Piolets d'Or - The 2020 Piolets d'Or

  • Piolets d'Or 2020 | 19th September 2020 | ©Lucyna Lewandowska

  • Piolets d'Or 2020 | 19th September 2020 | ©Lucyna Lewandowska

  • Piolets d'Or 2020 | 19th September 2020 | ©Michal Zlotowski

  • Piolets d'Or 2020 | 19th September 2020 | ©Michal Kwasniewski

  • Piolets d'Or 2020 | 19th September 2020 | ©Michal Kwasniewski

  • Piolets d'Or 2020 | 19th September 2020 | ©Michal Zlotowski

  • Piolets d'Or 2020 | 19th September 2020 | ©Michal Kwasniewski

  • Piolets d'Or 2020 | 19th September 2020 | ©Michal Zlotowski

©Pascal Tournaire

Sir Doug Scott (1941-2020)

  Doug, thanks for inspiring generations of climbers through your unique career: the quality, quantity and diversity of first ascents you made over several decades in the higher mountains remains unequalled...

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2020 - Catherine Destivelle

By Claude Gardien Catherine Destivelle started making a name for herself in the climbing world during the 1980s, a time when sport climbing was exploding in popularity and grades were rising...

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2019 - Significant ascents

The following is a representative list of significant, innovative ascents in most mountain regions of the World, climbed during 2019, in alpine style, and without using drilled equipment. This is...

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2020 Honoured Ascents

Chamlang (7,321m)

UFO Line on the northwest face of Chamlang (7,321 meters). The seventh bivouac site - on the descent - is hidden. ©Andy Houseman (autumn 2012 photo)/American Alpine Journal MAREK HOLEČEK-ZDENĚK HÁK...

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Tengi Ragi Tau (6,938m)

©Tino Villanueva/American Alpine Journal ALAN ROUSSEAU - TINO VILLANUEVA (USA)WEST FACE, RELEASE THE KRAKEN, 1,600M, AI5 M5+, OCTOBER 13-17 ROUND TRIP FROM A GLACIER CAMP BELOW THE FACE. In 2012, on their...

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Link Sar (7,041m)

(A) Changi Tower. (B) K6 Main. (C) Link Sar (7,041m) from the southeast, showing the line of the 2019 ascent, advanced base camp, and bivouacs.  ©Matteo Della Bordella / American...

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Rakaposhi (7,788m)

 ©Kenro Nakajima / American Alpine Journal KAZUYA HIRAIDE - KENRO NAKAJIMA (JAPAN)SOUTH FACE AND SOUTHEAST RIDGE, 4,000M FROM BASE CAMP, JUNE 27-JULY 3 ROUND TRIP FROM BASE CAMP. The Hunza region of...

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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
2017 : Jeff LOWE
2018 : Andrej ŠTREMFELJ
2019 : Krzysztof WIELICKI
2020 : Catherine DESTIVELLE

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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

2020 Organizers