The prestigious Piolets d’Or awards have just taken place in Chamonix and Courmayer and, in a break from tradition, all six shortlisted teams were presented with awards.
Unable to choose a clear winner, the judging panel chaired by Stephen Venables cited the high level of all the six shortlisted teams and an interest in promoting diversity in the sport in the future as the reasons for not announcing an outright winner. The jury also made ‘special mention’ of two ascents of Cerro Torre because of the style and ethics displayed by the teams involved. David Lama and Peter Ortner freeclimbed the southeast ridge in January 2012 soon after Hayden Kennedy and Jason Kruk had removed bolts from the route on their way down.
The Brits among this year’s winners include Mick Fowler (pictured above) and Paul Ramsden for their route on Shiva, and Sandy Allan and Rick Allen from a team that traversed Nanga Parbet over 18 days. A lifetime achievement award was also presented to Kurt Diemberger. For a full list of winning teams and ascents, go to the Piolets d’Or website below.
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www.pioletsdor.com/