The news

Matthias Trottmann from Switzerland reports about the first free ascent of "6.4 Sekunden", his 7 pitch 8b/b+ (7c+ obligatory ) located on the Fürenwand, Engelberg, Switzerland.

On 27/08/2006 Marco Olmo from Italy and Karine Herry won the 4th The North Face Ultra Trail du Tour du Mont-Blanc.

Alberto Gnerro has made the first ascent of 'SS 26' 9a at Gressoney - Noversch. The route is 95 moves long and completely natural.

Maurizio Manolo Zanolla has freed "Solo per vecchi guerrieri" in the Vette Feltrine (Dolomites), proposing 8c/9a and 7c/8a oblig for the 150m route.

On 16 July the German mountaineer Robert Jasper teamed up with Stefan Eder from Austria to make the first free ascent of Yeti, the route fist climbed in 1998 by the Italians Andrea Forlini and Gianni Faggiana on the North Face of the Eiger.

Nominations for SALEWA ROCK AWARD and LA SPORTIVA COMPETITION AWARD

Alex Chabot, who in mid-July became French Champion for the sixth year running, has just freed Abysse 9a at Deversé at the Gorges du Loup in SE France.

Dodo Kopold and Gabo Cmarik have made the f.a. of the NW Face of Uli Biaho 6417m, Karakorum, Pakistan. They also climbed a route up Hainabrakk East Tower (5800m) to 5375m.

Harald Berger from Austria has just returned from the Rätikon mountain range on the Swiss/Austrian border where he has made the first ascent of "Antihydral", an old Rochus Mathis project which now goes free at 8b.

On 20 July Ines Papert from Germany made an impressive first female ascent of Camillotto Pellesier on the North Face of Cima Grande, Dolomites. The old aid route, first ascended in 1967 by E. Mauro and M. Minuzzo, had been freed in 2004 by Mauro Bubu Bole at F8b.

This weekend a group of children and teenagers struck by leukemia will be based in Courmayeur with their sights keenly set on climbing Mont Blanc. They will be accompanied in this adventure by a group of mountain guides and mountaineers including the likes of Hajo Friederich, Daniel Bartsch, Hans Lochner...

On 26/07/2006 Nives Meroi and Romano Benet summited K2 8611m (Himalaya, Karakorum).

On 24 July at 13.20 local time the Italian Ragni di Lecco mountaineers Mario Panzeri and Mario Merelli reached the 8035m high summit of Gasherbrum II, together with Lina Quesada from Spain.

Aris Theodoropoulos reveals one of best kept secrets in the Aegean, the astounding Sikati cave on Kalymnos, Greece.

Garcia Eduard Marin from Spain and Angela Eiter from Austria have won the third stage of the Climbing World Cup Lead took place in Chamonix, France, on Thursday 13 July.

On 11 June 2006 the Austrian Hansjörg Auer made a rare solo repeat of one of the most classic routes in the Dolomites, the 850m Tempi Moderni situated on the south face of the Marmolada, Dolomites.