The news

The UK-based charity GRIT & ROCK has announced the opening of applications for its 2026 Expedition Grant Awards, a dedicated $15,000 funding pool aimed at advancing female participation in groundbreaking alpine climbing. The application deadline is 31 March 2026.

French climber Esteban Daligault has repeated 'Bon Voyage', the E12 trad climb put up by James Pearson in 2023 at Annot in France.

The trailer of the first winter ascent of the Casarotto route on Fitz Roy in Patagonia, carried out on 07/09/2025 by Italian alpinists Matteo Della Bordella and Marco Majori.

On 23/01/2026 Simon Gietl and Vittorio Messini made the first ascent of 'Out of the Dark' on the north face of North Face of Laserz, Lienz Dolomites, Austria.

The international bouldering meeting by La Sportiva will take place from 6 to 9 May 2026 in Val Masino, Valtellina, the cradle of Italian bouldering. Online registration is now open and the new 'Give Melloblocco as a gift' initiative is still active.

American rock climber Sean Bailey has made the first ascent of 'Duality of Man' (9c) at Dry Canyon, Arizona, USA.

Raimundo De Andraca and Fernanda Carabias have made the first ascent of 'Sin obstáculos no hay camino' (600m, 5.12–, A1) on La Zaranda in Patagonia, Chile.

American rock climber Alex Honnold has successfully completed his free solo ascent of the Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taiwan. The 40-year-old required 1 hour and 31 minutes to climb one of the tallest buildings in the world.

Watch Scottish climber William Bosi making the first ascent of 'Pôr Do Sol' (8C+) at Sintra in Portugal.

On 20/01/2026 Austrian alpinists Martin Sieberer and Lukas Waldner completed the first winter ascent of 'Schutzengelweg' on the North Face of Sagwandspitze in the Valsertal valley in Tyrol, Austria. First ascended in summer 1982 by Andreas Orgler and Reinhard Schiestl, this is the first known repeat in 34 years.

Watch Benjamin Védrines and Léo Billon climb the Grandes Jorasses via the Colton-McIntyre route, as part of their April 2025 Alpine Trilogy which resulted in them enchaining in 6 days and without motorised transport the Eiger, Matterhorn and Grandes Jorasses.

German climber Yannick Flohé has repeated 'Excalibur', the 9b+ in Arco, Italy, first ascended by Stefano Ghisolfi in 2023 and, until now, only repeated by Will Bosi and Brooke Raboutou.

The two mountain guides Christoph Hainz and Roger Schäli have opened 'Chi non lavora non fa l'amore' (7b, 6b+ obligatory) on the east face of Monte Monaco at San Vito lo Capo in Sicily.

The documentary of the award-winning first ascent of Yashkuk Sar in Pakistan, carried out by the American alpinists August Franzen, Dane Steadman and Cody Winckler from 19 - 23 September 2024.

Scottish climber William Bosi has made the first ascent of 'Pôr Do Sol' at Sintra close to Lisbon. Graded 8C+/V16, it is currently the hardest boulder problem in Portugal.

Between 11 and 26 December 2025, Italian Mountain Guide Niccolò Bruni opened three new mixed routes on Rognon Vaudano (Mont Blanc): 'Le Piolet Perdu' with Alberto Boschiazzo, and 'Facile Facile 2.0' and 'Veloce Veloce 2.0' with Federica Furia.