The news

Located next to Marseille, Les Calanques are not only one of France's most famous natural beauties, they also happen to host some of the best sports climbing in Europe.

On 31/03/2007 the Ukrainians Mykhaylo Shalagin and Olga Shalagina won the first stage of the IFSC World Cup Boulder at Erlangen, Germany.

At the end of December a Japanese expedition led by Osamu Tanabe managed to climb the south Fasce of Lhotse (8516m) in winter, but turned back 40m short of the summit.

On 30-31 March the European Bouldering and Difficulty Champion David Lama will spend two days climbing at Cornalba and San Pellegrino Terme, invited by the local mountaineering groups Camosci, Fancy Mountain and Cai di Zogno.

At the end of February Albert Leichtfried, Markus Bendler, Ines Papert and Audrey Gariepy travelled to Iceland to explore its potential in memory of their friend Harald Berger who died tragically in December 2006.

The 22nd Pierra Menta was won by the Frenchmen Perrier - Gachet and the Italians Martinelli - Pedranzini

The bouldering meeting at Chironico and Cresciano (Canton Ticino - Switzerland) will take place on 24-25/03/2007.

David Lama from Austria and Juliette Danion from France have won the European Bouldering Championship 2007, held in Birmingham (UK) last weekend. This is Lama's second big title: in 2006 he was crowned European Difficulty Champion.

The fourth edition of UP - European Climbing report edited by Maurizio Oviglia and Eugenio Pinotti and published by Versante Sud will go to press on 20 March.

The first stage of the Pierra Menta 2007 was won today by Perrier and Gachet, and Martinelli and Pedranzini.

On 21 February Ueli Steck from Switzerland climbed the North Face of the Eiger in a record time of 3.54.

Erik Svab flashes the dry tooling route "Mix isch fix" M10+ at the Grotta di Landro, Dolomites.

On 02/03/07 Barbara Raudner sent Hobbygärtner Fb7c+ in the Kremstal, Austria

On Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th of May 2007, Val di Mello will host the fourth edition of Melloblocco, the international outdoors bouldering meeting in Northern Italy

The American Alpine Journal is available online as of today.

In February Gabriele Moroni repeated Odi social 8c+ at Siurana (Spain), the latest in his long list of extreme repeats.