The news

The Italian Ragni di Lecco mountaineers Matteo Della Bordella, Luca Schiera and Matteo De Zaiacomo have succeeded in climbing the virgin west face of Bhagirathi IV (6193m) in the Indian Himalayas. A great adventure and a great climb!

On 17 September 2019 British rock climber Emma Twyford successfully redpointed Big Bang at Lower Pen Trwyn in North Wales. In doing so she has become the first British woman to climb 9a.

Summer climbing in the mountains resulted in three hard multipitches for Jacopo Larcher and Barbara Zangerl: Silbergeier and Headless Children in the Rätikon in Switzerland and Zeit zum Atmen up Rote Wand in Austria.

On 16 September 2019 the Slovenian mountaineer and extreme skier Davo Karničar lost his life. Karničar was famous in particular for his first integral ski descent of Everest down the mountain’s south face.

At Rocklands in South Africa the Swiss climbers Giuliano Cameroni and Fred Nicole have both climbed Legacy, a 9a sports climb.

On Spiz de le Lastia in the Agner group, Dolomites, Lorenzo Corso, Diego Toigo, Luca Vallata have made the first ascent of Futuro Incerto. Diego Toigo reports about the climb, established with one bivouac from 18 to 19 August 2019.

The series Strange Heroes by La Sportiva continues with British rock climber James Pearson.

Florian Riegler, Martin Riegler and Daniel Ladurner have established the new multipitch rock climb Wasserläufer next to Margarethenbach close to Terlan in the Etschtal valley, South Tyrol, Italy. Ladurner reports.

Swissman Cédric Lachat, climbing with Tobias Suter, has made the first repeat and first one day ascent of Fly, the difficult multi-pitch climb in Lauterbrunnental, Switzerland.

Attilio De Rovere introduces the beautiful crag Avostanis in Carnia (Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy). With more than 120 sport climbs and a handful of multipitch routes, this cliff is ideal for all those who climb from 4b to 8b. Avostanis will also host the historic Arrampicarnia climbing meeting from 14...

Camillo Bussolati reports about the first ascent of Lloverà y yo verè, a new rock climb up the west face of Petit Mont Greuvetta in the Mont Blanc massif, established in summer 2019 with Matteo Castellini and Francesco Crescini.

On Gran Pfad in Switzerland’s Gastlosen massif Jan Kareš and Lukáš Čermák have made the first ascent of Czech Monzun.

The solo ascent of Lupghar Sar West carried out by Hansjörg Auer, the solo ascent of Lunag Ri carried out by David Lama and the ascent of Latok 1 completed by Aleš Česen, Tom Livingstone and Luka Stražar are the ascents honoured by the Piolet d’Or 2019.The press release of...

French climber Sébastien Bouin has made the first ascent of La Rage d’Adam in the Verdon Gorges. Graded 9b/+, this currently stands as one of the most difficult sport climbs in France.

At Topside in South Africa,Giuliano Cameroni has made the first ascent of House of the rising sun, an 8B boulder problem the Swiss climber sent first go.

Manrico Dell'Agnola remembers a repeat of Via Costantini - Apollonio up the Tofana di Rozes Pillar in the Dolomites, first ascended by Ettore Costantini and Renato Apollonio on 13 July 1944.