Piolet d’Or announced

• Friday 6th March 2015

March 6^th, 2015

Three ascents have selected for the 23^rd Piolet d’Or awards which will be presented in Chamonix and Courmayeur in April. As we previously reported Sir Chris Bonnington will also be award with a Piolet d’Or Carreer.

The three ascents selected are as follows:

The traverse of the Fitz Roy range Argentina, Patagonia (3,405 m)

From 12th- 16th February 2014, Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold succeeded in completing the full traverse of the range, from north to south. They had to climb seven summits: Aguja Guillaumet, Aguja Mermoz, Cerro Fitz Roy, Aguja Poincenot, Aguja Rafael Juarez, Aguja Saint-Exupery and Aguja S, a total of 4,000m of ascent, a maximum grade of 7a, with ice sections at 65°. Such a traverse could only be contemplated by very fast climbers. http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web14w/news wire-fitz-traverse-caldwell-honnold

Thamserku Nepal, Khumbu (6,618 m)

Alexander Gukov and Alexey Lonchinsky (Russia) have opened up a route on the South Face, at 1,620m. Their route, which required six bivies, has been named Shy Girl. They estimated it as grade 6A/6B (Russian grading), presenting some passages on steep ice with mixed sections M4-M5, and passages requiring artificial climbing (A2). The descent was via the South Ridge and the South-West Face in twenty-two  abseils. http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web14x/newswir e-thamserku-russian-southwest

Hagshu India, Kisthwar (6,657 m)

Ales Cesen, Luka Lindic and Marko Prezelj (Slovenia) opened a route on the North face of 1,350 meters high, ED, ice at 90°. The steepness and difficulty of the ice forced them to climb until two o’clock in the morning, on the first day. They summited the next day, 30th September, at 5pm, then descended by the original route, first opened in 1989 by Polish climbers. http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web14f/newswire -hagshukishtwar-cesen-lindic-prezelj

The 23rd Piolet d’Or will be held in Chamonix and Courmayeur between the 9^th and the 12^th of April. The detailed program of events will be available at the end of March.