PZS Awards for Outstanding Achievements

The Alpine Association of Slovenia awarded recognitions for top achievements in alpinism, sport and ice climbing, and ski touring for the year 2016 at the alpinism-climbing evening on February 2 at the Ljubljana Fair. Tjaša Jelovčan became the most successful female alpinist and Luka Lindič the most successful male alpinist, while Himalayan climber Andrej Štremfelj was honored for his lifetime achievement in alpinism. The most successful sport climbing duo is Janja Garnbret and Domen Škofic, the most successful ice climber Janez Svoljšak, and the ski tourer Nejc Kuhar.



"We Slovenes are a sporting nation, as evidenced by our top athletes, whose phenomenal successes excite experts at home and abroad, who do not fully understand how we can achieve such excellent results at the international level. The answer is known: with knowledge, immeasurable energy, and enthusiasm. Perhaps there is something to the fact that when we come together, the sky really is the only limit in achieving incredible sporting feats," said Tomaž Barada, vice-president of the Olympic Committee of Slovenia - Association of Sports Federations, multiple world and European taekwondo champion, in his welcoming speech.



The purpose of the selection by the Alpine Association of Slovenia (PZS) and its Commission for Alpinism (KA), Commission for Sport Climbing (KŠP), and Commission for Mountain Sports (KGŠ) is to evaluate the highest-quality alpinistic ascents, top sport climbing achievements, and successes in ice climbing and ski touring, and to present to the public the most prominent achievements of Slovenian female and male alpinists who carried out several successful ascents and expeditions last year, sport climbers who had their most successful season to date, and ice climbers and ski tourers who achieved excellent competitive results at the world level. At the mountaineering-alpinism evening at the Natour Alpe-Adria fair, competitors in sport and ice climbing also received recognitions from the Olympic Committee of Slovenia - Association of Sports Federations (OKS-ZŠZ) for achievements at the highest international competitions. The event was enlivened by short films from the upcoming 11th Mountain Film Festival, with particular interest in the 1983 retrospective Sphinx, in which we follow Andrej Štremfelj, Aleš Kunaver, and Marjan Manfreda climbing the Face of Sphinx.



Top Alpinists of 2016

The most successful female alpinist of 2016 is Tjaša Jelovčan (AO PD Kranj), who dedicated the season to high alpine rock walls and crowned it with an ascent of the longest ridge on Mont Blanc. The most successful male alpinist of 2016 is Luka Lindič (AO PD Celje - Matica), established among the handful of world alpinists who dictate the trend of development in this activity at the highest level. Behind him are three successful expeditions to the Yosemite area, the Kookshai too range, and the Karakorum, where with Aleš Česen he climbed Broad Peak and via the northwest ridge reached the north summit of Gasherbrum IV. The most promising female alpinist duo of 2016 are Marija Jeglič (AO PD Ljubljana - Matica) and Sara Jaklič (AO PD Kranj), and the most promising male alpinist 2016 is Matija Volontar (AO PD Jesenice). Recognitions for special achievements in alpinism were received by Aleš Česen (Alpine Mountaineering Club) and posthumously by Domen Kastelic (Academic AO).



The recipient of the lifetime achievement award in alpinism is Himalayan climber Andrej Štremfelj (AO PD Kranj), whose approach to alpinism, and also to life, maintains freshness and maturity at the same time. He entered Slovenian alpinistic history on May 13, 1979, when with Nejc Zaplotnik they became the first Slovenes and at the same time the first Yugoslavs to summit Everest (8848 m), and in 1990 they climbed the highest mountain with his wife Marija and became the first married couple on the roof of the world. He also climbed seven other eight-thousanders, and for the first ascent in alpine style up the south pillar of Kanchenjunga (8476 m) in 1991 with Marko Prezelj, they received the prestigious international alpinism award, the Piolet d'Or.



Top Sport Climbers of 2016

The most successful sport climber female of 2016 is Janja Garnbret (Šaleški AO), world champion in sport climbing and overall winner of the World Cup in lead and combined, also third in the selection for athlete of the year 2016. The most successful sport climber male of 2016 is Domen Škofic (ŠPO PD Radovljica), the first Slovenian competitor with an overall World Cup win in sport climbing (Domen last year in lead). Recognitions for top achievements in competitions were received by sport climbers Tjaša Kalan (AO PD Kranj), Julija Kruder (ŠPO PD Celje - Matica), Mina Markovič (ŠPK Plus) with bronze from the world championship, and Urban Primožič (PK Škofja Loka), with a special recognition going to paracl climber Gregor Selak (ŠPD Gre gor).



Recognitions for promising sport climbers for results at the world and European youth championships and in the European youth cup were received by Matic Kotar (ŠD Proteus), Mia Krampl (AO PD Kranj), Vita Lukan (ŠPO PD Radovljica), Luka Potočar (ŠPO PD Radovljica), Lučka Rakovec (ŠD Proteus), Urška Repušič (ŠPO APD Kozjak Maribor), and Tjaša Slemenšek (Šaleški AO). The coaching recognition was earned by Gorazd Hren (Šaleški AO), coach of Garnbret, the most successful sport climber of the past season, and selector of the Slovenian national team in sport climbing.



Recognitions from the Olympic Committee of Slovenia - Association of Sports Federations (OKS-ZŠZ) for achievements at the highest international competitions were received by: Garnbret the grand statue for 1st place at the world championship, Škofic the grand statue for 1st place in the overall World Cup ranking and Markovič the grand statue for 3rd place at the world championship, Selak the gold badge for 3rd place at the world championship for the disabled, Krampl the silver badge for 2nd place at the world youth championship and Lukan for 2nd and 3rd place at the world youth championship, coach Gorazd Hren the gold plaque, and selector of the Slovenian paraclimbing national team Jurij Ravnik the bronze plaque.



Urban Primožič and Jure Raztresen (both PK Škofja Loka), who ended their competitive careers last year, received the PZS silver honorary badge in thanks for their long-term and successful representation of the colors of the Slovenian senior and youth national team in sport climbing.



Top in Ice Climbing and Ski Touring 2016

The most successful ice climber of 2016 is Janez Svoljšak (AO PD Kranj), European champion in competitive ice climbing, also recipient of the OKS-ZŠZ gold badge for 1st place at the European championship in a non-Olympic sports discipline. Nejc Kuhar (TSO PD Jezersko) was named the most successful ski tourer of 2016.