The Italian resort of Courmayeur, one of the venues for the Piolets d'Or. Photo: Simo Räsänen CC-BY-SA-3.0

Veteran British climber and mountaineer Doug Scott will receive a lifetime contribution award at this year’s Piolets d’Or.

The event, held in the Alpine resorts of Chamonix and Courmayeur, are viewed as the ‘Oscars’ of mountaineering.

A jury of four climbers and two journalists will also decide winners for the April presentations from 53 significant climbs undertaken in 20 different countries over the last year.

Doug Scott, who will receive his lifetime award the month before his 70th birthday, follows in the footholds of previous winners Walter Bonatti and Reinhold Messner.

Cumbria-based Scott started climbing at the age of 12 and is as well known for his hard rock ascents as his alpine and mountaineering exploits. His first rockclimbing leads were made in 1953, the year Everest was first climbed.

In 1975, he and Dougal Haston were the first Britons to summit the world’s highest mountain. He pioneered the alpine climbing style – lightly equipped rapid ascents – on the world’s great ranges.

He has summited more than 40 peaks including Mount Asgard on Baffin Island, recently put back in the spotlight by fellow Cumbria climber Leo Houlding. He teamed up with another of England’s elder statesmen of mountaineering, Chris Bonington, for the successful attempt on The Ogre during which Scott broke both his ankles and had to descend on all fours.

He has also championed the causes of the high-altitude residents of Nepal and set up Community Action Nepal, supporting education and health projects in the Himalaya.

He was appointed a CBE in 1994 and has also received the gold medal of the Royal Geographical Society and was given the John Muir Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.

A statement from the Piolets d’Or organisers said: “Doug Scott embodies the spirit of modern alpinism in its quest for innovative routes.”

The Nottingham-born vegetarian lists organic gardening among his interests.