The Swiss extreme mountaineer Dani Arnold is the twelfth recipient of the Paul Preuss Prize in memory of the great free climber Paul Preuss from Altaussee in the Styrian Salzkammergut. This puts him in the list of great mountaineers such as Reinhold Messner, Alexander and Thomas Huber and Catherine Destivelle.
The jury of the organizing International Paul Preuss Society (IPPG) had chosen the Swiss Dani Arnold decided to honor the alpine achievements of the 40-year-old in the spirit of the philosophy of Dr. Paul Preuss (1886-1913).
The great Austrian climber was probably the best-known representative of free climbing at the time, and he strictly adhered to the principle that one should only climb walls that one feels capable of tackling without aids. "Ability is the measure of what is permitted" was his maxim, which Dani Arnold also stands for with his mountaineering achievements.
Limits of what is possible are constantly being pushed back
Dani Arnold, who grew up in the Urner mountain settlement of Biel above Bürglen in the Schächental, began free solo ice climbing at the age of about 20 and subsequently attracted a wide public attention, especially through his speed climbing.
He holds the speed records for free soloing on all six major north faces of the Alps: Eiger, Matterhorn, Grandes Jorasses, Petit Dru, Pizzo Badile and Great PinnacleIn 2011, for example, he climbed the north face of the Eiger in 2 hours 28 minutes.
Other alpine highlights of Dani Arnold are the first winter ascent of the Torre Egger in Patagonia with Thomas Senf and Stephan Siegrist, the first ascent of the central headwall on the east face of Moose Tooth in Alaska Bird of Pray, the free solo ascent of the Carlesso (VIII-) on the south face of the Torre Trieste in 68 minutes, the Ice Route Betablocker Super (WI 7), the first ascent of the Swiss Nose (VIII/A4) on the north face of the Matterhorn and the first repetition of the Anubis, a mixed route in Scotland.
Awards ceremony on 28 September
The prize will be awarded to Dani Arnold on Saturday, September 28, 2024, at the Helm near Sesto in the Panorama Hall, the great new project by Reinhold Messner. Messner will be celebrating his big birthday a few days earlier. He will give a lecture on traditional mountaineering.
"Dani Arnold's ascents are not about the 'what', but about the 'how'," says Alexander Huber, friend and climbing partner in major ventures; the 2017 Paul Preuss Prize winner will also give the laudation.
Paul Preuss Prize: Previous winners
- 2013: Reinhold Messner
- 2014: Hanspeter Eisendle
- 2015: Albert Precht
- 2016: Hansjörg Auer
- 2017: Alexander Huber
- 2018: Beat Kammerlander
- 2019: Bernd Arnold
- 2020: Heinz Mariacher
- 2021: Catherine Destivelle
- 2022: Thomas Huber
- 2023: Marko Prezelj
- 2024: Daniel Arnold
That might interest you
- Three north faces in under 24 hours: Gietl and Arnold with new extreme link-up
- Dani Arnold and Roger Schäli: First ascent of Exocet in Lauterbrunnen Valley
+ + +
Credits: Cover picture Matthew Luscher, Text International Paul Preuss Society (IPPG)