Next Level: This is how you crack the 7th degree

As your climbing level increases, perceived details that can influence your performance become more important. Today the British professional climber and climbing coach Louis Parkinson reveals his tricks with which you can make the jump to the 7th degree.

Many tips for breaking through the performance plateau in the upper sixth level of difficulty may seem obvious at first. But at the end of the day, it's the details that make the difference - and beyond that, the realization that you unconsciously make certain mistakes over and over again and therefore don't get any further. The above video by Louis Parkinson is a recommendation to anyone who wants to make the jump from the 6th to the 7th degree.

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Credits: Cover picture Louis Parkinson | catalyst climbing

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Following a fatal avalanche accident in the Großarltal valley: Investigations against Austrian Alpine Club mountain guide discontinued.

In January 2026, four participants in a training group of the Austrian Alpine Club died in an avalanche in the Großarltal valley. The Salzburg public prosecutor's office subsequently investigated the group leader but has now dropped the case. The Alpine Club expresses its solidarity with its mountain and ski guide.

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Italian trad climbing pro Pietro Vidi has secured the first repeat of "Drifter's Escape" (9a+, 5.15a). On October 13th, he completed Connor Herson's trad route on Stawamus Chief in Squamish. It is considered one of the hardest crack climbs in the world.

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Jonas Schild and Anja Bacchetto have established a new alpine multi-pitch route on the Scheideggwetterhorn. "DüDaDo im Nirgendwo" (8a+) ascends the Epp Pillar in nine pitches. Schild achieved the first free ascent in September.