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Serata di grande alpinismo con i professionisti della montagna

Grolla D’Or for the finest international alpinist achievement by an alpine guide:
Valery Babanov

This is for his ascent of the unclimbed Jannu West Pillar (7710m – Himalayas) accomplished with Sergey Kofanov from 14th to 21st October 2007. The achievement crowned Valery’s dream that he’d had for the last seven years and at the same time resolved one of the Himalayas’ aesthetic “problems”, on what is often called the World’s most beautiful mountain. Light weight style, extreme difficulty (VI/WI4+/80° ice/M5), completed in perfect alpine style and the complexity of the route that, along its 3000 metres, combines rock, ice and mixed, all go to create one of the greatest achievements of the last few years.

“As time goes by one realises that there are no limits. The only limits are in are own heads. The choice is always ours and it is the ability to choose and nothing else that defines our future.”

Valery Babanof

Valery Babanov

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Valery Babanov born in 1964 in Omsk, Russia is known as one of today’s greatest alpinists. From his first mountaineering exploits in 1980 this little big man of the mountains has shown huge creativity and ability in adapting to all vertical terrain. He can count more than 300 ascents, many of which i nvolving extreme difficulties both on the Alp’s granite and in particular on Mont Blanc, as well as on the Earth’s greatest summits. He has climbed eight of Russia’s over 7000m summits as well as in the Himalayas and North America. Babanov has always believed in taking alpinism to its limit and extremely personally, exploring new terrains and new routes, as well as different ways of tackling ascents, on his own or in a group. The list of his solitary climbs underlines his exceptional ability: the American Direct on the Petit Dru (Mont Blanc) in 1995, and Zodiac on El Capitan (Yosemite Valley, USA) in 1996, then in 1999 the new route opened on the Grandes Jorasses North face again on Mont Blanc and in the same year the new route on Mount Barille in Alaska. In 2001 the ascent of Peak Meru (6310m) won him the Piolet D’Or followed by, in 2006, the new route on Chomo Lonzo North face (7200m) in the Himalayas.

His ascents with companions are no less impressive, for example he opened a new route with Yuri Koshelenko on the Nuptse East face in 2003, winning him a second Piolet D’Or and that’s not to forget the new route, in 2005, on Mc Kinley’s South West face (6200m) in Alaska. Babanov ranges from rock to ice and mixed. An example of this is his most recent feat, the ascent of the unclimbed Jannu West Pillar, this time winning the Grolla D’Oro of the first edition of the Saint-Vincent Award, for the finest international alpinist achievement by an alpine guide.

Apart from the exceptional technical quality of his ascents, what is really striking about Babanov’s alpinism is not just his ability to maintain and continually evolve his idea of the “lightness” of pure alpine style but also his ability to be the centre of attention in the world of alpinism with practical examples of mountaineering at its highest possible level. He is a man of few words but his accomplishments are renowned and his passion for the mountains knows no boundaries. This all consuming passion has pushed him to become the only Russian to have ever gained the UIAGM Alpine Guide diploma.

Grolla D’Or for the finest international alpinist achievement by an alpine guide from the Aosta Valley:
Hervé Barmasse


For the first solo ascent and first repetition on 16th April 2007 of the Direct route on the South face of the Matterhorn. This route was opened by his father Marco with Walter Cazzanelli and Vittorio De Tuoni in 1983. The exploit is living proof of how the culture and traditions of the Aosta Valley and of all the mountains in the world continue to be an integral part of the profession of the alpine guide. A “knowledge” that is transmitted from father to son and that the new generations evolve by adding new experiences and ideas.

Hervé Barmasse

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“Alpinism is a great adventure for me and whilst on the South face of the Matterhorn, tied to rather risky rocks and suspended on a huge wall I must admit that’s what I felt….”

Hervé Barmasse

Hervé Barmasse is not just an alpine guide from Valtournenche but also a ski and snowboard instructor. Guiding runs in the family and comes from four generations of guides inheriting a passion of the mountains and the Matterhorn from his father Marco. Proof of his passion is the way that the 30 year old alpinist, brilliant climber and television presenter of mountain films for the RAI, has always tried to continue this tradition on big walls both in and out of Europe. Among these are: the new route on the Chogolisa Shield (5700m) and on Sheep Peak (6300m) in Pakistan during 2003 He continued this experience in 2005 with two new routes with the Karakorum Trip One Expedition on the Chogolisa Shield and the unclimbed Peak 5500. In 2006 he climbed a new ice and mixed route on the unclimbed North face of San Lorenzo in Patagonia with Bernasconi, Lanfranchi and Ongaro.It’s worth taking note among his numerous achievements of the first winter and first repetition with Massimo Farina of the difficult Padre Pio route on the Matterhorn’s South face and again on the same wall one mustn’t forget his poker of first solo routes on Casarotto-Grassi in 2002, the Deffeyes route in 2005 and the Machetto route in 2007 and the first solo and first repeat of the direct route opened by his father that won him the Grolla D’Or of the first edition of the Saint-Vincent Award. This prize joins the two CAI Paolo Consiglio Awards for the Karakorum expedition in 2005 and the new route on San Lorenzo. Recently he has also achieved a historic feat when, along with Christian Brenna, he opened a new route on the North West face of the Cerro Piergiorgio in Patagonia.

Hervé Barmasse is a good example of how a young alpinist can learn from the past and create something new. This appears clear in the following interview: The direct route on the South face of the Matterhorn is a sprint starting at 2900m, reaching the summit at 4478m after just 1500 metres. The “great run”, seemingly from another epoch, was performed by Hervé Barmasse with a sensation of “déjà vu”.

“It was something that I’d always thought about. It seemed strange that a route on the Matterhorn still had to be repeated”. Hervé explains “On the other hand the Matterhorn is in my back garden and the South face has always been in view ever since I was born. It’s always there, like having a friend. A huge wall, just for me….”

The South face is the story of a life time but also part of the family history. Did your father know you were planning on repeating it? “I’d mentioned it some time ago but without pressing for any information. He just said to take a rope for a change. It was good advice … even though I only used it to get my rucksack back and to climb back up to get it unstuck”.

Was it was you thought it would be? “Mainly yes, even though I’d planned to take 5 to 6 hours and it took me 8. I had to back track a couple of times to find the right route. I’m not even sure if I followed the same route as the previous climbers… when my father gets back from Nepal I’ll have to ask him, as I said, I really didn’t get any information from him at all” Why did you decide to repeat something your father had done, emulation or a challenge? “No there was no sense of a challenge at all. I respect him so maybe it was an opportunity to make my own experiences and reinterpret his tracks”.

How did you decide to set off? Well you know how it goes. I had the idea, the weather was good and I felt the need to challenge myself and the mountains. I needed to face the unknown and that’s just what the route was. So I set off for the South face”. What did you get out of this route? “Above all the satisfaction of managing to do something I wanted. I added another layer to my experience of the mountains and of alpinism. An experience that would then...”.

An extract of an interview on Planetmountain.com

Grolla D’Or for the finest international alpinist achievement by an alpine guide from the Aosta Valley in the “professionals in uniform” category:
Centro Addestramento Alpino


For the expedition to the Antarctic by the soldiers from the High Mountain Army Group of the Alpine Regiment Training Centre: the First Officers Ettore Taufer and Giovanni Amort, Officer Elio Sganga and Corporal VFP4 Marco Farina who all reached the summit of Mount Vinson (4897m) following a traverse to the Antarctic’s highest mountain of 270 km, on skis, with no backup and on a totally new route. This experience, at the end of the International Year of the Poles was significant not just for the alpinism relevance but also for exploration and from an environmentally sustainable perspective.

The Alpine Regiment Training Centre – Military School

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The Alpine Regiment Training Centre – Military School

“Accomplishing alpinist exploits outside of Europe is fundamentally important in maintaining the instructors’ quality of teaching and for maintaining Italy as one of the main actors on the world scene of Mountain Army Training Schools”.

The Army School has been training the Alpine Regiment since 1934. It has always been a benchmark and vanguard on the international scene. Its institutional aims are: to study, organise and develop to the highest level activities and vocations in the context of the mountains, safety and efficiency, including experimentation on equipment and materials”. The Alpine Regiment Training Centre and its associates have participated in many expeditions outside Europe, starting with the conquest of Everest in 1973. This first experience was followed up by many on some of the world’s greatest mountains: Huascaran, Cotopaxi, Cho Oyu, Pick Nilkant, Huayna Potosi, Illimani, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum, Aconcagua, Mera Peak, Kilimangiaro, Daulaghiri, Annapurna, Everest, K2, Fitz Roy and Ruwenzori. The expedition is part of a long term project dedicated to expeditions outside Europe called “Over the clouds – Towards new horizons” carried out by the High Mountain Army Group of the Alpine Regiment Training Centre. This latest expedition to Mount Vinson is an important part of the wider project not just because it climbed the highest mountain in the Antarctic Continent and one of the “Seven Summits” but also due to its self reliance and environmentally sustainable perspective.

The First Officers Ettore Taufer and Giovanni Amort, Head Officer Elio Sganga and Corporal VFP4 Marco Farina crossed the 270km of polar desert separating the commercial base at Patriot Hills and the Mount Vinson base camp on skis. It took them 13 days with each man pulling a sledge loaded with 75kg of equipment for at least nine hours a day. Even though this part of the exploit was often carried out in bad visibility and the extreme temperatures typical of the Poles it didn’t stop the group making a new route on foot from Patriot Hills to Mount Vinson. The ascent that followed to the summit of Mount Vinson at 4897m started on 4th January with the four men leaving Base Camp at 2125m. Having reached 2800m on skis they proceeded to climb missing out the classic stopover at Camp 1 and heading straight for the High Camp at 3940m which they reached nine and half hours after starting off. The next day it took them just four hours to make the summit. A quick descent to Base Camp, reaching it at 19.00 local time (23.00 Italian time). Before this exploit by the Alpine Regiment Training Centre only seven Italians had ever reached the summit of Mount Vinson.

The Alpine Regiment Expedition to Mount Vinson:

  • - First Officer Ettore Taufer – 46 years old from Trentino.
    Army Alpine Guide, Alpine Guide (UIAGM), Army Academic Alpinist, Downhill and Cross Country Ski Instructor, National Alpine Rescue Team Specialist, CAI Alpinism and Ski Touring National Instructor.
  • - First Officer Giovanni Amort - 42 years old from Trentino
    Army Alpine Guide, Alpine Guide (UIAGM), Army Academic Alpinist, Downhill and Cross Country Ski Instructor, National Alpine Rescue Team Specialist, CAI Alpinism and Ski Touring National Instructor.
  • - Officer Elio Sganga – 33 years old from Lombardy
    Army Alpine Guide, prospective Alpine Guide (UIAGM), Army Snow and Avalanche Specialist.
  • - Corporal VFP4 Marco Farina – 24 years old from the Aosta Valley
    Prospective Alpine Guide (UIAGM), Army Alpinism Instructor, Army Ski Instructor.

The Toni Gobbi Grolla d’Or for the finest international alpinist achievement by an alpine guide with a client:
Christophe Profit


For his tenth ascent on 9th April 2007 of the Eiger’s North Face along the Heckmair route with a client. The importance of this ascent derives from the ability to interpret and transmit, as an Alpine Guide, the significance of mountain ideals and alpinism using his own experience as a man of the mountains and expert alpinist.

“I had wanted to become a guide ever since I was a child… It is a means to make my passion go further, to make use of my experience and to transmit and share everything that the mountains can give us.”

Christophe Profit

Christophe Profit

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Born in the vast lands of Normandy, characterised by the Atlantic cliffs and gentle meadows, Christophe fell in love with high mountains at an early age. He started climbing when he was 16 and did his military service in Chamonix in 1980 in the elite High Mountain Army Group (GMHM). He became an alpine guide in 1986. This was an ideal choice as it exploited his experience as an alpinist and climber to the highest degree. Profit was one of the most ambitious and avant-garde alpinists in the 1980s. His ascents, highly individual, usually solo and fast on the great Alpine walls were a first and visionary for the times. Even though he became famous for his exploits it didn’t stop him from continuing his profession as a guide. This is a different approach to his former model of alpinism but it is based on experience, passion and the aim of transmitting it to others.

His tenth ascent of the Eiger’s North Face is a good example of this attitude and it has won him the Toni Gobbi Award of the First Edition of the Saint-Vincent Awards. The 47 year old Profit has once again discovered and relived the enormous wall, enjoying the rhythm and natural environment with a client. This route is a classic for alpinists and alpine guides as is explained in the following article taken from Planet Mountain.com on occasion of Profit’s latest ascent of the Eiger with a client.

“Ten times up the North Face of the Eiger as a mountain guide with a client. In times like these in which everything seems "normal" (not only in mountaineering), including the ascent of the legendary north face could seem to be a non-news item. But give the mountain guide a name and you'll immediately understand that there's much that can be said. Yes, because we're talking about Christophe Profit. The same Profit who as protagonist and inventor carried out ascents hitherto unheard of, both for their speed and their conception, during the 1980's up all the "problems" of the Alps.

Profit's climbs were supersonic, solo, multiple. They contained the mountaineering's maximum difficulties - in short, this was the birth of speed ascents and enchainments. And naturally the North Face of the Eiger was the "playground" par excellence for Profit's raids. In 1985 it was he who carried out the first solo ascent in winter and in a day (in just 10 hours) of this North Face in the Bernese Oberland, an unheard of feat at the time.

1985 was also the year in which he enchained the trilogy of North Faces: Eiger, Matterhorn and Grandes Jorasses (up the Linceul), naturally in just 24 hours. He repeated this feat in March 1987 with a tour du force up the Croz Spur on the Grandes Jorasses, the Heckmair route on the Eiger North Face and the Schmid route on the Matterhorn solo in winter in a record 42 hours...

We could go on and mention the incredible and elegant solo dance (without ropes) up the Direct American on the SW Face of the Petit Dru, climbed in just 3 hours and 10 minutes in 1982. Or recount the integral solo ascent of the Peuterey crest. And talk about his Himalayan work of art in 1991 when, together with Pierre Béghin, he traced a new line along the NW crest of K2.

We could talk for ages about the great ascents of this fantastic mountaineer. But the real news is that last Monday the 47 year old French Mountain Guide Christophe Profit accompanied a client, in this particular case Mr. Valery Guillebon, for the tenth time to the summit of the Eiger via the N. Face. This is the news! Because it would be wrong to think that ascents like this one are in no way related to great mountaineering, which is measured in all seasons of life and goes well beyond speed ascents.”

From PlanetMountain.com

Forte di Bard Award for ethics and solidarity:
Pemba Doma Sherpa


This award goes to Doma Sherpa, alpinist and organiser of treks and exhibitions, for her life’s work dedicated to the mountains and for her commitment to her f ellow countrymen and their shared culture. Her actions have been an example to everybody, not just as an alpinist: she was the first Nepalese women to climb Everest from both the South and North faces; but also for her vision of modernity whilst maintaining strong roots in the mountains and the environmental values that are an intrinsic part of the Sherpa culture.

“Whilst looking at the Chomolongma I began to desire to climb the high mountains”

Pemba Doma Sherpa

Pemba Doma Sherpa

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Pemba Doma was born in Namche Bazar in what can only be described as the village-capital of Solokhumbu, the magnificent Nepalese valley surrounding some of the World’s most fantastic mountains. This Garden of Eden of the high peaks is home to the mother of all peaks Everest and also Lhotse, Nuptse, Pumori and Ama Dablam to name the most famous. Pemba Doma has managed to combine her love of alpinism with her native culture creating a unique and modern interpretation. As well as her various ascents of European peaks Pemba Doma was the first Nepalese women to climb Everest’s North face and was the second (as well as being the 6th woman in the world) to climb from both sides. In 2002 she led the all Nepalese women’s expedition on Everest; in 2005 she was the first Nepalese woman to reach the summit of the Cho Oyu at 8021m and with the ascent of the Lhotse became the first Nepalese woman to have climbed 3 eight thousand metre summits.

Pemba Doma won the “Suprabal Prashiddha Gorkha Dakshin”, the most important award in Nepal for alpinism and was renowned for her work towards helping her fellow countrymen and conserving their culture. In 2000 she founded the association “Save the Himalayan Kingdom”. This no-profit association aims to improve the living conditions of the Himalayan people, in particular the country’s youth and the Sherpa culture and also includes the restoration of Buddhist monasteries.

In the spring of 2007, following her ascent of the summit of Lhotse, Pemba died in a banal accident.

Mauel Lugli’s words sum up the depth of this simple but great woman’s personality: “When I met Pemba Doma, the only Nepalese woman to have climbed Everest’s North face, I found her rather difficult to get on with. Firstly she was very shy, typical of a Sherpa, and was very modest about her achievements. But, slowly as we talked I discovered an extremely determined woman. She was bought up in a family who, apart from her brother Nima Nuru who runs the Cho Oyu Treking, disapproved of her love of alpinism. As was normal in her culture she married a man chosen by her parents and had a child. But she still didn’t lose her love of climbing and was still dreaming about alpinistic feats. She told me many interesting things about her country’s mountains, Everest obviously and more. “You see Everest is the Earth’s Mother God. It is so large, sometimes so patient and sometimes so severe. Climbing the mountain you discover her soul, because all mountains have a soul that give you something, good or bad. Consider Ama Dablam, my home mountain in full view from Namche Bazaar, the mountain my grandfather and I used to walk to. This mountain transmits me peace, serenity and faith. To the contrary Annapurna scares me, it’s threatening and seems to warn all the men who approach her.” A Sherpa’s warning.

Pemba left us in the spring of 2007 right in the sight of Sagarmatha, the Earth’s Mother God, after climbing the Lhotse.

Manuel Lugli from the “Alpinisti Sottoaceto” – Montura Editing