The news

On Tuesday 14 December at the Italian University of Padua the websites Planet Mountain and La Sportiva were the protagonists of a university thesis entitled "Web Marketing and community management in mountain products: La Sportiva and PlanetMountain.com"

Ice meeting for the 2004/2005 season in Arco, Italy, Argentière la Bessée (Fournel), France, st its annual ice-fall meeting:Kandersteg, Switzerland and Festiglace, Quebec, Canada

The traditional Banff Mountain Festival, a week-long celebration of mountain films, books and photography held in Banff, came to a close on 7 November.

The campaign against proposed hydroelectric plants in Val di Mello (Italy).

From the 1st to the 9th of May the International Festival of Mountains, Exploration and Adventure will take place in the small town of Trento, Northern Italy.

On 7-9 May the Lombardy Mountain guides have organised an intenational bouldering meet in the Val di Mello, Northern Italy.

On Saturday 20 March, world protest day against the war in Iraq, two English climbers manifested their no against the war by climbing Big Ben

The Fédération Française de la Montagne et de l'Escalade awarded the climbers Benoist-Glairon-Rappaz and Bérhault-Magnin for their outstandiing ascents in 2003

Valeri Babanov and Yuri Koshelenko won the prestigous Piolet d'Or for their ascent of Nuptse East South Pillar in November 2003.

The Nova Levante-Welschnofen local council has approved the transformation of 10000 mq of "alpine meadows and woods" to “tourist and camping area." for the develpment of a camping ground above Lake Carezza in teh Dolomites.

International campaigners for Tibet have voiced their growing concern about a planned ring road around Mount Kailash, Tibet's most sacred mountain.

The Other Final Takes Grand Prize at Banff Mountain Film Festival. Escape from Lucania: An Epic Story of Survival wins Book Festival, while Fritz Mueller’s Autumn Sunset in the Heart of Tombstone wins Mountain Photography Competition

On 17/09/2003 a ravaging fire destroyed one of Italy's premier climbing wall manufacturers Ecogrips, the climbing shop Vertical Sport, and the climbing wall Action House in Trento, northern Italy

A recent agreement between China and India could signal the start of improving relations between the two countries.

The fourth Mountaineering - Grignetta d’Oro Awards Ceremony gets underway in Lecco, Italy this weekend. The two-day meeting marks the start of the highly anticipated, week-long mountaineering festival, which includes the World Cup Difficulty, Speed and Bouldering competitions.