The news

Marco Huser and Claudia Haesurmann win Snowboardcross, Barbara Sponsale and Andreas Prommegger win the Giant Slalom of the first stage of the Tour della Gazzetta Snowboard Classic.

The Second Step wins the Banff Mountain Film Festival 2002. The Banff Mountain Book Festival Grand Prize was awarded to The Evidence of Things Not Seen, while the Photography Competition was won by James Delano

"Cresciano boulder" and "Pietra di Luna", Sardinia have recently been published

The Ice World Cup 2003 will be comprised of only three stages, (Pitztal, Val Daone and Saas Fee) while the Ice World Championship 2003 will take place in Kirov in March

On 9/01/2003 Simone Moro will be awarded the "Pierre de Cubertin International Fair Play Trophy" for his 2001 rescue efforts of the 19 year-old British mountaineer Tom Moores

Finally the news many have been waiting for: it's snowing! And numerous lifts throughout the Alps have already opened, 10 days earlier than usual.

Muriel Sarkany and Ramon Julian Puigblanqué win the final stage of the World Cup Difficulty, held in Kranj (SLO) last weekend.

The final stage of the World Cup Difficulty 2002 gets underway in Kranj, Slovenia today.

Applications for the Arctic Team Challenge 2003 start on 15 November.

Josune Bereciartu climbs Bain de Sang, Switzerland and becomes first woman to climb 9a

The 52 year old Erri De Luca climbs "Viaggio = infinito", 8b+ at the Grotta dell'Arenauta at Sperlonga

On 25/10 Denis Urubko, together with Maxut Zhumauev, Vassily Pivtsov and Alexey Raspopov summit Shisha Pangma (8013 m).

Alessandro Jolly Lamberti repeats "Die hard" 8c at Ferentillo and "La cronique de la haine" 8c at Ceuse. At Grotti he makes the first ascent of "Zandalee" 8b+/8c

On 15 October Mauro Calibani makes the first ascent of Is not always Pasqua E9 7a at at Collina di Interprete, Mount Sibillines National Park, Central Italy.

Deep in Spain's Sierra de Guara lies one of Europe's most famous climbing areas: the crag Rodellar. This limestone eldorado, which takes its name from the tiny village nestled snug at the end of the road in the picturesque Mascun valley, is quite simply breathtaking.

Meschia, one of best bouldering areas in Italy, is closed to the public. This drastic measure was taken recently by the landowner as a direct result of climbers' complete disregard for the forest.