Organizers at the Piolets d’Or insist this is not a competition but a celebration of alpinism. This might be hard to believe, even disappointing, for audiences searching for a “best of” contest.
The first word that comes to mind when meeting the guests and organizers at the Piolets d’Or is “familiar.” Most of those in attendance have been here before; some many times. Everyone cheerfully greets each other as old friends and immediately starts to chat. It emphasizes how mountaineering is an activity fed by the warmth of friendship and the love of wild nature.
A gala evening
The gala at which the Piolets d’Or awards are given is happening as we post this story, but related events started three days before. The 2024 edition is taking place in San Martino di Castrozza, a resort town in the Italian Dolomites. After a remarkably mild autumn, the snow has just started to accumulate.
A cloudy morning in San Martino di Castrozza. Photo: Angela Benavides
As the big day approached, the last guests arrived, many driving from Chamonix, like climbers Helias Milleiroux and Masha Gordon, and researcher Rodolphe Popier. Nives Meroi and Romano Benet came from the Slovenian border. Mikhailo Fomin of Ukraine also showed up.
The Swiss team awarded for their new route up Flat Top in India’s Kirstwar Himalaya came with an entire delegation. There were the three young climbers, all in their 20s — Hugo Beguin, Matthias Gribi, and Nathan Monard — plus their sponsors, parents, and friends. They seem to be the happiest people at the venue.
“We still can’t believe we got a Piolet d’Or; we are so surprised and happy,” they said.
The Swiss Flat Top team jumped with joy. Left to right, Monard, Beguin, and Gribi. Photo: Piotr Drozdz/Piolets d’Or
Hiraide and Nakajima
At lunch in the Rosetta hut, while the media interviewed the climbers, two little kids scampered among the tables. They were Kazuya Hiraide’s children. Their mother and Kenro Nakajima’s widow came from the other side of the world to receive this recognition on behalf of their late husbands. Their Piolet d’Or comes for their new 2023 route on Tirich Mir. Hiraide and Nakajima sadly perished this summer while attempting the West Face of K2.
Lifetime award recipient Jordi Corominas pointed out that death is part of mountaineering and a topic that should be discussed among families and assumed as a real possibility. Yet all those present at the venue clench their teeth while watching the kids and their mothers. Hiraide’s kids point to their dad on the big screen.
It is hard to imagine the effort that Joko Hiraide has made to go on stage and discuss her husband’s and Nakajima’s climb of Tirich Mir. She presented bravely but broke down at the end. The audience gave her a long, emotional ovation.
Climbers, press, friends, and organizers get together on a day hike in the snowy Dolomites. Photo: Piotr Drozdz/Piolets d’Or
Currently, Americans Jackson Marvell, Matt Cornell, and Alan Rousseau have taken the stage to present their climb of the north face of Jannu. Then Nives Meroi will recount her climb of Kabru South, also in the Kangchenjunga region.
The Jannu team onstage at the Piolets d’Or. Photo: Angela Benavides
Their stories and photos provide the background for another story about the remarkable awards in which no one loses and the spirit of alpinism wins.
