The long shadow of Covid 19 kept many of the worlds mountaineers close to home in 2020, but there were still extraordinary achievements further afield including the first winter ascent of K2 and a remarkable first ascent on Baruntse from the bold Czechs Mara Holecek and Radoslav Groh. Those unable to reach the Greater Ranges found plenty to explore in the Alps, which saw the largest number of new routes in recent years. This years Alpine Journal has reports on all of it.

The year was also marked with the loss of two giants of British mountaineering, Doug Scott and Hamish McInnes, both honorary members of the Alpine Club, as well as controversial Italian legend Cesare Maestri, recalled by Alan Heppenstall. Peter Foster describes the climbing life of C F Meade, Leo Dickinson shares his picturesque life of as a documentary filmmaker and Nicholas Hurndall Smith takes on the mantle of the illustrious Leslie Stephen.

With mountains increasingly under the media spotlight as climate change alters their very fabric, Julian Attwood has a detailed prescription for how the mountains of Wales could be returned to their former glory, locking up carbon and improving biodiversity. Alton Byers reports on how another mountain environment has done better than you might imagine.

With reports, reviews, art and comment from around the globe, the Alpine Journal has everything the dedicated alpinist needs to inspire and reflect.