larcher made the first free ascent of "Via Bepi Mazzotti" on the Piccolo Dain (Sarca valley, Italy).

On 10 October Fabrizio Droetto repeated Noia, the legendary 8c+ at Andonno, first ascended by Severino Scassa in 1993.

Patxi Usobiaga has onsighted "Pata Negra" 8c at Rodellar, Spain.

Barbara Raudner from Austria climbs "Keitos Palast" at Austria's Höllental (Atlantis) and in doing so joins the fast-growing international list of female climbers capable of climbing 8c

In August the Italians Marco Vago and Simone Pedeferri completed their new route up M.te Donneittu (Codula de Luna, Sardinia) called Amico Fragile and graded 7c+/8a .

Massimo da Pozza makes the first ascents "Sognando l'aurora" (7b+ max, 7a obligatory), "Aspettando la vetta" (6c max, 6b obligatory) and "Il vecchio leone e la giovane fifona" (6c max 6b obligatory) on the Tofane di Rozes, Dolomites.

On 25 September Kilian Fischhuber made the 9th ascent of Action Directe 9a at the Waldkopf, Frankenjura, Germany.

Chris Sharma has freed his Deep Water Soloing project in Mallorca, calling it Es Pontas and comparing it to his Realization at Ceuse.

Adam Ondra has made the first ascent of Vymena Manzelek 11- (F8c) at Moravsky Kras in the Czech Republic.

Angela Eiter on-sigh's Skyline 8b at Bürs, Austria and redpoints Pietramurata (8b+), Halebob (8b+), Supermaratona (8b/8b+), Maratona (8b), Tropo Schwar (8b) and Fuego (8a+) at Massone, Arco.

On 30 August Nicolas Favresse made the first ascent of "Lost in translation" a 400m, 10-pitch free climb (5.12b/c) on the East Face of El Capitan together with 30-year-old Ivo Ninov from Bulgaria.

During the first half of August 2006 the Italians Mauro Florit, Marco Sterni, Rolando Larcher and Maurizio Oviglia traveled to Turkey's Guvercinlik Valley in the Ala Daglar massif where they established four new routes.

Martina Cufar repeats Midlife crisis 8b at Warmbad, Austria.

Maurizio Giordani and Massimo Faletti have made the first ascent of the 28-pitch "Colpo di Coda" 6c+/A2 up the south face of the Marmolada.