Catherine Destivelle

Catherine Destivelle, born July 24, 1960 in Oran, is a French climber and mountaineer. Introduced to climbing at a very young age, she had already climbed the most difficult climbing routes in the French Alps by the age of twenty. In the late 1980s, she became one of the world's best climbers and collected records, trophies and honorary distinctions. The 1990s marked a shift towards mountaineering as she took part in expeditions to the Himalayas and was the first woman to climb the three great north faces of the Alps alone in winter. Very popular, she has been the subject of numerous reports and documentary films. Catherine grew up in Paris and was introduced to climbing at a very young age in the Fontainebleau forest. At 15, she could climb the hardest rocks. At 17, she spent her weekends climbing the highest peaks in the Alps. Around the age of 20, she embarked on a career as a physiotherapist, but after five years, the lure of the mountains proved too strong and she began competing...