The news

The video of Nick Muehlhausen repeating the super highball Too Big to Flail (V10), first ascended by Alex Honnold in 2012 at Bishop, California, USA.

The film Free Solo directed by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi that documents Alex Honnold and his journey to climb, without a rope, Freerider up El Capitan in Yosemite, has been nominated for an Oscar Award 2019.

At Fontainebleau in France Charles Albert, climbing barefoot, has established No Kapote Only, a boulder problem he believes to be 9A. This is only the second boulder in the world graded 9A, after Burden of Dreams freed by Nalle Hukkataival in 2016 in Finland.

Andrea Simonini introduces the crag Lo Specchio in Val d'Adige, close to Verona, Italy. 13 sports climbs from 6b + to 8a+.

Climbing alone and ground-up, last spring German alpinist Alexander Huber made the first ascent of Mauerläufer (200m, 8b+) up Waidringer Steinplatte in Austria.

Roundup of recent redpoints at Margalef, Siurana and Perles in Spain by the Italian climbers Laura Rogora, Marcello Bombardi, Stefano Carnati and Marco Zanone. In addition, noteworthy attempts at Saint Loup in Switzerland by Riccardo Scarian and Alessandro Zeni.

The film No country for old bolts, featuring Nina Caprez and Cédric Lachat climbing at Rocher Crespin in France.

On 31/12/2018 at Santa Linya in Spain the 19-year-old Czech climber Jakub Konečný redpointed Catxasa, his first 9a+ sports climb.

Climbing in Zion National Park, USA: in November 2018 Paul Gagner and Ryan Kempf made the first ascent of Museum Piece (V 5.8 A4), a new aid climb up the Angelino Wall.

On 31/12/2018 Slovenian climber Jernej Kruder made the first ascent of Dugi rat at the crag Vrulja close to Omiš in Croatia. Graded 9a+, this is now the hardest sport climb in the country.

Maurizio Oviglia introduces the new climbing guidebook to Domusnovas, in the south-west of Sardinia, one of the 'historic' sport climbing areas on the Italian island.

Austrian climber Jakob Schubert has made the first repeat of Neanderthal, the 9b sports climb put up by Chris Sharma in 2009 at the Santa Linya in Spain.

At Varazze (Italy) Giorgia Tesio climbed her first 8B boulder problem, Fortunadrago. Repeated on the same day by Simone Raina, this historic bloc was the first 8B in the area, freed by local Christian Core.

The uncut video, ie Adam Ondra’s entire onsight ascent of Just Do It 8c+ at Smith Rock, USA, carried out in November 2018.

Italian rock climber Gabriele Moroni has repeated Off the Wagon, the famous boulder problem graded 8B+ in Val Bavona, Switzerland.

At Margalef in Spain, Basque climber Iker Pou has made the first ascent of Artaburu, his hardest sport climb to date.