There's a section described as ‘Derribos Arias’, which roughly translates as ‘Demolition Zone’. We hadn't realised this demolition zone would extend for over twenty pitches!

The first ascent of the biggest overhanging freeclimb in the world... Go

My stomach turned over as the six-seater aeroplane skimmed the top of the summit plateau then plummeted down the 1000m drop. I suppose it was as good a way as any to check out a new route.

Venezuelan jungle adventure climbing a new route with pitches up to F8a on the 800m Cerro Autana tepui.... Go

Ron is a god; I'm convinced of it. I'm going to start a new religion - Fawcettism - and pay homage daily. One hundred extremes no less, all in one day. Had time to nip down into Hathersage for brews as well. I tell you, he's a deity. Not mortal.

We're only up to thirty and the strain's showing already... Go

Then I watched Hard Grit, saw how easy the stars made gritstone climbing look, and how thrilling it all was. Thus it was that with renewed enthusiasm for gritstone new routing, I found myself heading for Curbar again with a top-rope, a willing belayer and an open mind... Go

Sinai, troubled land of wars and Old Testament migrations, is blessed in its mountainous south with a legendary bush that once burned. It's also blessed with superb granite climbing, as Anne Arran explains... Go

Already a distant memory is the headache of planning an expedition deep into the heart of Venezuela in the aftermath of major political unrest. Even the jungle approach, machete trail-breaking, heavy loads, irrepellable insects and constant damp heat are no longer important. I am left with pure enjoyment; movement, freedom and grace, and I relish every second of it... Go

"I wonder how he could possibly know whether it was indeed a good solo, or whether it was an act of complete stupidity. I’m not even sure myself. I think I'd feel better if he’d said it was a crazy thing to do and that I'm lucky I didn't kill myself..."

Was the onsight solo of Jules Verne reckless, or just ahead of its time? ... Go

A 3am start to jug 300m in the dark is not an ideal way to start a day's cragging, but then this wasn't an ordinary day and it certainly wasn't an ordinary crag...

Tales of Taliban, hostages and hard big-wall new routing in Kyrgyzstan ... Go

'Two routes on The Old Man in a day?' I wondered whether anyone had done that before. 'How about two new routes in a day?'

But our fanciful dreaming hadn't accounted for the rain, the cold, the loose rock, the vomiting birds... Go

Bold climbing up to E7 on a first free ascent of a 25 pitch big wall sounds more than enough to be getting on with. But then there was the jungle and the ants as big as cockroaches, and cockroaches the size of rats, and worms burrowing into your feet... Go