The news

On 19/02/2012 Giorgio Iurato and Gabriele Puccia made the first ascent of Rosa dei venti (210m, 6c) at Cava grande del Cassibile (Siracusa, Sicily). The report by Gabriele Puccia.

On 16/03/2012 Daniele Natali and Tito Arosio made the first winter ascent of Via Paco (7b (6c+ obligatory), 400m), while a day later Maurizio Panseri and Fulvio Zanetti made the first winter ascent of Via Bosio (7a+ (6°+ obligatory) 430m) up the North Face of Presolana, Italy.

In March 2012 Nicolas Favresse, Sean Villanueva, Stephane Hanssens and Jean-Louis Wertz established Maria Rosa (7b, 500m) and Apichavai (8a+, 500m) on Amuri Tepui in Venezuela. The trip report by Nico Favresse.

Spanish climber Nacho Sánchez has freed Insomnio at Cova de la Gota at Crevillente, Spain.

On 24 and 25 March the riverbed in Val Rosandra was cleaned, and highly contested, by environmentalists.

The video of Steph Davis in which she talks about her relationship with fear.

On 31/03/2012 David Lama solo climbed the new route Badlands (700m, 6a M5 WI4 A1) up the unnamed face between Sagwand and Hohe Kirche in the Valsertal, Tyrol, Austria

The video of Ramon Julián Puigblanque climbing Escalatamasters 9a at Perles in Spain.

The Bouldering World Cup 2012 begins in April with the first stage in Chongqing (China), followed by Log-Dragomer (SLO), Vienna (AUT), Innsbruck (AUT), Vail (USA) and Munich (GER).

The great crag Pian Bernardo, with almost 90 routes from 6b - 8c+ high up in Val Tanaro, Piemonte, Italy, introduced by Matteo Pino and Anna Gonzalez.

The trailer for the film Autana and the route The Yopo Wall, established by Leo Houlding and companions on Cerro Autanta in Venezuela.

Video of the final stage of the Ice Climbing World Cup 2012 which took place in Kirov, Russia and was won by Angelika Rainer and Maxim Tomilov.

On 29/03/2012 at the Tetto di Sarre (Valle d'Aosta, Italy) Tito Traversa sent Sarsifal, his first 8b+.

April heralds the start of Rockshow 2012, the tour promoted by Salewa and open to everyone. This journey across nine European cuontries aims to discover the climber with the "vertical X-factor" and will culminate in July with the final at the Outdoor fair in Friedrichshafen. Registration is open for all...

Yesterday in England's Ilkley Quarry Michele Caminati made a rare repeat of the gritstone route The New Statesman E8 7a.

Today, Friday 30 March 2012 at 11:30 at Mater Ecclesiae in Sassari, the final farewell to Lorenzo Castaldi “Enzolino”, for the numerous alpinists and climbers who met him at the crags, in the mountains and the alpine forums for which he was one of the most impassioned and careful contributors.