The Oscars of Mountaineering: Piolets d’Or Celebrates Climbers’ Raddest Feats

The original version of this article was published on ExplorersWeb.com.

Forget about the latest Hollywood blockbusters — a far more interesting award ceremony kicks off in the Italian Dolomites this week.

The 2024 edition of the Piolets d’Or awards, regarded as the most prestigious recognition in mountaineering, takes place over the next few days in San Martino di Castrozza, an Italian resort. The Piolet d’Or (that’s French for “Golden Ice Axe”) has celebrated the world’s most talented alpinists since the awards began in 1992. 

The Piolets d’Or originally promoted French alpinism and awarded a single climb as the best of the previous year. It became more international after many climbers criticized the event in 2008, which led organizers to rethink their criteria and make the event more inclusive.

Now, several climbs are recognized each year. The awards committee has also introduced a Lifetime Achievement award. The first recipient was Walter Bonatti, and the second was Reinhold Messner. This year, it will go to Jordi Corominas of Spain.

This year also includes a Special Mention for female mountaineering, which will recognize Nives Meroi of Italy.

Piolet d’Or: A Brief Explainer

When a climber receives a Piolet d’Or, it implies that they’re a highly skilled alpinist who has pulled off a major accomplishment in “alpine style.” This term signifies a particularly pure form of climbing in which small teams attempt difficult goals with a minimalist approach.

This also means that Piolet d’Or often ignores climbers who receive media attention for their alpine feats.

For example, publicly celebrated climbers like Nirmal Purja and Kristin Harila, the two fastest to climb all 14 peaks over 8,000m, were not even nominated for their achievements. Even extreme athletes with unquestioned skills and worldwide fame, such as Kilian Jornet, are often excluded because their accomplishments don’t involve technical mountaineering.

Meanwhile, Paul Ramsden of the U.K. holds a record five Piolets d’Or — but is little known beyond the community of hard-core alpinists.

Piolet d’Or: This Year’s Winners

This year, the three following teams will receive a coveted Piolet d’Or:

• Americans Matt Cornell, Jackson Marvell, and Alan Rousseau for a new route on the North Face of Mount Jannu in Nepal’s Kangchenjunga region.
• Hugo Beguin, Matthias Gribi, and Nathan Monard of Switzerland for a new route on a 6,000m peak in the Indian Himalayas.
• Kazuya Hiraide and Kenro Nakajima of Japan will receive theirs posthumously for the first ascent in 2023 of the North Face of Tirich Mir in Pakistan. It will be the fourth Piolet d’Or for Hiraide and the third for Nakajima. Sadly, both perished earlier this year while trying to open a new alpine-style route on the West Face of K2. True to a pure mountaineering style, they were attempting this bold new line on the world’s second-highest peak without previously fixed ropes or camps in a single push from base to summit, just two men alone on unknown terrain.

“The awards aim to celebrate commitment, the taste for adventure, and the sense of exploration,” the organizers state on the Piolet d’Or website.

Italian climber Nives Meroi will also be recognized for her part in setting the new route Diamonds on the Soles of the Shoes on the west face of Kabru South (7,318m) in the Himalayas. After an initial reconnaissance and one failed attempt, Peter Hámor, Bojan Jan, and the husband-and-wife team of Romano Benet and Nives Meroi climbed the face alpine style in 4 days.

A Celebration of Climbing — With Style

According to the organizers, the goal is not merely to award the best climbs.

“The purpose [is] to use these ascents to promote clear ethical messages regarding our practices as alpinists around the world, in line with the UNESCO classification of alpinism as an intangible cultural heritage,” the Piolets d’Or organizers state.

Each year, the jury considers many remarkable climbs from around the world. Previously, they came out with a shortlist and then chose two or three award winners from it.

Recently, they have decided to highlight all significant ascents. This year, the list includes over 50 expeditions. In an environment as variable as the mountains, picking two or three among these seems anything but easy.

Their criteria include style, level of commitment and self-sufficiency, the spirit of exploration, and the technical ability required, among others. The jury also factors in respect for other climbers, local communities, and the environment, as well as how the teams try to minimize resources.

“People think that the Piolet d’Or is a competition — I don’t think it should be,” climbing mountain guide Victor Saunders said in a promotional video for the award ceremony. “I think it’s more a celebration of alpine-style climbing, and that would be a better way to look at it.”

Some Climbers Remain Skeptical

Not everyone in the mountaineering community loves the Piolets d’Or. Some climbers dislike the idea that one climb is somehow better than another and refuse to accept an award if given. Others have asked the jury not to nominate them.

One source of debate is how far the ceremony should encourage high-risk alpinism. It’s no coincidence that over a dozen former Piolet d’Or winners have later died in the mountains. In 2024 alone, the organizers will pay tribute to Hiraide, Nakajima, and three more: Russians Dmitry Golovchenko, Sergey Nilov, and Archil Badriashvili of Georgia. All perished while climbing in the last 2 years.

Marek Holecek has two Piolets d’Or in his career. Last month, he climbed the infamous East Face of Langtang Lirung. Ordinarily, that would be a strong candidate for the awards in 2025. But Holecek’s partner, Ondrej Husherka, died in a crevasse fall during the descent, which eliminates the climb from Piolet d’Or contention.

Some years ago, a Russian expedition received a Piolet d’Or despite losing two members. A controversy erupted, and since then, the jury only awards climbs in which everyone in the party survives.

Learn more about this year’s winners on the Piolet d’Or website. The ceremony runs from December 8 to 11.

2022 Piolets d'Or Announced: O'Driscoll, Ukrainians Among Awarded Climbers

Only the world’s best and boldest climbers earn a spot in line for a 'golden ice axe,' alpinism’s seminal award. Eight award winners take the stage this year. Read more…