This Special Mention is intended specifically to promote female alpinism. It recognises a remarkable all-female ascent from the previous year, or a female alpinist for several achievements in the previous year(s), or...
Read more©Dane Steadman/AAJ First ascent of Yashkuk Sar, Batura Muztagh, via the north pillar-Tiger Lily Buttress (2,000m, AI5+ M6 A0), September 19–23. Traversed the mountain and descended by the upper west face and...
Read more©Jacek Wiltosinski/AAJ First ascent of the west ridge of Gasherbrum III, Baltoro Muztagh, via Edge of Entropy (nearly 3,000m base camp to summit), July 31-August 4. Traversed mountain by descending east...
Read more©Spencer Gray/AAJ FFirst ascent of the southwest arête (1,670m, 5.10 A0 M7 WI5) of Kaqur Kangri (a.k.a. Kanti Himal), Kanti Himal, October 15–21. Traversed the mountain and descended by the previously...
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www.sanmartino.com@visitsanmartino “If you don’t know San Martino di Castrozza, you don’t know the Dolomites” claimed the well-travelled alpinist and author Gunther Langes. He was probably the best climber in the Pale di...
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This is a representative list of significant, innovative ascents from most mountain regions of the World. Whilst not every climb listed here would be considered eligible for a Piolet d'Or...
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Ethan Berman United States of America - age 34 A key figure in contemporary American alpine style, Ethan gained international recognition in 2021 when he was awarded a Piolet d'Or for a...
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©Piotr Drożdż “For me, climbing is about carving out my own path, not following somebody else’s route.”Kazuya Hiraide The west face of K2 (8,611 m) is one of those legendary walls shrouded...
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This summer of 2024 will go down as one of the cruellest for the alpine community. We learned of the disappearance of the famous Japanese climbers Kazuya Hiraide and Kenro...
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©Piotr Drożdż Georgian Archil Badriashvili died on 10 August 2024 at the age of 34. He was with some companions on Shkhelda (4,388 m), not far from Ushba, in the Caucasus...
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"Mountaineering is a way of life, a philosophy of life, even if I've always refused to consider that in the mountains I was on an island away from society." The mountaineer Born...
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The 2018 edition, which was held last September at the 23rd Ladek Mountain Festival in Poland, was a resounding success, and there was not much debate as to where the event should be held this year : the 2019 Piolets d’Or will take place again in Ladek, from the 19th to 22nd September.
The purpose of the Piolets d'Or awards is to raise awareness about the year's greatest ascents across the world. They aim to celebrate the taste for adventure, the bravery and sense of exploration that lie behind the art of climbing in the world's great mountain ranges. The Piolets d'Or draw their inspiration from mountaineering's rich history. They are a celebration of a sense of partnership and solidarity, of shared experiences, and reward individual or collective achievement.
More than just the recognition of a performance, the Piolets d'Or celebrates passion, spirit and values. The spirit of the Piolets d’Or draws its inspiration from the history of alpinism and the authenticity of true team spirit. The style should take precedence over the conquest of an objective. Success is no longer about getting to the summit at all costs, employing all possible financial and technical means, (oxygen, fixed ropes, doping products, etc) or large-scale human resources (high-altitude porters or sherpas). The Piolets d’Or event encourages imagination in searching for innovative routes using a maximum of economy of means, making use of experience and respecting man and nature. The Piolets d’Or is attached to making climbing a shared and valued richness all over the world, capable of attracting the best of human ambitions whilst encompassing moral values and edifying behaviour. The Piolets d'Or event is therefore a celebration of an ethical alpinism, rich in emotion.
In 2009, the first Lifetime Achievement Piolet d’Or was awarded to Walter Bonatti. His style of mountaineering perfectly reflected the spirit of thePiolets d’Or. He became a sort of godfather to those who would receive this award after him. In honour of the man and his spirit, it has been renamed the “Piolet d’Or Lifetime Achievement, Walter Bonatti Award”.
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The Piolets d'Or will be held in San Martino di Castrozza, the first location in the Dolomites to host this prestigious event, thanks to the support of Trentino Marketing, the Municipality of Primiero San Martino di Castrozza, the Primiero Community, FPB Cassa di Fassa Primiero e Belluno, ACSM Group, “le Aquile” of San Martino di Castrozza, the local tourism stakeholders, the Trento Film Festival, and under the patronage of the Dolomites UNESCO Foundation.
