The news

On 22,23,24 December 2011 the Italian Mountain Guide Andrea Di Donato and the alpinist from Chile Andres Zegers ascended the South Face of Aconcagua (6962m, Andes, Argentina), establishing a probable 800m new start variation to the Direct French route.

On 12/01/2012 Simone Moro and Denis Urubko acclimatised at 5400m on the Diamir Face of Nanga Parbat. Their attempt at the first winter ascent of Nanga Parbat will be via the line attempted by Messner and Eisendle in 2000, and not via the Kinshofer route.

Roland Hemetzberger has freed two new routes at the Austrian crag Achleiten, Tunnelblick 8c+/9a and Goldenpearl 8b+/8c

A video which combines the poem by Fernando Pessoa with climbing, interpreted by Lavarda for the Red Bull project Poets in Action.

Czech climber Adam Ondra talks to Planetmountain about the sport climbs he has failed to climb. Hubble, Three Degrees of Separation, Underground and many more.

Yesterday at Gateway Canyon in Nevada Paul Robinson freed his boulder problem Meadowlark Lemon 8C, the sitdown variation Meadowlark Lemon Stand.

The crag Pandora close to Modica (Ragusa) in Sicily, with 41 routes from 5a - 8b, introduced by Gabriele Puccia.

Severino "Seve" Scassa and Lorenzo De Bonis have freed an old route at the crag Coup di Rore in Val Varaita (Piemonte, Italy). Established with the use of aid during the 1970's, the route breaches the large roof and remained a project until autumn 2011. A story of past and...

The video of Magnus Midtboe sending Directa open your mind 9a at Santa Linya, Spain.

In the Rocky Mountain National Park (USA) Daniel Woods has freed Mirror Reality 8B+, while at Toyota in Japan Dai Koyamada has freed Shanbara 8C, a sit start to his Agartha.

Stefano Bianchi has carried out a rare repeat of the route Achtung Baby Plus 8b+ at the crag Gajum, Italy.

Figerhorn, Langschneid and Hochgasser, three ski mountaineering itineraries in the Upper Tauern, East Tirol, Austria, introduced by Vittorio Messini, Mountain Guide Kals am Großglockner.

At Monte Amiata in Tuscany, Italy, Michele Caminati has freed the boulder problems Gioco della Bottiglia 8A and Achille 8A+.

The Frenchman Enzo Oddo has repeated Estado Critico 9a at Siurana, Spain.

Video of the first stage of the Nanga Parbat 2012 winter expedition of Simone Moro and Denis Urubko.

On 3 January Italian mountaineer Hans Kammerlander reached the summit of Mount Tyree (Antarctic). In doing so he has become the first person to climb the 7 second highest peaks on all seven continents.