Piolet d'Or


The Piolet d'Or is an annual mountaineering award given by the French magazine Montagnes and The Groupe de Haute Montagne since 1992. Golden Ice Axes are awarded for achievements in the previous year. It is considered mountaineering's highest honor, and dubbed as the "Oscars" of mountaineering and climbing. Nominations are selected by GHM and Montagnes, and the award is chosen by a jury consisting of Guy Chaumereuil, Jean-Claude Marmier, the current president of GHM, the current editor of Montagnes, the previous year's winners and three members invited by GHM, one of whom becomes the president of the jury.
The criteria for the award are stated in French and translate as:
The selection of potential laureates, as well as the conditions of awarding the trophy obey a strict ethic, which is in line with the founding values of the GHM. High technical level and commitment certainly constitute the principal criteria to which the GHM members feel so attached.
The originality in the choice of the objective and the innovative nature of the manner of conducting the ascent are equally important elements of appreciation. The practice of alpinism is in effect in perpetual evolution, and this dimension should not be forgotten. It's by the crossing of certain stages that were considered impassable that mentalities have evolved, and ascents reputed to be impossible have become commonplace…
Respect for the mountains that surround us, the beauty of movement, and the spirit in which people climb those mountains are also primary conditions for the awarding of the prize. We cannot in fact pass down to future generations summits mutilated in the name of a destructive climbing style without profoundly altering the spirit itself of this activity

Controversy has surrounded the award, due to the non-quantifiable nature of climbing accomplishments, and the varying interpretations of 'alpinism' and 'respect for the mountains.' Controversy has been magnified when the award recipient completed the climb in 'heavy' style, spending large amounts of time on the ascent and leaving gear behind, as in the cases of the 1997 and 2005 awards. In 2005 Ian Parnell withdrew his nomination, as did Alessandro Beltrami, Rolando Garibotti and Ermanno Salvaterra in 2006 for what might be the first ascent of the north face of Cerro Torre, and in 2008 during the selection process Garibotti asked the jury not to take into consideration the Torre Traverse first ascent he completed with Colin Haley. Marko Prezelj rejected the award in 2007 on stage to express his opposition for competition in alpinism. Marmier left the jury in 1998 explaining that "the decision of the jury has been a real disaster."

2020 award

The 2020 Piolet d'Or will be awarded in September 2020 during the Review of Mountain Films named after Andrzej Zawada in Lądek-Zdrój, Poland.
The 2019 Piolet d'Or was awarded in September 2019 during the Review of Mountain Films named after Andrzej Zawada in Lądek-Zdrój, Poland. The winners were:
The 2018 Piolet d'Or was awarded on September 20-23, 2018 during the Review of Mountain Films named after Andrzej Zawada in Lądek-Zdrój, Poland. The winners were:
In April 2017 the following ascents were honored:
In March 2016 four 2015 ascents were honored:
This year in an unprecedented move, the Piolets d'Or jury — Stephen Venables, Silvo Karo, Katsutaka Yokoyama and Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner — awarded all six of the nominated ascents with golden ice axes. The 6 winning climbs - all in the Himalaya and Karkoram mountains - were:
They also recognized Hayden Kennedy and Jason Kruk's fair-means ascent of the Compressor Route on Cerro Torre and David Lama and Peter Ortner's first free ascent of the line.
"2012 was an exceptional year for groundbreaking ascents. The jury struggled to reduce that list six," the press release read. "...In light of the very high level of the six ascents, the jury has decided to award each of the nominated ascents a Piolet d'Or."

2012 award

The winners were:
A third ascent has been given a special mention by the jury: Torre Egger, Argentina, by Bjorn-Eivind Aartun and Ole Lied
The Piolet d'Or 2011 took place in Chamonix from 16 to 17 April 2011.
The winners were:
The Piolet d'Or 2010 took place in Chamonix and Courmayeur from 8–10 April 2010.
The winners were:
The Piolet d'or 2009 took place in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc and Courmayeur in the Aosta Valley on the 24th and 25 April 2009.
The 2009 awardees were:
For 2008, the Piolet D'Or was canceled. The co-founders of the award decided to initiate a new process for selecting the nominees and winner, and the process could not be completed on a timely basis for 2008.

2007 award

The 2007 Piolet d'Or was awarded on January 26, 2007 in Grenoble, France. The winners were:
Other finalist were: