The news

Yesterday 22/01/2012 David Lama made the first free ascent of the Compressor Route on Cerro Torre, Patagonia. The news has been confirmed by David Lama's team. There are no further details but this update will certainly add fuel to the controversy which has followed the bolt chopping carried out recently...

0-21/01/2012. At Saas Fee (Switzerland) Angelika Rainer from Italy and Maxim Tomilov from Russia won the second stage of the Ice Climbing World Cup 2012. In doing so they have won two events in a row and, in addition, the Swiss stage also counts as the European Championship. The Speed...

At Siurana in Spain Jacopo Larcher from Italy has flashed the climb Kale Borroka 8b+. His story.

On 17/01/2012 Hayden Kennedy and Jason Kruk climbed the SE Ridge (the Compressor route) of Cerro Torre (Patagonia) via a route "by fair means" with difficulties up to 5.11 A2. In descent the two removed a significant portion of the Compressor route established by Cesare Maestri in 1970.

Slovenian climber Klemen Becan has on-sighted two 8c's, Fish Eye at Oliana and Kaliste at Archidona, Spain. The report by Urban Golob.

News from Nanga Parbat: Simone Moro and Denis Urubko continue to explore their hopes and the mountain itself. Yesterday they ventured to beyond 5800m to reach the base of the couloir which they will attempt to climb via their (new) route to the summit.

A short interview with Alex Honnold after his first ascent of the boulder Too Big To Flail at the Buttermilks, Bishop, USA.

On the North Face of Petit Dru (3754m) Ueli Steck and Jonathan Griffith have carried out what is likely to be the first free ascent of the Voie Lesueur (ED3, M8+, 900m) with some drytooling sections and a new variation finish.

Video of American climber on Red Bull and Vodka at Vail, Colorado, USA.

18/01/2012. Mario Merelli died this morning at 8:00am while climbing up Pizzo Redorta (Val Seriana, Bergamo, Italy). Merelli was one of the most famous Italian alpinists and Himalayan mountaineers and one of the driving forces of the Bergamo mountaineering scene.

On 16/01/2012 Davide Capozzi and Stefano Bigio carried out the first ski and snowboard descent of the SE Ridge of the Dent du Jetoula (Mont Blanc range). Details of the ascent by Capozzi.

On 12/01/2012 Florian ande Martin Riegler made the first free ascent of Non ci resta che piangere IX+/X- (Sella, Dolomites).

Another video of Jorg Verhoeven and Katharina Saurwein bouldering at the Buttermilks, Bishop, USA, where they climbed Evilution Direct and Saigon direct.

At the Buttermilks in Bishop (USA) Alex Honnold has freed Too Big to Flail, a super highball up the immense Luminance Block.

Recep Ince introduces the Turkish delights of rock climbing at the Kazikli Canyon in the Ala Daglar region.

The first of five stages of the Ice Climbing World Cup 2012 took place in Cheongsong (Korea) on 14 and 15 January. The Lead event was won by Angelika Rainer and Maxime Tomilov, while the Speed discipline went to the Russians Viktoria Shabalina and Ivan Spitsyn.