The news

On 11 January four new routes were added to Creag an Dubh Loch in Scotland by Nick Bullock, Greg Boswell, Callum Johnson, Uisdean Hawthorn, Simon Richardson, Guy Robertson, Will Sim and Iain Small.

Interview with American rock climber Alex Honnold who on 14 January soloed El Sendero Luminoso (7b+, 500m) up El Toro, Potrero Chico, Mexico.

A January update by Maurizio Oviglia about the latest climbing news from Sardinia. This month: trad climbing at Regno di Onan, Capo Pecora, the Supramonte di Urzulei with the new route Sos de Urthullè and Villacidro with the new climb Dream Catcher on Torre Cinzia.

On 13 January the Italian alpinists Yuri Parimbelli, Tito Arosio and Ennio Spiranelli made the first ascent of Merà Dimel (650m, AI 4 M6) up Anticima delle Quattro Matte, Presolana, Italy.

On Saturday at Val de Bagnes (Verbier, Switzerland) Kilian Jornet Burgada and Laetitia Roux won the first stage of the Scarpa ISMF Ski Mountaineering World Cup. Sunday's Vertical Race was won by Roux and Matheo Jacquemoud.

In a warm Busteni (Romania) the second stage of the Ice Climbing World Cup 2014 was won by Maxim Tomilov and Shin Woonseon. Angelika Rainer keeps the pressure on by placing second.

The VI Tris Rotondo is scheduled to take place in Valle Bedretto, Gottardo, Switzerland on 23 February 2014. Hundreds of athletes will take part in the highly anticipated event the fans have nicknamed the "Tris".

Watch the second stage Ice Climbing World Cup 2014 unfold live Busteni, Romania.

The first stage of the Scarpa ISMF Ski Mountaineering World Cup 2014 starts today in Verbier-Val de Bagnes, Switzerland.

Due to the poor weather conditions the first stage of the Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face 2014, the world's most important freeride tour, was cancelled today at Courmayeur. The future date yet is to be defined and today's results will not be included in the final ranking.

The first stage of the Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face 2014 kicks off at 10:30am this morning at Courmayeur, Italy. The six-stage freeride competition will take place on a new race course and can be followed in live streaming.

Pre-registration is now online for Melloblocco 2014 , the biggest bouldering and climbing meeting in the world that will be held in Val di Mello - Val Masino, Italy, from 1 - 4 May 2014.

At Courmayer in the Mont Blanc massif the avalanche transceiver training areas at Pré de Pascal and Pavillon du Mont Fréty are now operational. These can be used free of charge by all those who wish to learn more about mountain safety.

At the end of November 2013 Iker Pou and his brother Eneko made the first free ascent of La Tarragó at Montserrat in Spain. The 240m line boasted difficulties up to 8b+ but subsequently the bolts were removed by unknown climbers and, as such, no longer exists.

Maurizio Oviglia talks about the first ascent of Hydra, the latest route to be added to the trad climbing area Capo Pecora in Sardinia.

In June 2013 Austrian boulderer Bernd Zangerl made the first ascent of Shantaram, a difficult new boulder problem close to Trondheim in Norway.