Sweden’s Adventurers of the Year 2014
Pierre Olsson and sisters Caroline and Johanna Davidsson received the 2014 adventure awards, while Gillis Billing was honored for the 1950s.
Pierre Olsson, Caroline Davidsson and Johanna Davidsson were named Sweden’s male and female Adventurers of the Year for 2014. Gillis Billing received the Adventurer of the Decade award for 1950–1959.
The awards highlight adventure as a pursuit, along with the enthusiasm and determination needed to turn an ambition into reality. Announced on March 7, 2015, the honors were to be presented the following day at 1 p.m. at Vildmarksmässan. Previous recipients included Ola Skinnarmo, Vera Simonsson, Renata Chlumska, Fredrik Sträng and Rune Larsson.
Pierre Olsson, the male Adventurer of the Year, reached the summit of Pakistan’s 6,286-meter Nameless Tower after three days on the Slovenian Route. The ascent placed him among the most notable Swedish achievements in the Himalaya. He climbed as part of a Swedish–Spanish team, all of whom reached the summit in alpine style without fixed ropes.
Caroline and Johanna Davidsson, the female Adventurers of the Year, became the first Swedes to cross Greenland nonstop from Narsaq in the south to Qaanaaq in the north. Their 2,300-kilometer expedition across the ice sheet took 36 days, traveling by ski and kite. They demonstrated considerable experience and showed that a major expedition could be organized alongside full-time jobs, while keeping enjoyment at the heart of adventure.
Gillis Billing was honored for his pioneering work in the 1950s. He explored climbing in France, Austria, Switzerland, Iran, Scotland and England when interest in the sport had barely emerged in Sweden. Also an elite gymnast and dancer, he developed his own equipment early on to make his adventures possible. His enthusiasm for discovering new places led him to remote areas including Svalbard and Greenland, where he was among the early climbing visitors in the 1950s.
