The news

Ines Papert has made a series of hard mixed repeats, including the first female ascent of Mauro Bubu Bole's Mission Impossible M11 in Valsavarenche, Val di Cogne, Italy.

On 19/02/2003 the German climber Alex Huber soloed Opportunist 8b, Schleierwasserfall, Austria

On Sunday 16 February the young Swiss ice climber Simon Anthamatten made a swift second ascent of Robert Jasper's "Vertical Limits".

On 25.01.03 Robert Jasper redpointed what he believes to be his hardest creation ever, "Vertical limits", M12 E2 in the drytooling hotspot Ueschenen in Switzerland’s Bernese Oberland.

At the start of January a young Slovenian expedition established 'Story about dancing dogs', a new 21 pitch 7c+ on Mount Poi, Northern Kenya.

Mick Fowler and Paul Ramsden have won the Piolet d'Or 2002 with their first ascent of the North Face central couloir of Siguniang, China

At the start of February British climber Adrian Berry made the first ascent of Britain's third E10, Blind Vision.

On 27 January Kurt Astner flashed Mauro Bubu Bole's Mission Impossible next to the Haston cave, Valsavarenche, Va di Cogne, Italy.

Ines Papert and Harald Berger win the third stage of the ice World Cup 2003 in Saas Fee and the fourth Ice World Cup 2003

Ines Papert and Harald Berger are the provisional leaders of the Ice World Cup second stage in Valle Daone 2003

No great surprises after the Open in the Ice master Valle di Daone

Valle di Daone, here we go! The second stage of the IWC 2003 gets underway tomorrow with the Open, comprised of 50 male athletes and 21 female athletes.

The Russian Dmitry Bychkov and the German Ines Papert win the first stage of the Ice World Cup 2003 in Pitztal, Austria

Valle di Daone: it's freezing! The intense cold that has gripped Italy has sped up work at the Ice Climbing Stadium in Valle di Daone and the structure is now completely frozen in ice.

Fresh snowfall followed by strong winds and a sudden rise in temperature have led to numerous avalanches discharging throughout the Alps.

The Frenchman Sebastien Foissac and the Italian Attilio Munari have recently qualified to become international Ice World Cup routesetters. Together with the three new judges Irina Ryzhenkova (RUS), Andrej and Jasna Pacjak (SLO) they completed a four-day course in Italy's Valle di Daone.