Laura Pineau & Elsa Ponzo climb 100 multipitch routes in Provence in 43 days

Where did the idea of climbing 100 multipitches in 50 days even come from? Honestly, it started as a quiet itch last summer, the kind that doesn’t go away. I wanted to imagine my own adventures. First female ascents are special, of course, but you’re still repeating something that already exists. I wanted something that felt a little more… self-inflicted.

Back in France, flipping through the guidebook “Les 100 plus belles grandes voies de Provence”, the 100 most beautiful multi-pitches in the south of France, by Nicholas Armstrong, I had a thought that probably should have stayed a thought: what if we climbed all of them, as fast as possible?

The first real crux wasn’t a pitch, it was finding the right partner. That’s when I remembered Elsa Ponzo, who I met in Yosemite in April 2025. Elsa is basically a concentrated ball of energy and optimism. At the time, I had no idea how hard she climbed, but I knew one thing for sure, we were going to have fun. A little research later, I realised she had climbed La Rubia 8c+ and some of the hardest multipitches in France. Perfect. Fun and terrifying. Exactly what you want in a partner.

This trip turned out to be nothing like any project I’d done before. From day one, it was a masterclass in adapting. The weather alone kept things interesting. We got rained on twice and climbed through 120 km/h wind gusts for days. We thought we were going sport climbing. It turns out we accidentally signed up for an alpine expedition.

There were some pretty low moments. Elsa got sick for a full week, barely eating, losing weight, and still somehow showing up. I was genuinely worried that might be the end of the trip. Then, around day 28, it was my turn to fall apart. I was completely exhausted, physically and mentally. Getting out of bed felt like its own crux pitch.

When we arrived in Verdon Gorge and woke up to snow the next morning, that was it for me. Too much. I cried for two days, convinced the project was maybe slipping away. And that’s where partnership actually means something. We talked, honestly. I told Elsa that if we didn’t dial things back for a few days, I was going to get injured and that would be the real end. She didn’t hesitate. We adjusted. Easier routes, smarter choices. Not exactly what the original plan said, but plans are easy to write and much harder to climb.

We had already been forced to improvise anyway. Some routes were closed for bird nesting, others were still soaked from winter. The perfect tick list never really existed. We just kept moving forward, one pitch at a time.

Logistically, the whole thing was a bit of a circus. Every night meant unpacking and repacking for a completely different objective. Gear roulette. According to our coros watch, we were burning around 4,000 calories a day, which meant a strict routine of big breakfasts, sandwiches for lunch, and proper dinners when we didn’t finish in the dark and eat whatever was left at the bottom of the bag.

Somehow, it all added up: 43 days, 7 rest days, 681 pitches, 17,765 meters climbed.

What I didn’t expect was how much the human side would matter. By the end, Elsa and I didn’t need to say much. On the wall or off, we just understood each other. The only reason we finished this project is because we carried each other through the moments where one of us couldn’t carry anything at all.

Also, small detail, Elsa didn’t fall once. Not once. Across everything from 4c to 7b+. It was a very inspiring life moment for me to see someone onsight or flash all of her pitches. I feel incredibly lucky to share ropes with climbers like Elsa, people who are always curious about where their limits actually are, and just as willing to find out the hard way.

- Laura Pineau, France

Pineau thanks: C.A.M.P., Coros, La Sportiva, Midnight Lightning Climbing, SlyFoods, Rgentic, Totem

THE ROUTES CLIMBED
La Sainte-Victoire
La commande, Moussaillons/Arrête du jardin, Diedre du puit, Le chien qui aboie/les 3 licornes, Austerlitz, Le grand parcours, Demain Debeurre abouradul, Éperon de l’ermitage, Marbrière, Éperon de la vierge

Les Calanques
Traversée Ramon, Traversée sans retour, Les dents de la mer, Promesse des profondeurs, Traversée de Tabarly, Le Calendal, Arakis, La Saphir, état d’urgence, Grande arrête de devenson, Voie Baou Rouge, L’intégrale, Les futurs croulants, Le pouce intégral, pour la mémoire de nos enfants, Sur les traces de Gaston, Et la mer profonde et bleue, La paroi noire, Éperon de droite, La chaloupée, La tout droit, Au-delà de la Verticale, Directissime de la Concave, Arrête de Marseille, Traversée de la commune, Arrête du Vallon, Enfants des étoiles, Armata Calanca, Face au large, Six à nous 3, Arrête de 10h, Aux tréfonds du passé, Eperon Ouest, Walking on the Moune, L’occidentale, Traversée intégrale des lames, Malices Des enchanteurs, Intégrale du bec, Melody

Le Destel
Promenons-nous dans les bois, Ainsi-soit-il, Le pilier de la sérénité

Les dentelles de Montmirail
Traversée des florets, Petite Émeline, Diagonale des vires rouges

Cap Canaille
Atelier Bleu, Piste noire, Ouvreur de bouse, Le H qui "aime", Le baudrier d'aurion, Bienvenue chez Damoclès, Vagabond’age, Paleo-Meetic, Galet-Jade, Syndrome de Lime, Deux vauriens, trois canailles, Tout est une question d’angle,

Verdon Gorge
Chlorochose, Fête des nerfs, Afin que nul ne meure, Ticket Danger, Catalunya mon amour, Voie des dalles, Barbapoupon, Les deux doigts dans le nez, Rivière d’argent, Free Tibet, Voie des dalles, L’herbetto, Pour une poignée de gros lard, La Bella vita, Gringo loco, Le toboggan de la mort, Lunathine, Le don de l’aigle, La bleue, Les bonnes résolutions, Arrête de la pâte de la chèvre, Adieu Zidane, Fièvre résurrectionnelle, Hissage Nocturne, Rue barbare, La rue est vers l’est, Gratte rue, Éperon des venellois, Verni vidi vici

La Sainte-Baume
La manasseritaigue, Éperon de nans, Le couloir des toits, L’ombre d’éole

 

 

 

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