The 2015 Golden Pitons

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.