2008 Golden Piton Awards

Humanitarian of the Year

Malcolm Daly

Since taking up climbing in 1968, Malcolm Daly, founder of the Boulder, Colorado-based Great Trango Holdings, has endured more than a few epics. In May 1999, Daly fell attempting a new route with Jim Donini on Thunder Mountain, Alaska, breaking both legs. Daly then waited 44 hours on an 18-inch-wide ledge while Donini went for help; years later, Daly had his right leg amputated below the knee due to continuing complications from the frostbite. Then, in 2004, he was hit with a major heart attack, which he barely survived.

With a prosthetic leg and an iron will, Daly returned to climbing and other outdoor activities. Today, Daly serves as the executive director of Paradox Sports, offering his experience and support to others in the disabled community. Paradox, founded in 2007 by Army Captain DJ Skelton and the climber Timmy O’Neill, works to get disabled people involved in outdoor sports like climbing, padding, biking, hiking, and surfing. In addition to running the show, Daly has also helped Paradox develop a climbing-specific prosthetic foot, the Eldorado Z-axis, in conjunction with Evolv and TRS Orthotics.

Honorable Mentions:

• Climber and doctor Geoffrey Tabin, director of the Himalayan Cataract Project, for introducing an eye-care infrastructure to the Himalaya to combat rampant blindness from preventable or treatable causes.
• Arian Lemal, the “Sweeper of the Summits,” for picking up 1,000-plus-pounds of trash from mountains worldwide, and for raising awareness of trash in the high alpine.