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Sponsor-laden Instagram posts, video clips, and news blips come and go, but some climbing achievements truly are destined for immortality. Each January, Climbing re-examines the past 12 months of great ascents around the world and chooses a few standouts for our top honor: the Golden Piton Awards.
For 2015 we’ve selected eight climbs and remarkable climbers to celebrate. Without further ado: Climbing’s 14th annual Golden Piton Awards.
- Climber of the Year: Ashima Shiraishi
- Climb of the Year: The Dawn Wall
- Lifetime Achievement: Will Gadd
- Mountaineering: Nikita Balabanov and Mikhail Fomin
- Bouldering: Daniel Woods
- Trad Climbing: Mason Earle
- Big-Wall Free Climbing: Will Stanhope
- Breakthrough Performance: Megan Mascarenas
For more Golden Pitons, see last year’s winners.