Team Clif climber and Shabin dweller, Freddie Wilkinson was awarded a Piolet d’Or (Golden Ice Axe, if you must ask) for the alpine style ascent of Saser Kangri II, previously the second-highest unclimbed peak at 7518 meters.  Along with his climbing partners Steve Swenson and Mark Richey, Freddie received the award at a ceremony in Chamonix, France March 24^th.  The expedition was one of 6 nominees chosen as the highest achievements in mountaineering for the past year.  Wilkinson and the team shared the honor with a Slovenian team recognized for their ascent on K7 in Pakistan:

"Mark, Steve and I are humbled to have just received the 2012 Piolet d'Or for our first ascent of Saser Kangri II. We shared the recognition with a team of two young Slovenians, who climbed an impressive new route on K7, in Pakistan. The other four nominated climbs were equally impressive – it was a real honor to be included with such a group,” said Wilkinson. “Watching the other teams' presentations, I couldn’t help but feel the urge to get back in the mountains as soon as possible.”

Photo Credit – Teresa Richey

For more, you can check out the latest installment from CLIF TV - a profile of Freddie and the award winning ascent.

We want to congratulate the team on their impressive ascent and for winning the Piolet d’Or – a very prestigious achievement with a 20 year history of recognizing the greatest in modern alpinism.

You can also learn more about the team and see a trailer of the film created around the expedition at www.theoldbreedmovie.com.