Alpine Mag International

08/10/2026

Sixteen dead, all of them Nepali. Yet the avalanche that swept through Himlung base camp at the start of the autumn season was anything but unpredictable: the camp’s exposure had long been known, and the forecasts had announced the deteriorating weather. A pioneer of guided ascents on this 7,000er since 2002, Paulo Grobel questions the economic model of expeditions, and our own responsibility as mountaineers who all flock to the same summits.
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Sixteen dead, all of them Nepali. Yet the avalanche that swept through Himlung base camp at the start of the autumn season was anything but unpredictable: the camp’s exposure had long been known, and the forecasts had announced the deteriorating weather. A pioneer of guided ascents on this 7,000er...

29/09/2026

An avalanche swept through the base camp of Himlung Himal, 7,126 metres, in Nepal’s upper Naar Phu valley on 27 September. Four Nepalese workers have been found dead and twelve people remain missing, all of them Nepalese. The tragedy also raises questions over the location of the base camp: as early as 2014, French mountain guide Paulo Grobel had moved his base camp to the opposite side of the glacier after finding the usual site covered by avalanche debris. Read here : https://alpinemag.com/deadly-avalanche-himlung-2026-16-casualties-base-camp-already-hit-in-2014/

22/09/2026

Two generations of extreme climbing on the immense south face of the Marmolada, the jewel of the Dolomites : Adam Ondra begins with the “Fish” route and then tackles Ego Land, 8c/+. A must watch video with Igor Koller among fine climbers !

07/09/2026

From the 1980s through the 1990s, Thierry Renault was one of France’s finest alpinists. He was also, quite simply, one of its best climbers: third at Bardonecchia in 1985, Renault freed major granite routes in the Mont Blanc massif, climbed 7c and even 8a at 4,000 metres, then helped push ice climbing into a new grade — Grade 7 — on the ephemeral waterfalls of the Fer-à-Cheval, with La Lyre. This is the story of an alpinist devoted to style and elegance in movement, whose death on September 6, 2026, brings back into the light a career as remarkable as it was discreet. Photo Anna Piunova. https://alpinemag.com/tribute-to-french-thierry-renault-master-of-style-climbing/

27/08/2026

After Golden Gate on El Capitan, Le Voyage at Annot and a solo ascent of The Nose, Soline Kentzel has added another historic line to her résumé. The French climber has just completed La Darbellay on the north face of the Petit Clocher du Portalet, on the Swiss side of the Mont Blanc massif. First climbed in 1962 by Michel and Daniel Darbellay and freed in 1989 by Philippe Steulet, the route features two excellent trad pitches graded 8a (5.13b) and 7c+ (5.13a). Soline Kentzel has now made the first female ascent. Read: https://alpinemag.com/soline-kentzel-first-woman-free-ascent-darbellay-petit-clocher-portalet-switzerland/

27/08/2026

Between July 27 and August 13, Fay Manners and Roger Schäli established Solar Eclipse, a new 900-metre, 33-pitch route on the north face of the Eiger. They spent eighteen days working on the project, including thirteen consecutive days on the wall. Graded up to 7c (5.12d), with mandatory climbing up to 7a (5.11d), the route stands out for its serious alpine character. A committing new line established by Swiss climber Roger Schäli, and British alpinist Fay Manners. Read: https://alpinemag.com/eiger-north-face-new-big-route-for-fay-manners-roger-schali/

19/08/2026

It is a cruel irony. 240 years ago, Jacques Balmat and Michel-Gabriel Paccard reached the summit of Mont Blanc for the first time. On the 8th of August, 1786, after years of attempts, the impossible became possible. Two hundred and forty years later, history seems to be unfolding in reverse. In August 2026, Mont Blanc is once again, if not impossible, at least unreasonable to climb, regardless of the route.
https://alpinemag.com/mont-blanc-the-impossible-mountain/

14/07/2026

Setting out at 8:30 a.m. from the church in La Grave—a mecca for French freeriding—Nicolas Jean returned there at 12:41 p.m. after crossing La Meije in 4 hours and 11 minutes, nearly half an hour faster than Benjamin Védrines. We interviewed him to revisit in detail this breathtaking FKT. He talks about his inspirations —Kilian Jornet among others — and his determination to remain as self-sufficient as possible on one of the Alps’ most iconic peaks.
https://alpinemag.com/alpinism-nicolas-jean-fkt-la-meije-iconic-challenging-alpine-peak/

30/06/2026

Opened in winter 2007 by Martial Dumas and Jean-Yves Fredriksen, on a face transformed by the collapse of the Bonatti Pillar, the Voie des Papas has retained the particular aura of the post-apocalyptic west face of the Drus, the major alpine bigwall above Chamonix, France. It is steep, committing climbing, traced across the grey granite of a major scar in Alpine history. Over three days in June, Yanis Cherqaoui, Hugo Peruzzo and Baptiste Obino free climbed this big wall, tackling delicate pitches up to 7b/5.12. https://alpinemag.com/drus-west-face-free-climbing-voie-des-papas-bonatti-shadow/

26/06/2026

French Guillaume Pierrel died in the mountains, swept away by an avalanche in Pakistan. He was a mountain guide, skier, mountaineer, and filmmaker. In just a few years, he had become one of the most prominent figures in the world of steep skiing, from the Alps to the Canada and the Himalayas. But listing his achievements, however impressive, does not truly convey who he was. Behind his movie-star looks and disarming smile, Guillaume had a heart of gold.

We pay tribute to him here.💫

https://alpinemag.fr/editorial-adieu-guillaume-pierrel/