BURSTCanadian climbers are among the alpinists recognized with the 2026 Piolets d’Or, with Maarten van Haeren part of the team that made a first ascent of the southeast pillar of Ultar Sar in Pakistan. Van Haeren, climbing with Ethan Berman of the United States and Canada and Sebastián Pelletti of Australia, completed the 3,100-metre route on Ultar Sar in the Batura Muztagh from June 6 to 11, 2025.
Their ascent of the pillar, via Shooting the Moon, was one of four 2025 ascents selected for the Piolets d’Or’s main awards. The jury praised the climb for its commitment, self-sufficiency, exploration and teamwork. The awards recognize significant achievements in mountaineering, with an emphasis on technical difficulty, commitment, exploration and style.
Ultar Sar: a high-altitude first ascent: Van Haeren, Berman and Pelletti had first targeted the southeast pillar in 2024, reaching roughly halfway on their best attempt. They returned the following year after acclimatizing to 6,500 metres above the Batokshi Col, just south of Batura I.
From a base camp at 4,400 metres below Ultar Sar, the team entered the glacial basin beneath the pillar on June 6. They generally climbed overnight and through the morning, waking at about 10 or 11 p.m. and climbing until around lunchtime to avoid the heat.
The key section was the rock pillar above 6,650 metres, which involved sustained mixed climbing on predominantly good granite. The climbers established their final bivouac at 7,150 metres before reaching the summit at 9 a.m. on June 11. They rappelled back to their 6,650-metre bivouac that day but were delayed by bad weather for another day before beginning the descent. More than 70 rappels were required to reach the cwm below the pillar.
The jury described the route as a “beautiful and much attempted line” involving difficult climbing at high altitude. It said the ascent demonstrated the “very high level of commitment, self-sufficiency, spirit of exploration and team effort” expected of a Piolet d’Or ascent.
Jannu East: a technical route on a 7,000-metre peak: French climbers Nicolas Jean and Benjamin Védrines received an award for the first ascent of Jannu East in Nepal’s Kangchenjunga Himal. The pair climbed the 2,300-metre Le Sommet des Pieux route on the mountain’s north face and east ridge from Oct. 12 to 15, 2025, reaching the summit before rappelling and downclimbing their route.
Jannu East is connected to the 7,710-metre main summit of Jannu by a narrow, two-kilometre ridge. Although it has little prominence above the connecting col, the peak has been a sought-after objective for decades.
Jean and Védrines had attempted the north face in 2024, retreating from 6,700 metres. They returned in 2025 and acclimatized by climbing a 6,000-metre subsummit of Merra and making a one-day first ascent of nearby Anidesh Chuli, at 6,808 metres.
Their Jannu East route involved hanging snowfields, steep snow, WI5 ice and an M6 mixed pitch, much of it with limited protection. They reached the east ridge at about 6,900 metres before climbing the narrow, heavily corniced ridge to the summit. The descent required roughly 50 rappels and sections of downclimbing. The jury said the ascent was completed in a “perfect lightweight style” and demonstrated the technical ability required to climb a consistently steep north face with few opportunities for secure protection.
Yerupajá: an ascent with no realistic retreat: Spanish Catalan climbers Bru Busom, Rubén Sanmartín and Marc Toralles were recognized for the first complete ascent of the east spur and east ridge of Yerupajá in Peru, followed by a traverse to Yerupajá Sur and descent of its southeast face.
The team climbed the 1,400-metre The Essence of Commitment route, featuring climbing up to 6c+, M6+, WI5 and 95-degree terrain, from Aug. 4 to 8. Yerupajá, at 6,634 metres, is the second-highest independent peak in Peru and the highest in the Cordillera Huayhuash. Although first climbed in 1950, its difficult routes have resulted in relatively few successful ascents.
The climbers first acclimatized in the Cordillera Blanca before establishing a 4,900-metre base camp beneath Yerupajá. They also reconnoitred their planned descent route on the southeast face, using a drone to identify the safest line through heavily crevassed terrain.
The team climbed through rock, hanging glaciers, snow and ice overhangs with little meaningful protection. Once on the upper ridge, they determined that their eight snow stakes would not be enough to retreat down the route they had climbed. Their only realistic option was to continue over the summit.
After reaching the main summit, the climbers traversed roughly 600 metres of narrow, mushroomed ridge to Yerupajá Sur, at 6,480 metres. They then rappelled the southeast face and reached the glacier and base camp the same day. The jury praised the team for continuing to “pioneer audacious lines in the Southern Hemisphere,” saying the ascent showed that major alpine-style adventures remain possible outside the Himalaya.
Aikache Chhok: an exploratory Karakoram ascent: Irish climber George Ponsonby and British climber James Price received the fourth main Piolet d’Or for the first ascent of the northwest face of Aikache Chhok in Pakistan’s Batura Muztagh.
Their route, Secrets, Shepherds, Sex and Serendipity, covered 3,000 metres and involved climbing up to M7, A2+ and AI5 from Oct. 12 to 20. Ponsonby and Price were members of the British Young Alpinist Group, a three-year program that culminated in a Greater Ranges expedition in 2025.
The pair chose Aikache Chhok after spending 10 days in poor weather searching for an objective in the rarely visited Baltar Valley. The mountain had previously been climbed only once, in 1983, from a glacier basin on its southern side.
Their climb began on Oct. 12 despite limited acclimatization. Poor weather had restricted their previous altitude to about 4,500 metres. The climbers reached the summit early on their eighth day after difficult ice and mixed climbing. At one point they were forced to retreat to an earlier bivouac after finding neither a suitable tent site nor a viable route above them. They gained only about 250 metres over two days before finding a better line.
Because their ascent route was not a realistic descent option, they traversed the summit and rappelled a west-facing couloir before continuing down unclimbed terrain. The jury described the climb as a “long and highly committing outing” in a little-known part of the Karakoram, noting the pair’s persistence, technical ability and the almost complete absence of rescue options.
Tiphaine Dupérier receives women’s alpinism recognition: The Piolets d’Or also awarded its Special Mention for women’s alpinism to French alpinist and ski mountaineer Tiphaine Dupérier. The 2026 recognition highlights Dupérier’s 2025 first alpine-style ascent of the Schell Route on the Rupal flank of Nanga Parbat, followed by the first ski descent from the 8,125-metre summit.
Dupérier climbed the approximately 3,500-metre Schell Route with Boris Langenstein and David Goettler from June 21 to 24, 2025. The route had previously seen fewer than 10 ascents. Dupérier and Langenstein then skied from the summit. Goettler accompanied them to about 7,700 metres before paragliding back to base camp.
The ski descent was interrupted briefly by a section with insufficient snow, requiring Dupérier and Langenstein to remove their skis. They also made a 30-metre rappel before continuing on skis. The pair spent the night at 7,600 metres and reached 6,000 metres the following day, skiing almost the entire way. Lower on the mountain, deteriorating snow conditions forced them to combine skiing, rappelling and downclimbing before reaching 4,500 metres and continuing on foot to base camp.
Dupérier and Langenstein had first attempted Nanga Parbat in 2019. They returned to the Rupal side in 2024 with Goettler but retreated from 7,524 metres. The 2025 ascent completed a seven-year objective for Dupérier and Langenstein.
Langenstein, who has climbed extensively with Dupérier, described their partnership as extending beyond climbing. “Our relationship is much more than simply that of being climbing partners.” He said Dupérier had demonstrated a strong physical and mental approach to major expeditions from an early age and praised her reliability as a climbing partner and in life. “After all these years, maybe that’s what matters most to me: knowing that she’s there.”
He added: “Tiphaine, even if your ego probably didn’t need it, I’m really happy that you’re getting this recognition.”
The four main Piolets d’Or awards recognize the 2025 ascents of Ultar Sar, Jannu East, Yerupajá and Aikache Chhok, while Dupérier’s Special Mention recognizes her contribution to women’s alpinism and her 2025 Nanga Parbat ascent and ski descent.
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