The news

Austrian photographer Josef Stefan has won the People’s Choice Award of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 for his photograph of a playful lynx in Ciudad Real, Spain. A 85,917 votes were cast.

On 6 March 2026, a four-person team led by Lukas Irmler and Antonia Rüede-Passul successfully completed a spectacular highline at Aguja de la S with in the Fitz Roy Massif in Patagonia.. As far as is known, this is the first highline ever established in the iconic mountains around Cerro...

On 15 March 2026 Japanese climber Sachi Amma repeated 'Sleeping Lion', the 9b at established by Chris Sharma in 2023.

From 22 January to 2 March 2026 Trevor Anthes, Harry Kinnard and Myles Moser made the first ascent of 'Paradigm Shift' on the east face of the Central Tower of Paine in the Torres del Paine massif in Patagonia. Graded VII, 5.12+ A2, the 1200m route was established over 41...

After much deliberation, Spanish climber Jorge Díaz-Rullo has now suggested 9c for 'Café Colombia' he freed on 13 March 2026 at Margalef in Spain. The 27-year-old even considered proposing something even harder... This is only the fifth 9c in the world, after 'Silence' by Adam Ondra, 'DNA' by Seb Bouin,...

On the south face of the Petites Jorasses in the Mont Blanc massif, Matteo Della Bordella, Mirco Grasso and Giacomo Mauri opened the mixed climb 'Mutante' (M8, 6c, AI4+, 520m) on 19 and 20 March 2026

On 03 March 2026 Swiss mountaineer Yannick Glatthard made the rope solo first ascent of 'Get the Vibe' (WI5, M8, 125m) on Chlynen Tällistock in the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland. Glatthard flew to and from the mixed climb by paraglider.

In August 2025 Connor Herson made the third ascent of 'Crown Royale' on the Profile Wall at Jøssingfjord in Norway. The trad climb was established by Pete Whittaker in 2023 and repeated by Jernej Kruder in May 2025.

On 8 March 2026 Philipp Brugger and Lukas Waldner made the first single day winter ascent of all three North Pillars of Piz Palü (3899m) in the Bernina Alps of Switzerland. The Austrian alpinists enchained the Bumiller Pillar, East Pillar and Spinas Pillar in 8 hours and 59 minutes.

From 6-8 March 2026 Tasio Martín and Sean Villanueva O'Driscoll made the first free ascent of 'Pilar Este' on Cerro Chaltén (Fitz Roy) in Patagonia. The 1200m route was first ascended 50 years ago, in 1976 by Casimiro Ferrari and Vittorio Meles as part of a Ragni di Lecco expedition.

On 13 March 2026 Spanish climber Jorge Díaz-Rullo made the first ascent of his cutting-edge 'Café Colombia' at Margalef in Spain. Currently ungraded, the 40-move monster promises to join the ranks of the hardest climbs in the world.

The short film by Char Williams featuring Jim Pope repeating 'Sad Amongst Friends', the trad climb at Stanage in England famously first ascended ground-up over three days by Johnny Dawes.

On 7 March 2026, Greek climbers Stefanos Karantinakis and Spyros Kyriakou established the new mixed climb 'Crème Brutalée' (550m, AI5 M4+) on the north face of Astraka in the Pindus mountains of Greece. Kyriakou reports.

On 11 March 2026 Adam Ondra made a flash ascent of Klem Loskot's 'Emotional Landscapes' at Maltatal in Austria. This is the Czech climber's fourth 8C flash.

Interview with French climber Erwan Legrand who on 11 February 2026 made the coveted first ascent of 'Le Bombé Bleu' at Buoux, France. The 17-year-old has suggest 9b for the legendary line bolted in 1991 by Marc Le Menestrel and attempted by many of the best climbers in the world...

From 8 - 10 March 2026 Silvan Schüpbach, Olivier Kolly, Filippo Sala made the first ascent of 'Zébu' (M8+, 70°, 1100m) on the Northwest Face of Klein Fiescherhorn (Ochs) in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland. The mixed climb shares the same start as the only other route on the face,...