Slovenian climbing legend Štremfelj gets lifetime Piolet d'Or
Ljubljana, 17 December - Slovenian mountaineering legend Andrej Štremfelj was awarded the 2018 Piolet d'Or (Golden Ice Axe) for lifetime achievements, becoming the first Slovenian to receive what is considered the top accolade in climbing.
Lhasa, China
Slovenian mountaineers to remember their first expedition to Mt Makalu. Pictured Mt Namcha Barwa in the Himalayas.
Photo: Xinhua/STA
File photo
Best known for his climbing achievements in the 1970s and 1980s, Štremfelj is "a living legend amongst Himalayan climbers, and also an immensely experienced, professional mountain guide," the award jury said. Štremfelj received the award at the Ladek Mountain Festival in Poland in September.
Štremfelj has a number of firsts to his name. Along with Nejc Zaplotnik, he completed the first ascent of Gasherbrum I (8,068 metres) in the Karakoram region via a new route, the south-west ridge. In 1979 he made the first ascent of the west ridge direct on Mount Everest.
He returned to Everest in 1990, making an ascent of the Normal Route with his wife Marija; they became the first married couple to stand together on the summit.
But perhaps his greatest achievement came in 1991, when he succeeded in climbing the south ridge of Kangchenjunga (8,476 metres), the third highest mountain in the world, for which he received the first ever Piolet d'Or.
At 62, Štremfelj is no longer at the cutting edge of climbing but he nevertheless continues to climb and is now a mountain guide.