Piolets d’or 2024
An International Celebration of Grand Alpinism
Press release #1 - June 2024
We are very delighted to announce that the 2024 edition of the “Piolets d’Or”
will be held in San Martino di Castrozza, in Trentino, on December 8th to11th.

It will be the first time that Piolets d’Or will be organised in the Dolomites, a major
mountain range in the Alps and in the world, in particular for its infinite options foralpine rock ascents, and also because of the special role the Dolomites have played in
the development of classic Alpinism in the last 150 years.
World class alpinists such as Angelo Dibona, Reinhold Messner or famous climbers
such as Manolo are from the Dolomites; this big range with thousands of peaks –beyond the Palagroup, the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Marmolada, Sassolungo, Catinaccio
and Civetta being probably the most famous - has attracted climbers and alpinists fromall over the world; in the evolution of the art of climbing mountains, remarkable ascentsin the Dolomites by figures such as Paul Preuss, Giovanni Piaz, Michele Bettega, Luigi
Micheluzzi, Emilio Comici, Riccardo Cassin, Cesare Maestri, Armando Aste, Georges
Livanos, Pierre Mazeaud, Lino Lacedelli have marked the history of Alpinism.
It was thanks to the travellers (geologists and botanists mainly from England and later
alpinists also from the Netherlands and Germany) who came to the Dolomites in thesecond half of the 19th Century with the aim to discover new peaks, that San Martino
di Castrozza was born as a tourist destination, with shepherds and hunters working as
alpine guides. At the time, they were the only ones who could take visitors up to themountains, knowing them better than anyone else. The first alpine guide of the area wasMichele Bettega, followed by Giuseppe Zecchini, Antonio Tavernaro and Bortolo
Zagonel. They started to be recognized as the ‘Eagles of San Martino’, a sort of legend
for the wealthy climbing tourists. Michele Bettega, for example, climbed the Cimon
della Pala more than 250 times.
At the time, San Martino di Castrozza was appreciated also by famous visitors, such as
Sigmund Freud, Arthur Schnitzler, who wrote a novel ‘Die Fraulein Else’ located exactlyin San Martino, the King of Belgium and Dino Buzzati.
“If you don’t know San Martino di Castrozza, you don’t know the Dolomites” claimed thewell-travelled Alpinist and author Gunther Langes. He probably was the best climber in
the Pale di San Martino during the years between the two world wars. Among his many
important climbs in the ‘Pale’ the two most famous ones are “The Spigolo del Velo (thewell-known Schleierkante in german)” which means the ridge of the veil on cima della
Madonna and the Gran Pilastro (great Pillar) at the Pala di San Martino.
San Martino di Castrozza is situated in the heart of what is perhaps the wildest part ofthe Dolomites, at 1.450m. The Palagroup (in Italian Pale di San Martino), which is thewidest group of the Dolomites, fascinates visitors with its unique skyline, which isrecognized as a symbol of the Dolomites mountains all over the world. Its mostimportant peak is the Cimon della Pala (3.184m), also known as “the Matterhorn of theDolomites” because of the similar shape, when observed from the Passo Rolle. TheCimon della Pala, conquered by the english alpinists Francis Fox Tuckett and Edward
Robson Whitwell, is not the highest peak of the “Pale”, which is the Vezzana peak, withits 3.192m.
©Alessandro GruzzaPRESS CONTACTS : presse@pioletsdor.net / press@sanmartino.com

San Martino di Castrozza is an ideal basecamp in all seasons for mountain activities
such as hiking, bike, climbing, running, orienteering and canyoning in an authenticspirit, where a unique hospitality can be experienced.
The Tourist Board ApT San Martino di Castrozza Primiero e Vanoi, in cooperation withTrentino Marketing, and the patronage of the UNESCO Dolomites Foundation is proudto host this year’s edition of the Piolets d’Or and to welcome alpinists from all the worldin this enchanting corner of the Trentino Region, where the Dolomites are so closed,that you feel you can touch it, and where you can still enjoy the pureness andauthenticity of the mountains, just like those who first discovered and conquered thesepeaks, a long time ago.
The event is supported by the Municipality of Primiero San Martino di Castrozza, theCommunity of Primiero, FPB Cassa di Fassa Primiero and Belluno, the group of themountain guides “the Eagles” of San Martino di Castrozzza” and the tourist operatorsof San Martino di Castrozza, Primiero and Vanoi.
Maurizio Rossini CEO Trentino Marketing: “In Trentino, on the walls of the Pale diSan Martino, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, important pages ofmountaineering history have been written since the mid-1800s, making it an ideal
location to host such an important event. Scrolling through the list of recipients of the 32
editions of the prestigious Piolets d'Or and the Piolet d'Or Lifetime Achievement Award"Walter Bonatti" means retracing some of the most extraordinary pages of international
mountaineering, celebrating passion, spirit, and values. Among our Dolomites, in aplace recognized as an excellent destination for all mountain lovers, we share the values
that this recognition aims to reward: prioritizing style over performance, passion,authenticity, creativity in seeking innovative routes, team spirit, and respect for people
and nature. These values are part of the heritage that characterizes the DNA of ourmountain people, and being able to share them with the protagonists of this "Oscar" ofthe mountains is a great source of pride for Trentino”.
Antonio Stompanato, President of the Tourist Board ApT San Martino diCastrozza, Passo Rolle, Primiero and Vanoi: “We are very pleased to host such aprestigious event as the Piolets d'Or. The journey to bring it to San Martino di Castrozza
began three years ago, thanks to the crucial efforts of some local operators. Being thefirst Dolomite location to host an award of such international stature is a great honor forus. I am convinced that the entire region will be ready for the event, maximizing thevalue of a significant investment made with a view to the strategic positioning of thearea”.
Christian Trommsdorff GHM President : "After several editions in France, we arevery pleased to move abroad once again and to be hosted by San Martino diCastrozza for the 2024 edition of the Piolets d'Or. This location perfectly represents thebeauty and hospitality that characterize the Dolomites, but most importantly, it is a placewith a great mountaineering tradition, where indelible pages in the history ofmountaineering and rock climbing have been written."Group

ontagne©Dolomites Web-Enrica Pallavere Mutede HaPRESS CONTACTS : presse@pioletsdor.net / press@sanmartino.com