The news

On 7 November Robert Jasper from Germany and Roger Schäli from Switzerland carried out the first repeat of "Bocconi amari". This difficult mixed route was first ascended by Rossano Libera and Ezio Marlier on 26 October up the north face of the Triangolo nero on Monte Emilius, the prime mountain...

Climber, mountaineer, but also keen snowboarder, surfer, skydiver, base jumper and nature lover, Leo Houlding is one of the most famous rock climbers and mountaineers in the world.

On 28 November Jorg Verhoeven from Holland completed his first 8c flash - Korrida at Misja Pec, Slovenia.

Patxi Usobiaga and Angela Eiter win the Climbing World Cup Lead 2006. David Lama and Maja Vidmar win final stage in Kranj.

At the end of October the small Polish town Zakopan celebrated its second Mountain Film Festival. The winner of the Sportkania z Filmen Gorskim was L'Abisso by Alessandro Anderloni, whilst the spectators award went to Premeny Tatier by Pavel Barabasz.

At the end of September Florian Scheimpflug, Tomáš Sobotka, Ondra Benés and Harald Berger travelled to the Andringitra National Park in Madagascar where they made the first ascent of 'Short Cut' 7c+ 750m and a repeat of 'Bravo les Filles' 8b on the immense Tsaranoro wall.

13 year old Adam Ondra from the Czech Republic has redpointed Martin Krpan 9a at Misja Pec, Slovenia.

On October 26, Andreas Bindhammer carried out the first repeat of Abysse, the 9a first ascended by Alexandre Chabot in Déversé (Gorges du Loup, France).

On 10/11/2006 the Kazak mountaineers Denis Urubko and Serguey Samoilov won the first edition of the Piolet d'or Asia, the award created by Men and Mountain, Montagnes Magazine and Grivel for the best mountaineering achievement carried out by Asian mountaineers.

On 17 October Mario Prinoth carried out the first repeat of "Solo per vecchi guerrieri", the route first ascended by Manolo on the "El Colaz" rock face above Aune in the Feltre Dolomites.

In mid-July a five-man Austrian expedition comprised of Thomas Scheiber, Hansjörg Auer, Matthias Auer, Karl Dung and Ambros Sailer established two new routes in the Trango Valley, Karakorum, Pakistan, and repeated Woman and Chalk, first ascended in 2001 by Bubu Bole, Mario Cortese and Fabio Dandri.

The Bouldering World Cup 2006 was won by Olga Bibik and Jerome Meyer. Kilian Fischhuber and Yulia Abramchuk win seventh stage in Moscow last weekend.

On Tuesday 17 October Matteo Giglio and Germaine Roulet made the first repeat of "Omar ribelle" (250 m, ED+, 6c max, 6b+ obbl.), ascended in 1993 by Ezio Marlier and Salvatore Gagliano on the imposing limestone east face of Granta Parei (Val di Rhemes, valle d'Aosta).

Todd Skinner, one of America's pioneering free climbers, died on October 23 when abseiling from the Leaning Tower in Yosemite.

On Thursday 26 October Rossano Libera and Ezio Marlier made a 12 hour first asscent of "Bocconi amari" up the north Face of Triangolo nero, Monte Emilius, Valle d'Aosta.

At the start of October Markus Bock made the first ascent of what he believes to be the hardest route in Germany's Frankenjura, "Corona" 11+ (French 9a+).