The news

On 15 January 2010 Giampiero Bertotti, Stefano dalla Gasperina, Enrico Bonino and Sofia Palmisano carried out the first ascent of Zero 70 (100m, 5/5+ II) in Valle di Champorcher (Valle d'Aosta).

On 4 Janaury 2010 the Austrian climbers Rudolf Hauser, Alexander Holleis and Rupert Huber carried out the first integral ascen of Gamsstubenfall (800m, WI7), one of the last great icefalls in the Gasteinertal, Austria. On 12 January Hauser climbed the classic icefall Supervisor (270m, WI6) without a rope.

On 17/01/2010 Markus Bendler from Austria and Chloe Graftiaux from Belgium won the ninth Ice Master di Daone, valid as the second stage of the Ice Climbing World Cup 2010.

The best ice climbers in the world will gather in Valle di Daone (Trentino) this weekend for the second stage of the Ice Climbing World Cup 2010. The athletes to beat are Angelika Rainer from Italy and Markus Bendler from Austria, winner of the first stage last weekend in Kirov,...

The video of American alpinist Colin Haley's 20/12/2009 solo ascent of Aguja Guillaumet in Patagonia, via the Amy route. The film was made by Haley with a video camera mounted on his helmet.

On 07/01/2010 Albert Leichtfried and Benedikt Purner made the first ascent of the 300m "Centercourt" in the Gasteinertal. Graded WI7+, this is the hardest pure iceline in Austria and one of the hardest in the world.

Dave MacLeod is making the most of great British winter conditions by climbing two new routes at Glen Coe, Liquidation and Frozen Assets at Aonach Eagach.

Via Simone Moro and his agency in Pakistan comes the terrible news of a landslide which struck the area close to the village Attabad in the Hunza Valley, causing deaths, destroying land communications and isolating circa 22000 people. Published below is the email by Sultan Khan of the agency Nazir...

It all took place at Terlago in Valle del Sarca, a stone's throw from Arco, Italy. But the story Manolo tells about this project which no longer exists could perhaps have taken place at any old crag...

A selection of icefalls in Valle di Cogne, one of the most important valleys not only in Valle d'Aosta but also in Italy

On 18/12/2009 Chris Sharma made the first ascent of Neanderthal 9b at Santa Linya, Spain.

Located close to picturesque Ascoli Piceno, with over 100 routes San Giorgio is a little rock climbing gem in central Italy.

After 10 years of trying the Italian climber Sandro Neri has managed to repeat Emicrania 8b at Ceresera (Belluno).

This autumn Italian climber Mario Prinoth discovered, bolted and freed The Search, a 35m line up the smooth limestone face close to Capanna Bill on the Marmolada, Dolomites.

On 28/11/2009 the Danish climbers Kristoffer Szilas and Martin Ploug reached the summit of the hiterhto unclimbed Ren Zhong Feng (5800m) in the Sichuan range in China via their route Lost to Ice (TD: M4, WI4, 1300m). During that period four Hungarian climbers went missing on the same mountain.

A pleasant little crag above Positano, on the Amalfi coast, Italy, with fifteen pitches from 6a to 8a.