Olympic Winter Games 1924 / Alpinism

At its founding congress in 1894, the IOC had already decided to award a prize for alpinism . This was first awarded at the 1st Olympic Winter Games in Chamonix in 1924 .

space	country	athlete
1	GBR	Brigadier General Charles Granville Bruce

The award was presented by IOC President Pierre de Coubertin on February 5, 1924, the final day of the Chamonix Winter Games, to the leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 , Colonel Edward Strutt . Brigadier General Charles Granville Bruce , to whom the honorary award was actually due, was unable to attend the award ceremony because he and George Mallory were busy preparing for another Mount Everest expedition. The remaining 13 expedition participants had all appeared in Chamonix for the award ceremony.

Charles Bruce led the expedition, which made the first real attempt at ascent in 1922. Finch and Geoffrey Bruce reached a height of 8,326 m with oxygen cylinders. The expedition members Mallory, Norton and Sommervell came to 8,225 m without oxygen. The entire expedition lasted five months. The ascent of Mount Everest, which cost seven Sherpas the avalanche death, failed in the end. Two years later Norton dared to climb again and without oxygen came up to 8580 m. After that, the mountain was no longer accessible for a long time for political reasons.

See also under Prix ​​olympique d'alpinisme