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Damian Granowski

19 February 2016

This coming April, we will be celebrating the different dimensions of alpinism, and more generally the 'mountain spirit', in a region that is emblematic of the values that we seek to promote, including sharing experiences, commitment, and innovation. We will be present in the area around the Piolets d’Or base camps in La Grave and the Lautaret col, in one of the most beautiful parts of France. Here at the heart of Ecrins National Park, we’ll follow in the footsteps of La Meije’s legendary 'Père Gaspard'.

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Damian Granowski

17 December 2015

Eptingen in Switzerland has new dry-tooling extreme route. Jonas Allemann send Iron Knight D14+/15- (proposition grade), which is combination of 3 previous routes: Dark Knight (D11+/12-), Spiderman and Iron Man D14/14+.

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Damian Granowski

15 November 2015

Extreme sport enters the digital age: with GuideBase, the journey for mountain sports enthusiasts now starts with a simple online booking experience. Based on the model of successful online platforms like Airbnb, we at GuideBase.com, a Munich-based startup, are pioneering a means of directly bringing together adventure-seekers with certified mountain guides and ski instructors.

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Damian Granowski

18 June 2015

Guys from winfieldsoutdoors.co.uk prepare nice infographic about climbing to Mount Everest. You know... Everest is overcrowded, but still he is the highest  mouintain in the world, but I hear that in winter there is less people ;).

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Damian Granowski

22 April 2015

Takeshi Tani and Yamada Toshiyuki repeats The Wild Thing Ⅵ M7 WI5 1300m on east face of Mt. Chephren in the Canadian Rockies. 45 hours from car to car.

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Damian Granowski

11 April 2015

The endurance of a memorable traverse in Patagonia, the harshness of a 2,000 mt high face in the Everest valley, the elegance of a new route in the Indian mountains. Three ascents, three feats, three adventure…

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Damian Granowski

09 March 2015

The year 1865 marked the apotheosis of the golden age of "conquering" the summits of the Alps, and the Piolets d'Or 2015 will be the occasion to announce a series of commemorative exhibitions and events, which will punctuate the summer season 2015.

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Damian Granowski

05 March 2015

Once again this year, the Piolets d'Or celebrates mountaineering in all its various dimensions. Both for his historical achievements and for his promotion of mountaineering, Chris Bonington, a living legend and a major figure in 20th century mountaineering, will receive the Career Piolet d'Or from the hands of his no-less-legendary friend and climbing partner Doug Scott.

The Piolets d'Or will also be an occasion to launch the events for «1865, The High Point of the Golden Age of Mountaineering. There were many British mountaineers, along with their alpine guides, who were the protagonists in the great first ascents achieved in 1865: Matterhorn, Grandes Jorasses, Aiguille Verte, to cite the most famous of the summits first climbed in that year. A series of events and exhibitions will mark this golden age of mountain
conquests throughout the summer season of 2015, in the Chamonix valley, and elsewhere in the Alps.

Finally, with regard to modern mountaineering, the Piolets d'Or will reward some of last year’s most impressive routes. These will be chosen by a high-flying international committee of impeccable technical credentials from nine different countries, whom we are proud to be able to count on for support in promoting ethical mountaineering attitudes !

List of nominated ascents

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Damian Granowski

04 March 2015

German alpinists Michael Wohlleben and Joachim Feger have made an alpine style first ascent of Optimist, a 1300m line up the West Face of Schneefernerkopf in the Wetterstein massif, Austria.

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Damian Granowski

04 February 2015

Throughout the coming year the Alps will celebrate the 150th anniversary of what would later become known as the Golden Age of Alpinism. This culminated in 1865 with the remarkable first ascents of the most difficult summits in the range: Matterhorn, Aiguille Verte, Grandes Jorasses, and others. 

During that year a new kind of mountaineering took shape; many of the new routes required an outstanding athletic performance, such as Mont Blanc via the Brenva Spur. The 2015 Piolets d’Or will primarily remember and celebrate this landmark in climbing history.

For years climbers from afar have made their way towards these mountains, driven by passion and an intense, yet reverent desire to reach the top. Like all previous Piolets d’Or, the 2015 event will celebrate alpinism, both as a sport and as a form of culture. In 2014 mountaineers pursued their dreams, visiting lesser-known summits, and demonstrating that exploratory alpinism, as experienced by the pioneers of the Golden Age, is still totally elevant.

The list of all relevant first ascents of 2014 will be on the Piolets d'Or website from 8th February 2015 : www.pioletsdor.com

WHY THE PIOLETS D’OR ?
The object of the Piolets d’Or is to honour alpinism at the highest levels, its technical performance and its spirit of adventure. It unites participants from the previous year’s most remarkable ascents, made on mountains all over the world. It aims to bring
mountaineering to a wider audience and to highlight unique experiences in fascinating natural environments. The achievements of these alpinists will be a positive demonstration of the ethics of the sport, and the respect for the natural environment and local cultures, as documented in the Piolets d'Or Charter.
Supported by international bodies such as the Alpine Club, the American Alpine Club, the Italian Alpine Club, the French Federation of Mountaineering and Climbing and the French Federation of Alpine and Mountain Clubs, the Piolets d'Or finds inspiration in the rich history of mountaineering, while rewarding the spirit of the roped party, its courage, endurance and a sense of exploration in the art of climbing mountains.

The "Piolet d'Or Cereer" was created to reward a mountaineering career that has inspired generations through its spirit, and is in hannony with the criteria established by the Charter. In 2009, the first career Piolet d'Or was awarded to Walter Bonatti. He was followed by Reinhold Messner (2010), Doug Scott (2011), Robert Paragot (2012), Kurt Diemberger (2013) and John Roskelley (2014).

The seventh Piolet d'Or Career will be awarded this year to: Chris Bonington

Born in 1934, Chris Bonington began climbing at the age of 17. In 1958 he took part in an early ascent of the Bonatti Pillar on the Petit Dru, and later became the flrst Briton to climb the North Face of the Eiger. He was soon invited to take part in Himalayan adventures; he reached the summit of Annapurna Il (7927 m) in 1960, and then Nuptse (7861 m) in 1961.
These achievements were followed by a succession of first ascents : the Central Pillar of Freney on Mont Blanc (1961, with Don Whillans, lan Clough and Jan Dlugosz), Central Tower of Paine (Patagonia, 1963, with Don Whillans), Righthand Pillar of Brouillard (1965, with Rusty Baillie, John Harlin, and Brian Robertson). In 1966, having become a photojournalist, he covered the ascent of the Direttissima on the Eiger North Face, providing assistance to John Harlin's team. 
ln 1970 Himalayan climbers benetited from the reopening of Nepal, and began climbing  the great faces of its giant peaks. Chris Bonington led a strong team on the south face of Annapurna, where Don Whillans and Dougal Haston reached the summit. In 1975 he led a successful expedition to Everest, which made the first ascent of the Southwest Face. In between he made the first ascent of Brammah 1(6411 m) in Kishtwar, and Changabang (6864 m) in the Garhwal.

ln 1977, Chris Bonington climbed Baintha Brakk (7285 m) with Doug Scott, who broke both ankles early in the descent. The two men then made one of the most extraordinary descents in the history of Himalaya climbing. In 1981 he made the first ascent of Kongur (7719 m), a huge mountain in China. In 1983 he climbed a technical rock route to make the first ascent of Shivling West with Jim Fotheringham. Prior to this he had organized an expedition to the West face of K2 (1978) and the Northeast ridge of Everest (1982). Then followed two expeditions to Melungtse, Vinson in 1983, and Everest, which he summited in 1985.

Chris Bonington's achievements have been signiticant in both the Alps and Himalaya. He has published numerous books, which have been translated into many languages. A businessman and writer, he has received numerous awards in the United Kingdom and was knighted in 1996.
ln 2014, to celebrate his 80th birthday, he returned to repeat one of his own famous climbs, the Old Man of Hoy, a spectacular sea stack in Orkney, which he first climbed in 1966, and where he organized a major programme for the BBC in 1967.

An outstanding and passionate climber, Chris Bonington will this April join the elite group of mountaineers to have been awarded a Career Piolet d'Or.

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Damian Granowski

02 July 2014

Czech climbers Jan Straka i Pavel Vrtik do new route on Les Droites. Le Vol Du Dragon (M7+ A2 1200m. 8-12 march 2014). Alpine style, no bolts, only one pitch is aid, 3 biwaques on wall. Here you have film from ascent.

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Damian Granowski

09 February 2014

Yesterday Lucie Hrozová repeated Bafomet M14 in Tatra Mountains (Poland). It's the first female ascent on this route and fourth in order. There also is movie from this ascent :).