Piolet d’Or, the utmost acknowledgement amongst laurels for passioned an alpinist taken for eternity by the mountain, never to return him. For mere mortals… but a phantasm. Still, a few of the great ones manage to rise up high enough and return low in the safety of home and family with such a mastery which would in time earn a crown for undertaking this perfect endeavour and bond with the ascent, the mountain and oneself. Some of them, the unfathomable, never return. “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.”
To celebrate the art of climbing
Inspiration behind Piolet d’Or laurel is derived from rich, profound history of mountaineering and alpinism, celebrating a consciousness of partnership, solidarity, individual and team effort. Protagonists of highest category of modern mountaineering sport question the style and ethics more than ascension to the top. Accent is not, as was the case great many times in the past, on inexhaustible financial and technical resources such as oxygen bottles, fixed ropes, high altitude porters and performance enchanching substances. Accent is not on number of people on the top regardless of means. Piolet d’Or laurel treasures ingenuity and vision in design of new routes with minimal usage of technical equipment. Style of the ascent, exploring, adventurous spirit oriented toward unclimbed routes, autonomy, safety concerning objective dangers in the mountain, effective and economic use of resources, respect to the people, climbing partners, members of the team and porters – these are but a few among decisive factors when we talk about who would receive a laurel.
Lifetime achievement award
Ten years ago, in 2009, the first Lifetime Achievement Piolet d’Or was awarded to a gentleman and great mountain lover, journalist and mountaineer, Mr. Walter Bonatti. His mountaineering style perfectly reflects the spirit which imbues the award and in time he became somewhat of a godfather to all who would receive the laurel after him. In his honor, it is named Piolet d’Or Lifetime Achievement, Walter Bonatti. Mountaineering personae who were honored with the laurel take a special place on our big stage of mountain sports. Reinhold Messner. Doug Scott. Robert Paragot. Kurt Diemberger. John Roskelley. Sir Chris Bonnington. Wojciech Kurtyka. Jeff Lowe. Andrej Štremfelj. Each of the big ones deserves a distinguished story on which we shall work in the time ahead.
2019 and Krzysztof Wielicki
Born in Szklarka Przygodzzicka, near the sea, surrounded by wilderness and engulfed in adventures which would stick, at first in the spirit of a young scout and then in one of the finest expedition leaders of all times. Electronics engineer, on Wrocław University of Science and Technology he gets acquainted with, by then renown climber, today also among legends, Wanda Rutkiewicz and in 1972. he attends the first climber’s camp organized by her. His opening climbing season was marked by a fall and inury of spinal cord; he escapes from the hospital via the balcony only to run at his brother’s wedding, crops his cervical collar with knife to hide it under his suit. Three years later in Italian Dolomites he receives a stone on his head and looses consciousness for several moments. Instead of giving up and returning to the valley, he makes progress to the top, sleeps just below and on his way back kindly asks some local doctor to stitch his head. Who would say that many years later this man will acquire the acknowledgement as one of the greatest!?
First winter ascent on Mt. Everest and first winter ascent on an eight-thousander in history. First solo ascent on an eight-thousander and return in the same day, Broad Peak. New route on southeast face of Manaslu. First solo winter ascent on Lhotse. First winter ascent on Kangchenjunga with Jerzy Kukuczka. Solo ascent on east face of Dhaulagiri. Sung in an extraordinary book by Canadian author Bernadette McDonald, Freedom Climbers, together with many a hero of the golden age of Polish climbing in Himalayas, Mr. Krzysztof Wielicki most definitely deserves latest Piolet d’Or Lifetime Achievement.
Luang Ri and David Lama
An ascent which deserves Piolet d’Or laurel enjoys superlatives when it comes to mountaineering achievement. It embodies somewhat of a synthesis of long, remarkably hard preparations which demand preliminary mountain ventures and autonomous masterpieces before mastepriece, like master painter who makes sketches before he embarks on the way of envisioning his thoughts and ideas. It is a dance in partnership with the mountain, a dance to connect human being with his surroundings, with the time, with nature. A dance which synthesizes his very own philosophy of life, his state of mind, sometimes brought to its maximum capacity, state which is often exposed to the most severe, most extreme weather. In the end, it is an endeavour upon which the whole human being is built, life completely dedicated to mountaineering work, awe, rebuke, good fortune and condemnation; we will most probably never entirely be able to grasp through the marrow of such a feat – it can be seen as such only by its author. This year’s laurels are honoring lads who not only excel by quality of their ascents but by the one in life as well, who cherish values of humanity, solidarity, team effort.
Solo
Luang Ri, bordering ridge between Nepal and Tibet. Empire of snow and ice; until 2018, despite several attempts she did not receive a single soul on her top. Not until David Lama and Conrad Anker met. The year is 2015 and the tandem is visiting the mountain for the first time recording a withdrawal just 300 meters below the summit, leaving a mark with new altitude record but also a nice prelude in the next attempt which would take place in the following year. As most of us know very well, life bears abundance of extraordinary surprises, especially when it comes to high altitude mountaineering. Unfortunately, sometimes it gives rise of not so pleasant ones. 2016 attempt is brought to a halt when Anker suffers from a stroke and is evacuated off the mountain. With high hopes they would go back together and finish what they had started, Mr. Lama is postponing the project until 2018 when Anker decides to make a step back and withdraw for the sake of his family – undertaking a masterpiece of his own. For it is amongst highest of human qualities, to make a step back when it comes to mountaineering, even more so when it is done for the sake of the family. The same year in his honor, climbing in the kingdom of snow and ice, after two bivouacs, David Lama climbs the mountain over the western ridge undertaking a deed which would stay, as he said: “engraved in my memory for the exposure, the difficulty, the cold and the loneliness, and for a successful conclusion to a personal project.” It is with heavy heard we make the say, David Lama received the laurel post mortem. On 16. of April, together with his partners Jess Roskelley and Hansjörg Auer he finishes one stage of his life’s path under an avalanche of Canadian Rockies. The laurel was receied by his mother and father.
Latok I
Aleš Česen; we can proudly say that this mountain wolf of great experience comes from our neighboring, Slovenian mountains among which we just love to dwell; in 2015 he received Piolet d’Or for his work on Hagshu mountain together with Luka Lindič and Marko Prezelj. In 2019, with his partners Luka Stražar and Tom Livingstone he is awarded once more, this time for their 2.500 meter ascent through the north ridge/face and south face of Latok mountain – her highest peak, Latok I.
Luphgar Sar
Hansjörg Auer lost his life together with David Lama and Jess Roskelley in the April of Canadian Rockies. Mountain sports with alpinism as the purest form give so much; sadly they take what is most precious to us – life. Mr. Auer is awarded this year’s laurel for his solo success on the western, 1.000 meter wall of 7.200 meters high Luphgar Sar. When we say it is almost impossible to count honorable ascents which take place every year amongst the mountains of the world, we believe we emit a thought of the organizer of this, for the mountaineering world, magnificent manifestation and we are looking forward to the following ones which in their own way become a masterpiece themselves.
We would like to dedicate this work to the wonderful staff of Piolets d’Or who provided us with photographs which inspired us to write it and also to many a mountaineer who every day try to climb themselves and the world towards a bright future.
Bibliography: official Web site (pioletsdor.net), Wikipedia (English and Polish), Bernadette McDonald: Iskalci svobode (Freedom climbers), Sidarta, 2015, Rock and Ice magazine, Red Bull official Web site.
