Golden Ice Axe in Slovenian alpinists' hands for the seventh time

Among this year's recipients of the Golden Ice Axe, the world's highest award for mountaineering achievements, are also Slovenian alpinists Urban Novak and Marko Prezelj, who together with Hayden Kennedy and Manu Pellissier climbed a first ascent route on the imposing 6,173-meter Cerro Kishtwar in India last October. This is already the seventh Golden Ice Axe for Slovenia in the 24-year history of the award for the most outstanding mountaineering ascent. The international jury will award two more ascents in the Nepalese Himalaya and one in Patagonia in April. The Lifetime Achievement Award in mountaineering goes this year to Pole Voytek Kurtyka, while Prezelj will become the first alpinist in the world with a fourth Golden Ice Axe.



The international Kishtwar 2015 expedition, consisting of Slovenians Urban Novak and Marko Prezelj (both from AO PD Kamnik), American Hayden Kennedy, and Frenchman Manu Pellissier, succeeded between October 5 and 8, 2015, as the first to climb the demanding east face of Cerro Kishtwar, a prominent peak in Indian Kashmir. The technically extremely demanding ascent, rated ED+, the elevated highest grade on the French scale, was marked by changeable weather and challenging conditions, but the Slovenian-American-French team climbed the 1,200-meter first ascent route Light before wisdom/Svetloba pred modrostjo on the east face of Cerro Kishtwar (6,173 m) in alpine style, and for acclimatization, a demanding route along the south ridge to Chomochior (6,278 m). "The four-day ascent on the east face thoroughly tested their strength, so they rated the route named Light before wisdom as ED+. The ascent very likely ranks among the world's best mountaineering ascents of 2015, which is why it strongly resonated in the international mountaineering community," confirmed the words of the Slovenian jury, which named Novak and Prezelj the most successful alpinists of 2015 in January this year.



The international jury for the 2016 Golden Ice Axe, which selected the most outstanding mountaineering ascents of 2015, consists of nine top alpinists from around the world: Silvo Karo (Slovenia), Valerij Babanov (Russia), Hervé Barmasse (Italy), Seb Bohin (France), Simon Elias (Spain), Yasuhiro Hanatani (Japan), Michael Kennedy (USA), Victor Saunders (UK), and Raphael Slawinsky (Canada). "Action, inspiration, and sharing" will be the slogan of the 24th Golden Ice Axe award ceremony, which will take place from April 14 to 17, 2016, in the French town of La Grave and is increasingly acquiring festival dimensions. "To be honest, I didn't think about which variable in the complex equation was decisive for the jury to invite us to this year's event. Precisely because mountaineering ascents cannot be objectively evaluated, I think it's good that the event is slowly transforming into – as the organizers themselves call it – a festival, which sounds less competitive and thus better suits the concept of alpinism," emphasizes expedition leader Urban Novak.



In addition to Novak, Prezelj, Kennedy, and Pellissier, the 2016 Golden Ice Axe goes to the Ukrainian team Nikita Balabanov and Mikhail Fomin for the ascent of Talung (7,348 m, Nepal), British alpinists Mick Fowler and Paul Ramsden for Gave Ding (6,571 m, Nepal), and the French-American-Argentine team Lise Billon, Antoine Moineville, Jerome Sullivan, and Diego Simari for Cerro Riso Patron (2,550 m, Chile). This year's Lifetime Achievement recipient is the renowned Voytek Kurtyka, a true phenomenon of the generation of Polish alpinists who marked the history of alpine-style climbing in the Himalaya.



"Mountaineering has always reflected societal events in its own way. Increased pressure on more known objectives draws attention to itself and at the same time directs attention elsewhere for those seeking different challenges. In the general flood of information, having a good idea, believing in it, and honorably realizing it is actually more demanding than it seems to those accustomed to making mostly routine decisions. Perhaps that's why exploratory alpinism is valued again now, taking into account pure style and a respectful approach to climbing," reflects Marko Prezelj, who will become the first alpinist in the world to receive a Golden Ice Axe for the fourth time in April. With the very first Golden Ice Axe awarded, the expert community in 1992 honored Marko Prezelj and Andrej Štremfelj for the ascent of the south pillar of Kangchenjunga (8,476 m) the previous year; in 2007, Prezelj received the Golden Ice Axe together with Boris Lorenčič for a new route in the pillar of Chomolhari (7,326 m) in 2006, and last year with Aleš Česen and Luka Lindič for the first ascent of Hagshu (6,657 m) in 2014.



Prezelj, a top alpinist, mountain guide, photographer, and leader of SMAR (Slovenian youth alpinist team), has long advocated for the Golden Ice Axe as a festival in the sense of a climbers' gathering rather than a mountaineering competition. "I hope Voytek Kurtyka will finally direct the evaluation of mountaineering ascents toward a festival approach. Given that he resisted this event for years and has now finally accepted the organizers' invitation, I will follow his contribution to the discussed topic with interest. Voytek actively embodies and advocates values in alpinism that are not easy to follow, and he knows how to express them accordingly: Can you trust the impressions of poor wretches tormented by the curse? Can you be guided by the report of captive beasts whose judgment operates on a different level of perception? My gesture last year with geraniums apparently directed the organizers toward a new creation..." he recalls how at last year's ceremony he gave each Golden Ice Axe recipient a geranium as a symbol of passion and pleasant, prickly memories that eventually dry up, thus balancing the plastic symbol of vanity, arrogance, prestige inherent to all ambitious beings.



On the extended list of 52 ascents for the 2016 Golden Ice Axe, besides Cerro Kishtwar, there were also four first ascents by Slovenian alpinists: Chugimago (6,258 m) by Luka Stražar and Matej Mučič in Nepal, Ri Pok Te (6,210 m) by Anastazija Davidova and Matic Jošt in India, Pik Panfilovski Division by Miha Hauptman and Uroš Stanonik, and Pik Carnovsky by Anže Jeršet, Miha Hauptman, and Uroš Stanonik in Kyrgyzstan.



Slovenian alpinists have prominently marked the history of the Golden Ice Axe, receiving the highest mountaineering award seven times in 24 years. The first Golden Ice Axe in 1992 went to Marko Prezelj and Andrej Štremfelj for the first ascent of the south pillar of Kangchenjunga (8,476 m). In 1997, Tomaž Humar and Vanja Furlan received it for a new route on the northwest face of Ama Dablam (6,812 m) in Nepal. In 2007, Marko Prezelj received the Golden Ice Axe for the second time, together with Boris Lorenčič for a new route climbed in the pillar of Chomolhari (7,326 m); the same year, Pavle Kozjek received the Golden Ice Axe by public vote for the first solo ascent of Cho Oyu (8,201 m) and the publication of a photo of the massacre of Tibetan refugees at Nangpa La pass. In 2012, Luka Stražar and Nejc Marčič received the Golden Ice Axe for the Dreamers of Golden Caves route on K7 West (6,858 m) in Pakistan, and in 2015, Aleš Česen, Luka Lindič, and Marko Prezelj for the first ascent of the north face of Hagshu (6,657 m) in the Indian Himalaya.