The news

Precisely 8 years after contracting meningitis and meningococcal septicaemia, Italian mountaineer and multiple limb amputee Andrea Lanfri successfully made two ascents of Aconcagua, at 6961 meters the highest mountain in South America. This is Lanfri’s fourth Seven Summits peak, after Mont Blanc (2008), Everest (2022) and Kilimanjaro (2022).

The South African Route on the East Face of the Central Tower of Paine (Torres del Paine, Patagonia, Chile) was repeated team-free over a 10-day period in early January 2023 by Imanol Amundarain, Cedar Christensen and Tyler Karow. Christensen provides the details in this interview.

The 2023 Ski Mountaineering World Cup took place in Andorra last weekend. The Individual race was won on Saturday by Axelle Gachet-Mollaret and Thibault Anselmet, while Gachet-Mollaret and Rémi Bonnet won the Vertical race on Sunday.

Watch Slabducation, the movie by Talo Martin featuring the likes of Mari Alarcón, Caroline Ciavaldini, James Pearson, Johnny Dawes, Sean Villanueva, Siebe Vanhee, Dani Andrada and Arman Martínez slab climbing at Pedriza in Spain.

Interview with the mountaineers Hervé Barmasse and David Göttler, currently attempting to climb Dhaulagiri (8167 m) in winter and in alpine style.

The video of Adam Ondra making the first free ascent of the historic aid route 'Příklepový strop' in the Macocha cave at Moravský Kras, Czechia.

On Mt Somamunt in the tiny Antersasc valley above Longiarù / Campill in Val Badia (Dolomites) Simon Gietl, first with Aaron Durogati then with Davide Prandini, made the first ascent of the mixed climb Felsenkeller'.

Watch the video of Mari Augusta Salvesen making the first ascent of the trad climb Tazlov, a long term project of hers in Norway now graded 8b.

On 7 January 2023 Swiss climber Jonas Schild has repeated 'Le Voyage', the E10 at Annot first ascended by James Pearson in 2017 and reputed to be the most difficult trad climb France.

On 10/01/2023 Matteo Della Bordella, Leo Gheza and Sean Villanueva O'Driscoll completed the first ascent of '¿Qué mirás, bobo?' (7b, 500m) on the east face of Aguja Mermoz (2732m) in the Fitz Roy massif in Patagonia. After a bivouac on the summit the trio descended to El Chalten the next...

The video Em by Alexa Fay, featuring Canadian rock climber Émilie Pellerin, possibly the best climber you’ve never heard of.

On Thursday 12/01/2023 Greg Boswell made the first ascent of 'Bring da ruckus' at Lochnagar. Graded XII 13, this 2-pitch outing is one of the hardest mixed climbs in Scotland.

Interview with Chamonix-based alpinist Colin Haley who in September 2022 completed the first solo winter ascent of the Supercanaleta route on Fitz Roy in Patagonia.

The docufilm The High Life that tells the story of Sarah Cartier and her young family, the hut wardens of Refuge de la Charpoua below Les Drus and Aiguille Verte in the Mont Blanc massif.

The video of French climber Sébastien Bouin making the first ascent of Nordic Marathon, a 130m 9b/+ at Flatanger in Norway.

At Siurana in Spain Pietro Vidi has reepated Last Night (9a), while at Margalef the 20-year-old Italian repeated Bumbayé (8c+).