This talk will explain why rock wall permafrost is becoming a "hot topic" in high mountain areas that are currently experiencing an increase in the frequency and magnitude of steep bedrock failures. It will give an overview of the current knowledge on the thermal characteristics and mechanical behavior of rock wall permafrost. It will further introduce some current research frontiers and perspectives, showing that the study of rock wall permafrost has also strong, but so far poorly exploited potential to study paraglacial and periglacial geomorphology.