Voie Lafaille on Drus West face freed by Léo Billon, Enzo Oddo

French alpinists Léo Billon and Enzo Oddo have made the long-awaited, first free ascent of Voie Lafaille on the West face the Drus in the Mont Blanc massif. The route was first ascended solo and in winter by French ace Jean-Christophe Lafaille who, from 12 to 21 February 2001, established what he described at the time as "the most beautiful and hardest route I’ve ever climbed in the Alps!" One of the most talented of his generation, Lafaille perished in January 2006 while attempting, solo, the first winter ascent of Makalu.

Billon and Oddo made a one-day forray last summer, then returned three times this season: 28-29 June, 10-12 July and, finally, from 5-7 August. Their aim was to scout and prepare the pitches, open two new pitches above L'épaule du Drus where Lafaille had exited onto the shoulder due to inhospitable conditions in order to continue all the way to the summit, and create a variation on one of the existing pitches.

During the free ascent the climbers made two bivies on the face and both led and sent all the hardest pitches. On the morning of August 7, they sent the last two 7c pitches, then continued to the summit, moving together on easy terrain. They summited at around 2 pm and then descended back to niche via 10 rappels to retrieve their gear, grab a bite to eat, and finish the descent to the base of the face. We reached the bottom around 8 p.m., where we bivouacked before heading back down to the valley. Originally graded A5+, the route now goes free at 8b+.

Speaking to planetmountain after the ascent Billon, a member of the elite Chamonix High Mountain Military Group (GMHM), explained "The crux pitch, graded 8b+, is absolutely beautiful. The route as a whole is outstanding, offering an incredible variety of styles - delicate slabs, technical cracks, overhanging walls, and an elegant prow - all on superb-quality rock."

Asked about the variation at 3/4 height, Billon stated "The original pitch was just a three-metre slab boulder problem, so instead we scoped this variation. The wall there is absolutely incredible: a slight overhang with athletic climbing on "good" holds. I've never climbed a pitch like this anywhere in the Mont Blanc massif - it was insane!"