Piolet d'Or
Encyclopedia
The Piolet d'Or is an annual mountaineering
award given by the French
magazine Montagnes and The Groupe de Haute Montagne since 1991. Nominations are selected by GHM and Montagnes, and the award is chosen by a jury consisting of Guy Chaumereuil (the chief editor of Montagnes when the award was inaugurated), (until 1998) Jean-Claude Marmier (president of GHM when the award was inaugurated), the current president of GHM, the current editor of Montagnes, the previous year's winners and three members invited by GHM, one of whom becomes the president of the jury.
The criteria for the award are stated in French and translate as:
Controversy has surrounded the award, due to the non-quantifiable nature of climbing accomplishments, and the varying interpretations of 'alpinism' and 'respect for the mountains.' Controversy has been magnified when the award recipient completed the climb in 'heavy' style, spending large amounts of time on the ascent and leaving gear behind, as in the cases of the 1997 and 2005 awards. In 2005 Ian Parnell withdrew his nomination, as did Alessandro Beltrami, Rolando Garibotti and Ermanno Salvaterra in 2006 for what might be the first ascent of the north face of Cerro Torre
, and in 2008 during the selection process Garibotti asked the jury not to take into consideration the Torre Traverse first ascent he completed with Colin Haley. Marmier left the jury in 1998 explaining that "the decision of the jury has been a real disaster."
The winners were
The winners were
Year 2010 *Reinhold Messner
：Lifetime Achievement
The 2008 awardees were (1) Ueli Steck
and Simon Anthamatten for their first ascent in the alpine style of Tengkampoche Northface (6500m), Khumbu Valley, Nepal; (2) Kazuya Hiraide and Kei Taniguchi for the first ascent of the South-West face of Kamet (7756m, India) in alpine style; (3) Fumitaka Ichimura, Yusuke Sato and Kazuki Amano for a new route on the North face of Kalanka (6931m, India).http://www.k2climb.net/news.php?id=18277
, France. The winners were:
Other finalist were:
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
award given by the French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
magazine Montagnes and The Groupe de Haute Montagne since 1991. Nominations are selected by GHM and Montagnes, and the award is chosen by a jury consisting of Guy Chaumereuil (the chief editor of Montagnes when the award was inaugurated), (until 1998) Jean-Claude Marmier (president of GHM when the award was inaugurated), the current president of GHM, the current editor of Montagnes, the previous year's winners and three members invited by GHM, one of whom becomes the president of the jury.
The criteria for the award are stated in French and translate as:
The selection of potential laureates, as well as the conditions of awarding the trophy obey a strict ethic, which is in line with the founding values of the GHM. High technical level and commitment certainly constitute the principal criteria to which the GHM members feel so attached.
The originality in the choice of the objective and the innovative nature of the manner of conducting the ascent are equally important elements of appreciation. The practice of alpinism is in effect in perpetual evolution, and this dimension should not be forgotten. It's by the crossing of certain stages that were considered impassable that mentalities have evolved, and ascents reputed to be impossible have become commonplace…
Respect for the mountains that surround us, the beauty of movement, and the spirit in which people climb those mountains are also primary conditions for the awarding of the prize. We cannot in fact pass down to future generations summits mutilated in the name of a destructive climbing style without profoundly altering the spirit itself of this activity
Controversy has surrounded the award, due to the non-quantifiable nature of climbing accomplishments, and the varying interpretations of 'alpinism' and 'respect for the mountains.' Controversy has been magnified when the award recipient completed the climb in 'heavy' style, spending large amounts of time on the ascent and leaving gear behind, as in the cases of the 1997 and 2005 awards. In 2005 Ian Parnell withdrew his nomination, as did Alessandro Beltrami, Rolando Garibotti and Ermanno Salvaterra in 2006 for what might be the first ascent of the north face of Cerro Torre
Cerro Torre
Cerro Torre is one of the mountains of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field in South America. It is located in a region which is disputed between Argentina and Chile, west of Cerro Chalten . The peak is the highest in a four mountain chain: the other peaks are Torre Egger , Punta Herron, and Cerro...
, and in 2008 during the selection process Garibotti asked the jury not to take into consideration the Torre Traverse first ascent he completed with Colin Haley. Marmier left the jury in 1998 explaining that "the decision of the jury has been a real disaster."
2011 award
The Piolet d'or 2011 took place in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (France) from 16 to 17 April 2011.The winners were
- Yasushi Okada and Katsutaka Yokoyama on the Japanese Mount LoganMount LoganMount Logan is the highest mountain in Canada and the second-highest peak in North America, after Mount McKinley . The mountain was named after Sir William Edmond Logan, a Canadian geologist and founder of the Geological Survey of Canada . Mount Logan is located within Kluane National Park and...
expedition (south-east face of Mount Logan). - Sean Villanueva, Nicolas and Olivier Favressse (Belgium), Ben Ditto (USA) and Bob Shepton (UK) for the "Greenland Big Walls" expedition.
- Doug ScottDoug ScottDouglas Keith Scott CBE, known as Doug Scott , is an English mountaineer noted for the first ascent of the south-west face of Mount Everest on 24 September 1975. Scott and Dougal Haston were the first Britons to climb Everest during this expedition...
was awarded the Lifetime Contribution Award.
2009 award
The Piolet d'or 2009 took place in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (France) and Courmayeur (Italy) from 8–10 April 2010.The winners were
- Denis UrubkoDenis UrubkoDenis Urubko is a mountaineer from Kazakhstan with Russian descent. In 2009, he became the 15th person to climb the 14 eight-thousanders....
and Boris Dedeshko from KazakhstanKazakhstanKazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
for a new route on the South East Face of Cho OyuCho OyuCho Oyu is the sixth highest mountain in the world at above sea level. Cho Oyu lies in the Himalayas and is 20 km west of Mount Everest, at the border between China and Nepal...
. - Jed Brown and Kyle Dempster from USA along with Bruce Normand from ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
for the first ascent of the North face of the Xuelian West (Chinese Tien Shan).
- Walter BonattiWalter BonattiWalter Bonatti was an Italian mountain climber. He is noted for a solo climb of a new route on the south-west pillar of the Aiguille du Dru in August 1955 and the first solo winter ascent of the Matterhorn north face in 1965.-Life and career:Bonatti was born in Bergamo...
：Lifetime Achievement
Year 2010 *Reinhold Messner
Reinhold Messner
Reinhold Messner is an Italian mountaineer and explorer from Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol "whose astonishing feats on Everest and on peaks throughout the world have earned him the status of the greatest climber in history." He is renowned for making the first solo ascent of Mount Everest without...
：Lifetime Achievement
2008 award
The Piolet d'or 2008 took place in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (France) and Courmayeur in the Aosta Valley (Italy) on the 24th and 25 April 2009.The 2008 awardees were (1) Ueli Steck
Ueli Steck
Ueli Steck is a Swiss climber. He is also a skilled carpenter and lives in Ringgenberg in Interlaken.- Career :...
and Simon Anthamatten for their first ascent in the alpine style of Tengkampoche Northface (6500m), Khumbu Valley, Nepal; (2) Kazuya Hiraide and Kei Taniguchi for the first ascent of the South-West face of Kamet (7756m, India) in alpine style; (3) Fumitaka Ichimura, Yusuke Sato and Kazuki Amano for a new route on the North face of Kalanka (6931m, India).http://www.k2climb.net/news.php?id=18277
2007 award
For 2007, the Piolet D'Or was canceled. The co-founders of the award decided to initiate a new process for selecting the nominees and winner, and the process could not be completed on a timely basis for 2008.2006 award
The 2006 Piolet d'Or was awarded on January 26, 2007 in GrenobleGrenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
, France. The winners were:
- SloveniaSloveniaSlovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
ns Marko PrezeljMarko PrezeljMarko Prezelj is a Slovenian mountaineer and photographer.Prezelj received two Piolet d'Or awards. He won the inaugural "Oscar of mountaineering" in 1992 with Andrej Štremfelj for their new route on the south ridge of Kangchenjunga South in alpine style...
and Boris Lorencic, for the first ascent of ChomolhariChomolhariJomolhari or Chomolhari sometimes known as "the bride of Kangchenjunga”, is a mountain in the Himalayas, straddling the border between Yadong County of Tibet and the Thimphu district of Bhutan. The north face rises over above the barren plains...
's northwest pillar.
Other finalist were:
- KazakhsKazakhstanKazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
Denis Urubko and Sergey Samoilov, for a new route opened in alpine style on ManasluManasluManaslu , also known as Kutang) is the eighth highest mountain in the world, and is located in the Mansiri Himal, part of the Nepalese Himalayas, in the west-central part of Nepal. Its name, which means "Mountain of the Spirit", comes from the Sanskrit word Manasa, meaning "intellect" or "soul"...
's northeast face - Slovenian Pavle KozjekPavle KozjekPavle Kozjek was a Slovenian mountaineering pioneer and a photographer.Kozjek was born in Setnica near Polhov Gradec, SR Slovenia, Yugoslavia. He was a member of the Ljubljana-Matica Mountaineering Club. In 1997, he was the first Slovene climber to ascend Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen...
, for leading a new route on Cho OyuCho OyuCho Oyu is the sixth highest mountain in the world at above sea level. Cho Oyu lies in the Himalayas and is 20 km west of Mount Everest, at the border between China and Nepal...
, and for submitting images of the Nangpa La killings - UkrainiansUkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
Igor Chaplinsky, Andrey Rodiontsev and Orest Verbitsky for a first ascent on the north ridge of Shingu CharpaShingu CharpaShingu Charpa is a mountain in the Hushe Region in Pakistan. It is a 5600 meter Karakorum spire located in Masherbrum massif in Nangma valley.-Articles:*... - BritonsUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Ian Parnell and Tim Emmett for climbing the Southeast Pillar of Kedarnath DomeKedarnath (Mountain)Kedarnath and Kedarnath Dome are two mountains in the Gangotri Group of peaks in the western Garhwal Himalaya. Kedarnath lies on the main ridge that lies south of the Gangotri Glacier, and Kedarnath Dome, a subpeak of the main peak, lies on a spur projecting towards the glacier, two kilometres...
List of recipients
- 2007 Ceremony cancelled.
- 2006 Slovenians Marko PrezeljMarko PrezeljMarko Prezelj is a Slovenian mountaineer and photographer.Prezelj received two Piolet d'Or awards. He won the inaugural "Oscar of mountaineering" in 1992 with Andrej Štremfelj for their new route on the south ridge of Kangchenjunga South in alpine style...
and Boris Lorenčič, for the first ascent of Chomolhari's northwest pillar - 2005 Steve HouseSteve HouseSteve House is an American professional climber and mountain guide from La Grande, Oregon.-Biography:House earned a Bachelor of Science in ecology from The Evergreen State College in 1995...
and Vince AndersonVince AndersonVince Anderson is an American professional mountaineer, writer and mountain guide company manager from Ridgway, Colorado. He and Steve House won the Piolet d'Or in 2006 for an alpine-style first ascent of the Central Pillar of the Rupal Face, , September 1–8, 2005 on Nanga Parbat in northern...
for the first rapid alpine-style ascent of the Rupal Face of Nanga ParbatNanga ParbatNanga Parbat is the ninth highest mountain on Earth, the second highest mountain in Pakistan and among the eight-thousanders with a summit elevation of 8,126 meters... - 2004 RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n team led by Alexander Odintsov for the first direct ascent of the North Face of JannuJannuJannu or Kumbhakarna is the 32nd highest mountain in the world. It is an important Western outlier of Kangchenjunga, the world's third highest peak. Jannu is a large and steep peak in its own right, and has numerous challenging climbing routes.The official name of this peak is Kumbhakarna, but the... - 2003 Valery BabanovValery BabanovValery Babanov is a Russian mountaineer, who is especially known for altitude mountain tours higher than 7,000 m as well as for his severe-grade climbing tours.Babanov was born in Omsk, and started climbing in 1980...
and Yuri Koshelenko for an ascent on the South Face of NuptseNuptseNuptse is a mountain in the Khumbu region of the Mahalangur Himal, in the Nepalese Himalayas. It lies two kilometres WSW of Mount Everest. Nuptse is Tibetan for "west peak", as it is the western segment of the Lhotse-Nuptse massif.... - 2002 Mick FowlerMick FowlerMichael "Mick" Fowler is a British mountaineer. He was awarded the Piolet d'Or and Golden Piton with Paul Ramsden for their 2002 ascent of Siguniang , was voted "the Mountaineer's Mountaineer" in a poll in The Observer, and was described by Chris Bonington in 1981 as "the most successful...
and Paul Ramsden for a new route on the North Face of Siguniang (6250m) in ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture... - 2001 Valery Babanov for a solo climb of Meru Central
- 2000 Thomas HuberThomas HuberThomas Huber , is a German climber and mountaineer. He lives in Berchtesgaden with his family. His brother and climbing partner is the German climber Alexander Huber....
and Iwan Wolf for the first ascent of the direct north pillar of ShivlingShivling (Garhwal Himalaya)Shivling is a mountain in the Gangotri Group of peaks in the western Garhwal Himalaya, near the snout of the Gangotri Glacier. It lies in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, south of the Hindu holy site of Gaumukh . Its name refers to its status as a sacred symbol of the God - Lord Shiva's...
(6543m) - 1999 Lionel Daudet and Sébastien Foissac for the ascent of the Southeast Face of the Burkett Needle
- 1998 Andrew Lindblade of AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Athol Whimp of New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
for the first direct ascent of the North Face of Thalay SagarThalay SagarThalay Sagar is a mountain in the Gangotri Group of peaks in the western Garhwal Himalaya, on the main ridge that lies south of the Gangotri Glacier. It lies in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, southwest of the Hindu holy site of Gaumukh... - 1997 Russian team from Ekaterinburg led by Sergey Efimov for the first ascent of the West Face of MakaluMakaluMakalu is the fifth highest mountain in the world at and is located southeast of Mount Everest, on the border between Nepal and China...
- 1996 Slovenians Tomaž HumarTomaž HumarTomaž Humar , nicknamed Gozdni Joža , was a Slovenian mountaineer. A father of two, Humar lived in Kamnik, Slovenia...
and Vanja Furlan for a new route on the East Face of Ama DablamAma DablamAma Dablam is a mountain in the Himalaya range of eastern Nepal. The main peak is , the lower western peak is . Ama Dablam means "Mother's necklace"; the long ridges on each side like the arms of a mother protecting her child, and the hanging glacier thought of as the dablam, the traditional... - 1995 Andreas Orgler, Heli Neswabba and Arthur Wutsher GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
for numerous new routes in the Ruth GlacierRuth GlacierRuth Glacier is a glacier in Denali National Park and Preserve in the U.S. state of Alaska. Its upper reaches are almost three vertical miles below the summit of Mount McKinley. The glacier's "Great Gorge" is one mile wide, and drops almost over ten miles , with crevasses along the surface...
area of the Alaska RangeAlaska RangeThe Alaska Range is a relatively narrow, 650-km-long mountain range in the southcentral region of the U.S. state of Alaska, from Lake Clark at its southwest end to the White River in Canada's Yukon Territory in the southeast...
and especially a new route on the South Face of Mount Bradley - 1994 Francois Marsigny of FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Andy Parkin of EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
for the new ice and rock route up the Esperance Col on Cerro TorreCerro TorreCerro Torre is one of the mountains of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field in South America. It is located in a region which is disputed between Argentina and Chile, west of Cerro Chalten . The peak is the highest in a four mountain chain: the other peaks are Torre Egger , Punta Herron, and Cerro... - 1993 The youth high altitude expedition of French Alpine Club (median age 20 years) for ascents in the Pamir MountainsPamir MountainsThe Pamir Mountains are a mountain range in Central Asia formed by the junction or knot of the Himalayas, Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun, and Hindu Kush ranges. They are among the world’s highest mountains and since Victorian times they have been known as the "Roof of the World" a probable...
- 1992 Michel Piola and Vincent Sprungli for the ascent of the East Face of Torre South del PaineCordillera del PaineThe Cordillera del Paine is a small but spectacular mountain group in Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia. It is located north of Punta Arenas, and about 1,960 km south of the Chilean capital Santiago. It belongs to the Commune of Torres del Paine in Última Esperanza Province...
in Patagonia (the name of the route is "Dans l'Oeil du Cyclone") - 1991 Slovenians Andrej Štremfelj and Marko Prezelj for a 3000m ascent of the South Pillar of Kanchenjunga's South Summit, 8476m, in the Himalaya
External links
- Concerning Huber's 2000 Piolet d'Or
- http://www.grivelnorthamerica.com/headlines.php?id=27Steve House'sSteve HouseSteve House is an American professional climber and mountain guide from La Grande, Oregon.-Biography:House earned a Bachelor of Science in ecology from The Evergreen State College in 1995...
thoughts on the 14th Piolet d'Or and explanation of criteria for the award] - List of winners until 1997 from risk.ru
- Partial list of recipients from baskcanada.com
- Website of the Groupe de Haute Montagne
- Les Piolets d'Or Les Piolets d'Or on a French website
- http://www.alpinist.com/doc/ALP18/newswire-prezelj-rejects-piolet-d'or 2007 Piolet d'Or winner question awards