869 News found

On 15 February 2022 French alpinists Léo Billon and Benjamin Védrines needed less than 10 hours to climb the difficult ‘Gousseault-Desmaison’ on the north face of the Grandes Jorasses. First ascended by René Desmaison and Serge Gousseaut in 1971, this is a difficult, historic and rarely repeated line up the...

On Friday 3 February 2023 Stefano Ghisolfi made the first ascent of Excalibur at Drena close to Arco. Graded 9b+, it is now one of the hardest sport climbs in Italy.

Watch Slabducation, the movie by Talo Martin featuring the likes of Mari Alarcón, Caroline Ciavaldini, James Pearson, Johnny Dawes, Sean Villanueva, Siebe Vanhee, Dani Andrada and Arman Martínez slab climbing at Pedriza in Spain.

Watch the video of Mari Augusta Salvesen making the first ascent of the trad climb Tazlov, a long term project of hers in Norway now graded 8b.

Interview with Chamonix-based alpinist Colin Haley who in September 2022 completed the first solo winter ascent of the Supercanaleta route on Fitz Roy in Patagonia.

Finnish alpinist Juho Knuuttila (27) has added two new mixed climbs on the SW Face of Rånkeipen close to Narvik in Norway. 'Arctic Circus' (M6, WI6) was first ascended with Alexander Nordvall (29), while 'Polar Vortex' (M6, WI6) was established rope-solo. Knuuttila provides the details.

In July 2022 Jan Novak and Thibau Grandjean made the first ascent of Circoncision (150m, 7a+) a new 150m multipitch on Lemur Wall in the Tsaranoro mountains of Madagascar. Novak, usually behind the lens of his camera, reports.

On 11/11/2022 Silvan Schüpbach and Peter Von Känel started their winter climbing season early with the first ascent of the mixed climb 'Frigo-combo' (M7/6a, 450m) on the NW Face of Douves Blanches (Point 3582m) above Val d'Arolla in Switzerland. Schüpbach reports.

French photographer Alex Buisse introduces his 10 favourite climbs in the Mont Blanc massif. The routes feature in his stunning photographic topo guide to the range 'Mont Blanc Lines' (Vertebrate Publishing 2022).

Interview with Sebastian Pelletti after the first ascent of three new big routes in the Vampire Peaks area of Northwest Territories/Yukon in Canada, established with Michael Pedreros, Hernan Rodriguez Salas and the photographer Pato Diaz: 'Viaje Boreal' on Mount Dracula, 'Flow Latino' on Mount Dracula and 'Natural Mystic' on Dawn...

In mid-October Ondrej Huserka (Slovakia) and Wadim Jabłoński (Poland) completed the first ascent of Gangotri Gambling (6c+ M6 A0, 600m) on Phaalkan Meenaar tower above the Kedar Tal valley in the Indian Garhwal Himalayas. The peak is named in honour of Andrzej Sokołowski.

On 01/11/2022 French climber Sébastien Bouin made the first ascent of the direct start to Jumbo Love at Clark Mountain. The new variation is called Suprême Jumbo Love and graded 9b+.

German rock climber Michael Wohlleben has made the first ascent of Bodhichitta, a highly technical 5-pitch route on Westliche Dreifaltigkeit in Switzerland.

Slovakian alpinist Juraj Švingál reports about Dry Ice Queen (M9- WI6+), a 21-pitch technical mixed climb ascended with Marek Radovský on Mount Zabor in the Kookshal Too massif in Kyrgyzstan. Ascended alpine style on 13 and 14 August 2022, it is believed that this is a new route.

The report by 24-year-old mountain guide Janluca Kostner from Ortisei (Val Gardena, Italy) who between 13 and 14 September 2022 made the first rope-solo ascent of Chimera Verticale on Mt. Civetta (Dolomites). Graded IX, the route on the North West Face of Punta Civetta was established between 2007 and 2008...

British mountaineer Tim Howell has completed his ambitious North Base Project which aimed to climb and fly the six great North Faces of the Alps. Depending on the mountain, the 33-year-old Brit either made a wingsuit flight or BASE jump. The Eiger, Cima Grande di Lavaredo, Pizzo Badile, Petit Dru,...