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We are pleased and proud to welcome all of you to the Piolets d'Or 2023, in Briançon for the third consecutive year from 14 to 16 November !

The International Jury has chosen to make three Piolets d'Or Awards and one Special Mention. These are, in no particular order :

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Jirishanca (ca 6,094m), south-southeast …

© Quentin Roberts First ascent of the south-southeast spur of Jirishanca, Cordillera Huayhuash, via Reino Hongo (1,000m, M7 AI5+ 90°) from July 21-23. Descent by the east buttress and lower southeast face It...

Jugal Spire (aka Dorje Lhakpa II, 6,563m…

©Paul Ramsden First ascent of Jugal Spire (6,563m), Jugal Himal, via The Phantom Line (1,300m, ED) on the north face, from April 25-29. Descent was effected by traversing the mountain and...

Pumari Chhish East (ca 6,850m)

©Victor Saucède The first ascent of Pumari Chhish East, Hispar Muztagh, via The Crystal Ship (1,600m, 6b A2 M7) on the south face and upper west ridge, from June 25-29. The...

Special Mention 2023 - First ascent of t…

©Ramona Waldner The Piolets d’Or wishes to promote female alpinism, with the aim of inspiring future generations of female climbers. It also realizes the difficulty in finding a universally accepted mechanism...

The Piolets d’Or wishes to promote female alpinism, with the aim of inspiring future generations of female climbers. It also realizes the difficulty in finding a universally accepted mechanism for doing so. From time to time, it makes one or more Special Mentions. These are not Piolets d’Or, but a recognition bestowed on an ascent that is deemed notable for different reasons, yet still fitting with the core values of the Piolets d’Or Charter.

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2023 - George Lowe

Often cited as one of the greatest living North American alpinists, George Lowe began climbing at an early age when he joined his uncle Ralph Lowe, who was teaching his...

Briançon, 14th-16th November 2023

We are pleased and proud to welcome all of you to the 2023 Piolets d’Or, which will be held in Briançon for the third consecutive year from 14 to 16...

2023 - Significant ascents

There follows a representative list of significant, innovative ascents in most mountain regions of the World, climbed during 2022, in alpine (or in a few cases capsule) style and with...

2023 International Technical jury

Lise Billon France - age 35 The first ascent of the east pillar of Cerro Riso Patron, a particularly isolated and inhospitable peak in Patagonia, was only the second route to be...

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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”.

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; 2021 : Yasushi YAMANOI; 2022 : Silvo KARO