The decision of this year's Piolet's d'Or jury to give the mountaineering prize to all 6 of the teams nominated for it aroused controversy and caused the editors of two French climbing magazines to resign from the Piolet's d'Or organising committee.
All 6 of the winning climbs were in the Himalaya and Karakoram ranges.
Stephen Venables, the British climber who presided over the Piolet's d'Or jury, has issued a robust response to the criticism, which he describes as "wild".
The editors of the magazines have refrained from further comment on the jury's decision. Perhaps peace has broken out and the magazines will continue to support the Piolets d'Or.
The full response from Stephen Venables appears below, along with messages from Doug Scott and Kurt Diemberger in support of the jury's decision.
