Stephan Siegrist, Mammut ambassador, wins the “Le Mérite alpin” award
Swiss climber and mountaineer extraordinaire Stephan Siegrist received the “Le Mérite alpin” award from the FIFAD Alpine Festival for his lifelong commitment. As an extreme mountaineering athlete, he also celebrated a quarter of a century of collaboration with the Swiss brand Mammut, which extended the star climber’s contract with the Mammut Pro Team for another three years, i.e. until 2024.
Every year, during the famous Swiss Alpine Film Festival FIFAD, thirty films compete for the award and, in addition, a well-known figure from the mountain world is awarded the “Le Mérite alpin” for his outstanding alpine achievements. On August 11, 2021, in the stronghold of outdoor sports in the middle of the Diablerets massif, athlete Stephan Siegrist of the Mammut Pro Team received the award for his lifelong commitment. The jury awarded the prize with the following motivation: “We believe that to say that Stephan Siegrist is an exceptional climber is not enough to pay tribute to his extraordinary achievements. Whether in the Alps or the Himalayas, the records of this incredible climber are impressive. However, what sets the Swiss mountaineer apart is his aesthetic and ethical sense: as a mountain guide, Stephan Siegrist is a man who loves to share his passion for the mountains. This year’s “Le Mérite alpin” award thus honors a true climber”.
Born in 1972 in Switzerland, the former carpenter has been earning his living as a professional mountaineer and mountain guide since he was 26 years old. Major achievements in his mountaineering career include first ascents on all seven continents, ascents of the great north faces of the Alps-including the north face of the Eiger, climbed over forty times solo-expeditions to northern India and Nepal, North America and Antarctica, South Africa, and Patagonia. His most recent ascent, in 2019, was Cerro Cachet on the Northern Ice Cap. Mammut has been sponsoring the mountaineer, who now lives near Interlaken, as a Mountaineering Pro Team athlete since 1995. During this time, Siegrist made a significant contribution to the development of Mammut’s pioneering “Eiger Extreme” mountain sportswear series.
“I consider it a great fortune and gift to be able to dedicate my life to mountaineering, which is both my profession and my calling. I am really grateful to have Mammut by my side for years: it is a reliable and quality partner whose actions are driven by a passion for the mountains as much as my own,” said Stephan Siegrist. “As an athlete, it’s a privilege to be able to focus 100% on my passion and at the same time have the opportunity to offer insights – always held in high regard – to further the development of mountain sports equipment.” Commenting on the great fascination that mountain sports have had on him for years, Siegrist said, “The passion has remained completely unchanged over the years. It’s not easy to put this magic into words. After all, nature gets by without words, with its own unique language: cold and heat, brightness and darkness, meadows blooming in spring, leaves falling in autumn, the white coat of winter. It is a wonderful language that uses all five senses. For me, mountaineering is a way of life, it means more than just playing mountain sports.”
In July 2021, Siegrist signed another three-year contract with Mammut and thus will remain a core athlete of Mammut’s Pro Team until 2024.
