©T.Marot
Benjamin Védrines
Although outside the normal format of acknowledging a specific first ascent, the Piolets d'Or recognizes the array of innovative, multi-discipline achievements over the last few years by French alpinist Benjamin Védrines. In the context of what he has accomplished in the Alps alone, these are ground-breaking, very high performance, and strong pointers towards the future of modern alpinism. They include the following.
2022
With Léo Billon and Seb Ratel, he completed the first trilogy of the three great north faces of the Alps via direct routes: Harlin Route on the Eiger, Directe de l'Amitié on the Grandes Jorasses, and the Gogna Route on the Matterhorn; a speed record for an ascent of Broad Peak (8,051m), Karakoram, climbing the normal route from base to summit in 7h 28min, then made the first descent by paraglider from the top.
2023
With Nicolas Jean and Julien Cruvellier De Luze, the first ascent of De l’Or en Barre on the south face of the Barre des Écrins (1,000 m, 6a+ A1 M7 WI5+); with Léo Billon, the Serge Gousseault Route on the north face of the Grandes Jorasses in 15 hours from Chamonix to summit; with Samuel Equy, a new record of 14h 54min for the classic ski traverse of the Chamonix - Zermatt Haute Route, shaving around 1h 40min off the previous fastest time; a solo ascent of the Peuterey Integral in 6h 51min; from the car park in Les Etages, he reached the summit of the Aiguille Dibona via the Madier Route in 1h 24min; with Nicolas Jean and Julien Cruvellier De Luze, the first ascent of Pulsations (650m, 7c+ 7a obl) on the south face of the Meije.
2024
With Léo Billon, he climbed three big north faces in the Mont Blanc Range over three consecutive days - the north face of the of the Dru via the Guides Route (at M8+) in around 10 h, the Sermon-Slavik/Rhem‑Vimal route on the north face of the Droites (at M7+) in 7h 14min, and No Siesta on the north face of the Grandes Jorasses (at M8 WI6) in 12h. This is likely the first time the Guides Route and No Siesta have each been climbed in a day; with Nicolas Jean, second ski descents of Hervé Degonon lines on the north faces of Ailefroide and Pic Sans Nom; again with Nicolas Jean, two remarkable first ski descents in the Écrins - the Voie des Plaques on the northwest face of the Ailefroide, and the north‑northwest face of Ailefroide Orientale; with Nicolas Jean, ski descents of the Voie du Z, Couloir Gravelotte, and Les Corridors, all on La Meije, and the north face of Meije Orientale, in a total of just 16 hours; a new speed record on K2, climbing without supplemental oxygen from advanced base (5,350m) to the summit in 10h 59min, followed by the first paragliding descent from the top.
