The news

Nathalie Daoust wins the grand Prize of the 2009 Banff Mountain Photography Competition with her image entitled "Frozen in Time."

In September the Slovenians Rok Blagus, Luka Lindic and Marko Prezelj climbed three new routes in the Bhagirathi group located in the Gangotri region in the Indian Himalaya.

On 03/10/2009 Luca Zardini made the frst ascent of "Welcome to the club" at the Campo boulders at Cortina d'Ampezzo which he believes is 9a.

For many the atmospheric Roaches is simply the best gritstone crag in England.

On 03/10/2009 Luca Zardini made the frst ascent of "Welcome to the club" at the Campo boulders at Cortina d'Ampezzo which he believes is 9a.

On 17 October Matteo Gambaro made the first ascent of Azione Diretta 8c+/9a at Borgata Piatta a Montemale, Cuneo, Italy.

Marcello Cominetti retraces the twenty year history of Selvaggio Blu, the path which goes right through the wild and poetic heart of Sardinia.

A Swiss team comprised of Ivan Tresch, Michi Tresch, Tom Holzhauser and Dominik Angehrn has established Los Tigres del Norte (7c, 1200m) the first free route up Cerro Capicua in Cochamo Valley, Chile.

In summer 2009 Toni Lamprecht, Uli Strunz and Benno Wagner carried out the first ascent of the multi-pitch "Le Vieux et la mer" 8b in the Verdon Gorge, France.

Interview with Jenny Lavarda after the first free ascent of "Solo per vecchi guerrieri" (150m, 8c+/9a, Vette Feltrine, Dolomites), first ascended by Manolo and repeated by Mario Prinoth and Riccardo Scarian. She was accompanied by Marco Ronchi who also managed to redpoint the route that day.

Manuel Lugli remembers Roby Piantoni, the Italian alpinist from Bergamo who lost his life yesterday on Shisha Pangma, Tibet.

Located on the border between Austria and Germany, the Chinesiche Mauer is one of best and biggest climbing areas in the Tyrol.

Aris Theodoropoulos introduces one of the most important crags on Kalymnos, this island climbing paradise in Greece.

The first international climbing meeting at San Vito lo Capo in Sicily took place from 9 - 11 October

The history of Eternal Flame and an interview with Alexander Huber after the first free ascent of the route which climbs the Nameless Tower, Trango, Karakorum.

Sarah Seeger climbs Steinbock 8c in the Frankenjura, Markus Bock creates his hardest to date, The Man That Follows Hell 9a+, while Adam Ondra makes swift work of two other testpieces in Germany's premier climbing area.