1764 News found

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has ratified and recognised the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) during its Plenary Session at Vancouver, Canada. As the President of the IFSC Marco Scolaris explains, this is a fundamental step for sport climbing in its bid to become an Olympic sport.

Last weekend Dave Birkett climbed what is being hailed as one of the most important new winter routes in Britain's Lake District for the last quarter of a century, Never Ever Say Never VIII 8 or E7 5c on Scafell's East Buttress.

Diary extract and interview with Hansjörg Auer after the first ascent of Waiting for Godot, Central Tower Torres del Paine, Patagonia, carried out with Much Mayr from Austria.

In mid-January Renan Ozturk (USA) and Cory Richards (CAN) carried out the first ascent of the Central South Buttress of Tawoche (Khumbu Valley, Nepal) in alpine style (1200m ED2 VI 5.10 M4/5).

On 22 January 2010, 34 year old Italian mountaineer Luca Vuerich was killed by an avalanche while climbing an icefall at Prisojinik, close to Kranjska Gora on the Italian-Slovenian border. Vuerich was rescued and transported to hospital in Udine, where he died of his injuries.

On 4 Janaury 2010 the Austrian climbers Rudolf Hauser, Alexander Holleis and Rupert Huber carried out the first integral ascen of Gamsstubenfall (800m, WI7), one of the last great icefalls in the Gasteinertal, Austria. On 12 January Hauser climbed the classic icefall Supervisor (270m, WI6) without a rope.

The fifteenth international Ice Festival took place in Ouray (USA) a fortnight ago. The event attracted thousands of ice climbers and the competition was won by Josh Wharton (USA) and Ines Papert (GER). Will Gadd from Canada climbed almost 8000m of vertical ice in a 24 hour non-stop marathon to...

On 07/01/2010 Albert Leichtfried and Benedikt Purner made the first ascent of the 300m "Centercourt" in the Gasteinertal. Graded WI7+, this is the hardest pure iceline in Austria and one of the hardest in the world.

On 01 January 2010 Fabio Giacomelli, the 51 year old mountaineer from Trentino, Italy, died in an avalanche at the base of the East Face of Cerro Torre. After a three day search climbing partner Elio Orlandi managed to locate the lifeless body.

Dorota Dubicka takes a look at the event which took place in Poland at the strat of December and attracted over 5000 visitors.

One day Heinz opened two new routes in Valle San Nicolò (Val di Fassa, Dolomites) and 22 years later he gave the route to Mario, who freed them. This is the story of "Alice e l'imperatore" and "Basic Instinct", told by Heinz Mariacher and Mario Prinoth.

On 18/12/2009 Chris Sharma made the first ascent of Neanderthal 9b at Santa Linya, Spain.

British alpinist and journalist Ian Parnell remembers Guy Lacelle from Canada, one of the world's leading ice climbers who died in an avalanche last Thursday in Hyalite Canyon, Montana, Canada.

This autumn Italian climber Mario Prinoth discovered, bolted and freed The Search, a 35m line up the smooth limestone face close to Capanna Bill on the Marmolada, Dolomites.

Interview with Alan Watts, the climber who played a leading role during the 1980's in developing Smith Rock into one of the most famous crags in the USA and the world.

Lino Lacedelli, 84, passed away in Cortina, Italy this morning. In 1954 the member of the famous Scoiattoli mountaineering club became the first person to reach the summit of K2, together with Achille Compagnoni.