Japan climbers who perished on K2 win Piolet d'Or

Japanese mountaineers Hiraide Kazuya and Nakajima Kenro have posthumously received 2024's Piolet d'Or for the unprecedented feat of ascending the northern wall of Tirich Mir in Pakistan in 2023. The Piolet d'Or award is considered the highest honor in the climbing world. It is given to those who achieve imaginative and innovative climbing by scaling a mountain through new routes while using simple techniques. 　 In July, 2024, Hiraide and Nakajima attempted to climb K2 — the world's second-highest mountain, using a route no one had successfully climbed before — and fell to their deaths. 　 The two often said taking on a challenge was what drove them to be so bold.