The news

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 Sunday 27 December 2015 John Ellison, the founder of the charity Climbers against Cancer, passed away. In the space of just a few years the inspirational Englishman achieved the unprecedented feat of bringing the entire climbing community together through CAC, aimed at raising awareness about cancer and gathering funds...

Andrea Mutti, climbing solo, completed L'Ultimo Bacio (700 mt M6 V 6A+ 3 sections A0), a new mixed outing up the North Face of Adamello, Italy.

The Kuffner Ridge (also known as the Frontier Ridge), one of the classic and most beautiful ridge traverses in the Mont Blanc massif, described by mountain guide Thomas Scalise Meynet.

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.

On Sunday 28 February 2016 the Tris Rotondo will take place in Canton Ticino, Switzerland. This top ski mountaineering competition is one of the most prestigious events in the ski touring circuit. The organizers have worked hard to ensure three different race courses and introduce some important novelties, such as...

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.

Maurizio Oviglia introduces 10 trad cracks at Cadarese in Val d'Ossola, Italy, ideally suited to learn how to crack climb.

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