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The choice of this route…
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 chose this style because I like long artificial routes such as those in the USA (Zodiac, Zenyatta, Sea of Dreams,etc...) and I wanted to transfer these difficulties to one of the faces in the Alps.
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Why in winter?
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To find the hardest and most ‘engaging’ conditions. Using this approach I opened "Decalage" (A4,M7) in an eight-day push on the North Face of the Grandes Jorasses, on the Eperon Croz. The West Face of the Drus is more difficult and requires long technical rock climbing, although it has to be said that the choice of climbing the Drus in winter was influenced by another factor: safety. I think the first section (10/12 pitches) is more dangerous in summer due to rock falls... I like the conditions that you find in winter, everything is more difficult, harder; it's my spirit.
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And solo?
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I like to climb alone, that’s for sure! I had originally started this project in winter 2000 together with a friend of mine, Jerome Arpin, but we were forced to turn back due to bad weather. The circumstances this year are the real reason why I climbed alone – I couldn‘t find a partner.
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What does this ascent mean to you?
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I’ve been living in the Chamonix valley for about three years now and I see this incredible and very beautiful West Face all the time! I wanted to open a difficult route on this face because I like to climb, I like this mountain and I like the most difficult conditions. I'm a very satisfied and happy alpinist today because I found everything I like in this line; it's the most beautiful and hardest route I’ve ever climbed in the Alps!
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"The Himalayas represent my alpinism. Everything is difficult there and the physically demanding nature of an ascent is ever present."
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"But the most important thing is the mental aspect; all hard routes require hard concentration, motivation, and they therefore develop the ‘spirit’."
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How do you define your style of alpinism?
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My style of alpinism is above all marked by my love for all its aspects: rock climbing, ice climbing and dry tooling, aid climbing, alpine north faces, high altitude ascents in the Himalayas, everything... I like hard routes, hard climbing, solos, difficult physical conditions…
But the most important thing is the mental aspect; all hard routes require hard concentration, motivation, and they therefore develop the ‘spirit’. I like the mountain ‘spirit’. In the Alps I like climbing the hardest routes alone and I enjoy staying on a face for a long time. In the Himalayas I like the big faces and the most demanding conditions that one finds on a solo climb. The Himalayas represent my alpinism. Everything is difficult there and the physically demanding nature of an ascent is ever present. Alpinism in its largest sense is climbing on the giant Himalayan faces, at altitude…
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The best routes…
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It's difficult to summarise my climbing career...there are some nice moments though such as my solo ascent of Privilege du serpent (7c+) in ‘89, Divine Providence solo in ’90, Decalage and now the Drus in 2001. In the Himalayas I remember my attempt of the South Face of Annapurna with Pierre Beghin - unsuccessful, but getting back was extremely difficult; then there’s my fast solo of Gasherbrum II and GI in ‘96…
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In 2000 you soloed a new line on Manaslu; what about the future…
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I’ve now climbed six 8000m peaks, four of which solo and sometimes via a new route (Shishapangma N Face in ‘94, GI NE Face in 96). In the future I want to climb all the 8000m peaks and if possible alone, along a difficult route, linking two peaks or in winter... This summer for example I’m going to Pakistan to climb K2 alone and Broad Peak. |
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