2022 Steel Angel Award winners
Daria Seryupova and Anastasia Kozlova
Winter ascent to the Vostochny peak (3361 m, Tuva) via the Direct North Face, route A.Zhigalov, 6A (Russian Alpine Grades), A3+
Team’s movement time on the route: 19 hours and 10 minutes. Temperature during the route: -10 degrees Celsius.
2022 Nominees
Olga Paducheva and Maria Komissarova
Free climbing of
the South-West Face
of Shokoladny peak
(3668 m, Central Caucasus, Uzunkol) via R.Derspé
route (1975), 5B.
Galina Terentyeva, Anastasia Kozlova
Zvezdny peak (2265 m, Ergaki), variant of Borisova route, 5B
Tatiana Shchekinova, Inna Kravchenko, and Irina Vasilieva
Dolomites North (3680 m, Central Caucasus, Uzunkol) through the center of the bastion, Rybakova route, 5A.
Olga Paducheva, Maria Komissarova, Tatiana Semenova
Dolomites North (3680 m, Central Caucasus, Uzunkol) through the center of the South Face, Milenina route, 5A.
Special mention
Special Mention — a category to highlight women’s achievements that don’t meet the main criteria but embody the core value of inspiration and deserve recognition.
In 2022, the Organizing Committee of the Steel Angel award gave a special mention to the speed ascent of Manaslu by twin sisters Ekaterina Safronova and Marina Oglobleva.
The sisters were not included in the shortlist as they used Sherpa support, which does not meet the criteria for a purely female ascent. However, their rapid climb of an 8,000-meter peak as a female team without guides — 8 days from Kathmandu to Kathmandu — is undoubtedly worthy of recognition. For this reason, the Organizing Committee placed the twin sisters in the “Special Mention” category.
Expert Jury 2022
Arkady Klepinin. Co-founder of the Steel Angel award. CEO of Alpex company, which is an official Russian distributor of Grivel.
Irina Morozova. Co-founder of the Steel Angel award. Creator of women’s rock climbing and ice climbing festivals. Professional editor, and outdoor journalist. Steel Angel award winner (2016) and nominee (2009, 2018), as well as Crystal Peak award nominee (2015, 2018). Laureate of the XIX Moscow International Film Festival of Mountain and Adventure Films “Vertical” (2016).
Masha Gordon — Founder of the international First Ascent Expedition Grant supporting women’s mountaineering. Holder of three world records. Has reached all three poles. Listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the fastest woman to complete the Seven Summits challenge.
Nadezhda Oleneva — Co-founder and leader of the Perm Mountaineering School club and the Mountain Guru mountaineering school. Multiple medalist of the Russian Championships. Winner of the Crystal Peak award (2019). Recipient of the Steel Angel (2018, 2021).
Dmitry Golovchenko — One of Russia’s leading alpinists of the past decade. Winner of the Piolet d’Or (2013, 2017). Multiple winner of the Golden Ice Axe of Russia. Holder of the Crystal Peak.
Maria Tolokonina — Multiple World and European Champion in ice climbing, absolute champion of Russia for several years, record holder, and winner of multiple “golden doubles.”
Natalia Zenina — Holder of the title Snow Leopard for summiting all 7,000-meter peaks of the former USSR. Has climbed two 8,000-meter peaks (Manaslu and Gasherbrum II) without supplemental oxygen.
Kristina Kozlova — Editor and program director at RD Studio, traveler. Participant in the Everest expedition (filming the documentary Gene of Altitude), and in an autonomous overland crossing of Antarctica by all-terrain vehicles.
Daria Manziy — Winner of the Russian Skyrunning Cup (2018), champion and medalist of ultramarathons in Nepal and Mongolia. Curator of the Steel Angel award.