The news

Stefan Glowacz has freed 'Last Exit Titlis' 8b on the isolated Titlis (3020m), Sustenpass, Urner Alps together with Markus Dorfleitner.

An accident, caused by human error and thankfully with no fateful consequences, has forced the operators to close the Mont Blanc first section until September.

The Italian Cristian Brenna sends at Cresciano, Zillertal, Millau and Grotta dell'Areonauta

On 29/07/2004 Patxi Usobiaga made the third ascent of Realization / Biographie, 9a+ at Céüse.

At 9.45 local time on 28 July 2004, Mario Lacedelli and Luciano Zardini reached the summit of K2, 8611m. They reached the top together with the Swiss Mountain Guide Michel Andre Wirdt, a Sherpa and and the Pakistani high altitude porter Mohamed Sanap Akam.

On 27 July 2004 at 7.15 local time Mario Dibona, Renato Sottsass, Marco Da Pozzo and Renzo Benedetti reached the summit of K2, 8611m. They reached the top of the second highest mountain in the world together with Mingma Sherpa and Thilen Sherpa.

At 13,30 CET Silvio Mondinelli and Karl Unterchirker reached the summit of K2, followed by Walter Nones, Michele Compagnoni and Ugo Giacomelli at 14.15 (17.15 local time). At roughly 17.50 (local time) four members of the Spanish "Al filo de lo imposible” expedition, Edurne Pasaban, Juanito Oiarzabal, Juan Vallejo...

On 11 June 2004, Mauro Florit, Massimo Sacchi and Marco Sterni reached the previously unclimbed summit of Amahuagaychu 5134m, in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru, via their new route (500m, VII, A2).

Chabot and Sarkany win the third stage of the World Cup Difficulty 2004 in Chamonix, France.

In June 2004 a small Polish team comprised of David Kaszlikowski, Eliza Kubarska and Borek Szybinski freed the new multi-pitch “Barracuda” (600m, 7c+ max. 7a+ obligatory) on Mount Oujdad (2695m), Taghia Gorge in June 2004

B.A.T. Basic Absurd Technology, repeated by Anna Torretta and Erika Morandi on the Caporal, Valle dell'Orco, Italy

On 17 June Thomas and Alexander Huber climbed the Zodiac, Yosemite, in 1 hour 51 minutes and 34 seconds

On Wednesday 30 June sixteen-year-old Simone Rive sent Francesca 8a+ at Mandello, N. Italy.

At the end of June Mauro Bubu Bole, together with Simone Sarti, made the first free ascent of Isolitudine, first climbed in 1998 by Icaro Demonte, Mirko Giorgi and Lorenzo Nadali at the Gole di Gorropu, Sardinia.

Ramon Julien Puigblanque from Spain and Bettina Schopf from Austria are the new European Champions. The two held off strong competition, in the form of Alexandre Chabot and Francois Auclair, and Natalija Gross and Katharina Saurvein, second and third respectively

At Lecco the Frenchman wins the European Bouldering Championship 2004, ahead of Andrew Earl from Great Britain and Gabriele Moroni from Italy.