MEF Expedition Receives Piolet d'Or

Sometimes referred to as the 'Oscars of mountaineering', the Piolets d'Or recognise the most impressive and innovative mountaineering routes achieved each year. Only those routes accomplished in the best possible style, without the use of external aids like helicopter approaches or supplementary oxygen, are eligible for consideration.

Among the three awarded ascents at the 2025 ceremony was Edge of Entropy, Tom Livingstone and Aleš Česen's colossal new line on the west ridge of Gasherbrum III. 

Livingstone and Česen first visited the mountain in 2022 on another MEF-supported expedition, but strong winds forced them to abandon an attempt on the west ridge on that occasion, trying instead, unsuccessfully, from the more sheltered northwest face.

Returning in 2024, the pair found much better conditions and succeeded in making the first ascent of this spectacular ridge in a 7-day round-trip from a base camp on the Baltoro glacier. They approached the base of the ridge (7,000m) over two days, reaching the summit (7952m) after three days of climbing, with a bivy at 7,485m and an open, sitting bivy at 7,800m. They descended the east side of the mountain, eventually intersecting with the normal route on Gasherbrum II, which they used to descend.

We were particularly pleased to see the Piolets d'Or jury recognise the small, lightweight nature of the team in their comments and that they praised the adventurous nature of the ascent, describing it as: "a good example that quality adventure over new ground is still possible on the world's highest mountains." This is exactly the style of expedition that the MEF seeks to encourage and we're thrilled to see our values recognised, and shared, by one of the biggest platforms in world mountaineering.