It is in the heart of the Dolomites, in the small Italian resort of San Martino di Castrozza that the 2024 edition of the Piolets d’Or took place, from December 8 to 11. Lots of tributes, great discussions on alpine style and the place of women in high-level mountaineering. It’s time for the debrief with Christian Trommsdorff, president of the High Mountain Group, main organizer of the event.
© Piotr Drodz / Piotr Drodz
San Martino di Castrozza and the authentic mountaineering of the Dolomites
After three years spent in Briançon, the small community of Piolets d’Or chose to go and celebrate great mountaineering near the Dolomites this year, and more precisely at San Martino di Castrozza, a small resort in Trentino perched at 1,450 meters above sea level. altitude in one of the most important rock massifs of the Dolomites: “ We are in the most authentic part of the Dolomites, explique Christian Trommsdorff. We were wonderfully welcomed but beyond that, it must be emphasized that there is a real culture and very lively mountaineering here, even if it is not very noticeable from France. All the guides sections of Trentino came to participate in the party. It is a village of 300 inhabitants but with 8,500 beds and a large ski resort. They know how to welcome. Nothing has been decided yet for next year but I would really like to come back to it. »
Kazuya Hiraide and Kenro Nakajima posthumously
It was then the turn of those close to Kazuya Hiraide and Kenro Nakajima to take the stage. Disappeared at K2 this summer, the two Japanese were posthumously rewarded for their ascent of Tirich Mir, a peak which rises to 7,708 meters in the Hindu Kush, in the northwest of Pakistan: “ Their loved ones showed character by coming to San Martino for what was both a celebration and a test for them », says Christian Trommsdorff who also welcomes the presence of many Japanese journalists. “ They were very well known, very publicized, at home in Japan “, he emphasizes.
The families of Kazuya Hiraide and Kenro Nakajima on the stage of the Golden Boys © Golden Boys/ Piotr Drodz
The president of the GHM also said he was very impressed by the achievement of the Americans Jackson Marvell, Alan Rousseau and Matt Cornell at Jannu: “ It’s really crazy what they did on this huge face above 7,000. It’s always difficult to categorize but it’s certainly one of the major climbs of the decade. »
On stage, the three Americans talked about their hallucinations at the summit, their frostbite and how they shared a sleeping bag for three during the seven days that their ascent lasted. So many ingredients that make the alpine style unique at very high altitude: “ Some will think that we have gone too far in the commitment, they will certainly be rightexplained Alan Rousseau. It’s true that we didn’t have much margin but that’s what we were looking for. »
The elders and the next generation
“It seems important to us to systematize a special female mention for the transmission and impact side on the coming generations. »
Christian Trommsdorff
After long debates and even if not everyone necessarily agrees with the idea, the Piolets d’Or organization has therefore decided to systematize this special mention in order to promote women’s mountaineering: ” We had already awarded a special mention last year to Caro North, Nadia Royo and Capucine Cotteaux for their expedition to Greenland, explique Christian Trommsdorff. We decided to systematize it but in a flexible form. That is to say, it can be a purely female climb or a mountaineer who has an emblematic career, like Nives Meroi. This seems important to us for the transmission side and impact on the upcoming generations. Not everyone necessarily agrees with that. Some girls consider that girl-specific awards can be demeaning, but overall there are more pros than cons. »
© Piotr Drodz / Piotr Drodz
