The news

In December 2016 Matej Arh and Klemen Gerbec made the first winter ascents of two summer routes up the North Face of Mt Škrlatica in Slovenia. In their winter version these routes offer outstanding and challenging winter climbing in one of the most beautiful and remote corners of the Julian...

Mountaineering in the Mont Blanc massif: on the North face of Aiguille des Pélerins (3318m) Jeff Mercier, together with Lucien Boucansaud, Xavier Cailhol and Bastien Lardat, has climbed 'Les Flammes de l’enfer’, a new variation to the famous ice and mixed climb Beyond Good and Evil.

Luca Vallata reports about the first ascent of La Bruixa, a new icefall in Val Zemola, Dolomites, climbed on 05/01/2017 together with Santiago Padrós.

From 29 to 30 December 2016 Thomas Huber, Stephan Siegrist and Roger Schaeli scored the long-awaited second ascent of Metanoia, Jeff Lowe’s masterpiece on the North Face of the Eiger. The route was established solo over a period of nine days in winter 1991 by the leading American alpinist and,...

Sport climbing: at Oliana in Spain Italy’s Laura Rogora has redpointed Joe Blau 8c+, while Stefano Ghisolfi has onsighted the 8c Fish Eye.

A somewhat different climbing duel between the star Czech climbers Adam Ondra and Martin Stranik.

The Journey, a short film by Johannes Mair about Guido Unterwurzacher, Simon Berger, Max Berger and Christian Hechenberger ice climbing in Canada.

At the crag Specchio del Grifone (Angelone) above Lecco Giuseppe Pippo Nolasco has repeated Riti Tribali, the 8c/+ sports climb freed by Adam Ondra in 2009.

Alpinism: on 7/12/2016 Enrico Bonino and Olivier Colay made a dry-tooling reinterpretation of the routes Pinelli-Sabbadini, Lenoir and Ottoz, to forge El Chico (M6+ 4° 250m) on Pyramide Du Tacul, Mont Blanc massif.

Winter mountaineering: Ines Papert reports about the first repeat of the ice and mixed climb ‘Nordest Supercombo' (800m, M7, R) up the NE Face of Pizzo Badile, carried out on 30/12/2016 together with Luka Lindič

Alessandro Lamberti (52) reports about his recent repeat of the 8c sports climb Egger at Spiaggia Della Molpa at Palinuro, Italy.

Winter mountaineering in the Julian Alps: on 18 December 2016 Enrico Mosetti, Alberto Giassi and Davide Limongi made the first ascent of ‘Amici per sempre’ (IV /4+, 350m), a new mixed climb up the North Face of Cima Verde del Monte Montasio.

The climbing video by Mike Hutton of Englishman Tom Randall taking a huge lob on the Crucifix project he and Pete Whittaker discovered at the White Rim, Canyonlands, USA

During the last few days various forest fires broke out across southern Switzerland, for reasons yet to be determined. Over three dozen people were evacuated, but thankfully no one was injured. Local climber Martin Keller reports from the world-famous bouldering area Chironico, where a fire lit by teenagers got out...

American rock climber Alex Honnold teams up with planetmountain.com to talk about his recent reenactment of Dan Osman’s famous speed solo up the climb 'Bear's Reach' at Lover's Leap, California, USA

On 28 December 2016 the President of the United States Barack Obama established the Bears Ears National Monument. This proclamation permanently protects a region which includes Indian Creek, Lockhart Basin, Arch Canyon, Texas Canyon, and many other sandstone climbing areas and is the first bill that specifically acknowledges rock climbing...