The two recipients of the Piolets d’Or for ascents in 2009 are...
Cho Oyu (8201m) southeast face, Nepal
The Kazakh climbers Denis Urubko and Boris Dedeshko climbed a very difficult and direct new route on this 2600-meter wall, during a 10-day round trip from base camp in May. With this climb, they discovered a bold and difficult new way to the summit of a popular Himalayan summit. For Urubko, the climb was a stylish conclusion to his quest to climb all 14 of the world’s 8000-metre peaks.
photo © Pascal Tournaire
Xuelian West (6422m), north face, China
Bruce Normand from Scotland and Americans Jed Brown and Kyle Dempster are among the first climbers to explore the north side of this impressive massif. After climbing several virgin faces during acclimatization, they completed the first ascent of the 2650-metre north wall of Xuelian West, with five days of difficult and insecure technical climbing.
photo © Pascal Tournaire
