Glasgow climber Tim Miller wins Piolet d'Or award five years after surviving deadly avalanche

A Glasgow man has won one of the most prestigious awards in climbing, five years after surviving a deadly avalanche that claimed the life of his friend.

Tim Miller, 27, and legendary climber Paul Ramsden have been awarded the Piolet d'Or, or Golden Ice Axe, for summiting the previously unclimbed Jugal Spire in Nepal.

The award - widely recognised as the Oscars of mountaineering - is given to climbers who pursue uncharted territories with a deep-rooted respect for the mountains.

Mr Miller suffered frostbite during the climb to the 21,532ft summit.

The pair took on the challenge without supplemental oxygen, fixed ropes, or Sherpa support - known as alpine style.

Mr Miller said: "I'm incredibly proud to receive a Piolet d'Or, but I never got into climbing for awards. The award, for me, is being able to explore the unexplored, and the adventure itself.

"On an expedition you don't have to think about anything else for six weeks; you read, you chat, and you climb.

"It's purely a psychological sport. You have to switch yourself off to be alert. All your actions have consequences so there's no choice but to focus entirely. It's like nothing else on Earth.

"There are only a handful of unclaimed peaks out there, and there's so much hard work scouring books and Google Earth before you get there, but it's still unknown until you're on the mountain."

The impressive achievement comes after Mr Miller was caught in a fatal avalanche while camping at an altitude of 19,300ft on Pakistan's Ultar Sar mountain in 2018.

Mr Miller chewed through his tent's fabric and clawed his way through six feet of snow to the surface.

Fellow climber Christian Huber died in the incident, but Mr Miller was able to save the life of his other climbing partner Bruce Normand.

The pair spent two days in their broken tent, waiting for the weather to ease before being airlifted to safety by a Pakistani military helicopter.

Mr Miller said the incident was a "turning point" where the mountains "taught me lessons beyond climbing".

He added: "But it made me realise how much I need to climb. It made me appreciate being alive, and climbing makes me feel alive.

"We're all humans, and we all experience fear, but I think some people experience it differently.

"I learned a lot from that experience - we made silly mistakes. Now I prepare meticulously. I'm more experienced, I have my qualifications, and I'm way more knowledgeable, so I take more control.

"It can be scary at times, but I feel far more stressed when I'm off the mountain and my phone starts pinging. You're in flow when you're in the mountains, and I find it quite hard to deal with getting off it and living a 'normal' life."

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Mr Miller, who grew up in Strathblane in Stirlingshire, fell in love with the outdoors while hillwalking with his parents.

He studied geology at the University of Glasgow because he "saw someone sitting on a rock" in the prospectus, and now runs his own successful guiding and instructing business - Miller Mountain Guides.

The qualified British Mountain Guide said: "I feel a responsibility to share what I've learned.

"It's not just about the climbs but about fostering a love for the outdoors, teaching respect for the mountains, and ensuring safety in every ascent.

"I've been guiding so much the last few years, and I do love it, but I worry about plateauing so I'm going to push myself and make sure I don't lose my edge with trips to Antarctica, Greenland, and the Himalayas next year.

"I plan to do more vertical climbing and have a bucket list that includes well-known faces, like El Capitan in Yosemite, but I also want to go to places people wouldn't think about going; you're more likely to find me in Kyrgyzstan than on Everest."