Piolets d'Or - The 2019 Piolets d'Or

The Piolets d'Or 2019 will take place in Ladek, from the 19th to 22nd September !

  • Piolets d'Or 2018 | 22nd September 2018 | ©Lucyna Lewandowska

  • Piolets d'Or 2018 | 22nd September 2018 | ©Małgorzata Telega

  • Piolets d'Or 2018 | 22nd September 2018 | ©Lucyna Lewandowska

  • Piolets d'Or 2018 | 22nd September 2018 | ©Lucyna Lewandowska

  • Piolets d'Or 2018 | 22nd September 2018 | ©Lucyna Lewandowska

  • Piolets d'Or 2018 | 22nd September 2018 | ©Lucyna Lewandowska

  • Piolets d'Or 2018 | 22nd September 2018 | ©Lucyna Lewandowska

  • Piolets d'Or 2018 | 22nd September 2018 | ©Szymon Aksienionek

  • Piolets d'Or 2018 | 22nd September 2018 | ©Lucyna Lewandowska

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2019 - Krzysztof Wielicki

By Piotr Drożdż and Lindsay Griffin©Krzysztof Wielicki archive Born in January 1950, Krzysztof Wielicki remains one of the foremost mountaineers from "the Golden Age of Polish Himalayan Climbing". He started climbing...

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2018 - Significant ascents

The following is a representative list of significant, innovative ascents in most mountain regions of the World, climbed during 2018, in alpine style, and without using drilled equipment. This is...

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The Ladek Festival, base Camp for the 20…

The 10th edition of the "Piolets d'Or" will be hosted by the Ladek Festival (Poland) from 20th to 23rd of Sept2018 For its tenth edition, the "Piolets d'Or" will open another...

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International forum - Bibliography

Thursday, April 13th - 8pm | Salle Edmond Vigne (Fontaine, France) International forum on the question of proof of ascents in high-level alpinism: this debate will be held in the context...

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Honoured Ascents

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GASHERBRUM I (8,068m - Pakistan)

(1) Russian, 2008(2) Satisfaction!, 2017(3) Polish, 1983(4) Spanish, 1983 Complete southwest face, Satisfaction!, 2,600m, ED+ WI5+ M7.July 25 - August 1 round trip from base camp. Satisfaction by Zdeněk Hák and Marek...

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SHISPARE (7,611m - Pakistan)

Northeast face and traverse, Shukriya, 2,700m, WI5 M6,August 18-24 round trip from base camp. The beauty of this coveted line, the full commitment of a difficult alpine-style ascent followed by a...

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NUPTSE NORTHWEST (NUPTSE NUP II, 7,742m …

South face, 2,200m, WI6 M5+.October 14-21 round trip from base camp. The immense south face of Nuptse will always provide a difficult, high-altitude challenge. Even the unrepeated route of the 1961...

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SPECIAL MENTION - NILKANTH (NILKANTHA, 6…

Southwest face, Obscured Perception, 1,400m, WI5 M6 A0 70° snow.September 28-October 2 round trip. The southwest face of shapely Nilkanth (a.k.a Nilkantha, 6,596m) in India's Garhwal Himalaya was described in 2000, by...

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SPECIAL MENTION - ALEX HONNOLD

We would like to give a special mention to another American, Alex Honnold, for his outstanding contribution to climbing in the year 2017. In the mountains he made two short new...

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What are the "Piolets d'Or" ?

A celebration of mountaineering

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.

The Spirit of Modern Alpinism

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.

 

 

Les Piolets d'Or

The Piolet d'Or Career

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”.

The Career Piolets d'Or was created to reward a career where the spirit has inspired the following generations, in the sense of criteria set down by the convention.
Recipients of the Piolet d'Or Career :
2009 : Walter BONATTI
2010 : Reinhold MESSNER
2011 : Doug SCOTT
2012 : Robert PARAGOT
2013 : Kurt DIEMBERGER
2014 : John ROSKELLEY
2015 : Chris BONINGTON
2016 : Wojciech KURTYKA

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The Piolets Jeunes

The Piolets Jeunes is a gathering for diversity, exchange of experience, know-how and cultures.
It allows young people to experience a true mountain experience.

Because we are convinced of the major educational role of mountain activities, particularly in the context of education through sport, we wish to contribute to the development of mountain activities among youth. We also promote the spirit and culture of the mountain, in order to put young people in link:
- Using natural and cultural heritage and mountain with the territory
- With strong values related to these adventure land practices: the spirit of discovery, respect, solidarity, spirit climber, commitment, experience, progressive autonomy, and responsibility

Visit the 'Piolets Jeunes' website

2019 Organizers