The news

On 14 May a helicopter piloted by Frenchman Didier Delsalle landed on the top of Mount Everest, keeping in contact for 3mn 50 sec before returning to Lukla, Nepal

From 18-19 June 2005 the European Youth Climbing Days 2005 return to the world’s climbing capital at Arco with the IV edition of the Arco Rock Junior.

The Gurschen glacier (Andermatt, Switzerland) will be wrapped in plastic to prevent it from melting due to global warming.

The prestigious Piolet d'Or 2004 promoted by Montagne Magazine was won by the Russian team for its ascent of Jannu. Steve House won the spectators award for his solitary ascent of K7.

PlanetMountain has been voted best climbing site according to Forbes, the world's premier magazine for business and financial news.

On Tuesday 14 December at the Italian University of Padua the websites Planet Mountain and La Sportiva were the protagonists of a university thesis entitled "Web Marketing and community management in mountain products: La Sportiva and PlanetMountain.com"

Ice meeting for the 2004/2005 season in Arco, Italy, Argentière la Bessée (Fournel), France, st its annual ice-fall meeting:Kandersteg, Switzerland and Festiglace, Quebec, Canada

The traditional Banff Mountain Festival, a week-long celebration of mountain films, books and photography held in Banff, came to a close on 7 November.

The campaign against proposed hydroelectric plants in Val di Mello (Italy).

From the 1st to the 9th of May the International Festival of Mountains, Exploration and Adventure will take place in the small town of Trento, Northern Italy.

On 7-9 May the Lombardy Mountain guides have organised an intenational bouldering meet in the Val di Mello, Northern Italy.

On Saturday 20 March, world protest day against the war in Iraq, two English climbers manifested their no against the war by climbing Big Ben

The Fédération Française de la Montagne et de l'Escalade awarded the climbers Benoist-Glairon-Rappaz and Bérhault-Magnin for their outstandiing ascents in 2003

Valeri Babanov and Yuri Koshelenko won the prestigous Piolet d'Or for their ascent of Nuptse East South Pillar in November 2003.

The Nova Levante-Welschnofen local council has approved the transformation of 10000 mq of "alpine meadows and woods" to “tourist and camping area." for the develpment of a camping ground above Lake Carezza in teh Dolomites.