Patrick Vallençant

Patrick Vallençant, born in Lyon on June 9, 1946 and died on March 28, 1989, was a French mountaineer, mountain guide, and ski instructor, a pioneer of extreme ski mountaineering. At fifteen, skiing became a major focus of his adolescent life, and three years later, he left school for the mountains. From the ages of 18 to 20, Patrick Vallençant enrolled in the High Mountain Military School... but was expelled! With his partner, Marie-Josée, they worked as ski instructors in resorts: in Switzerland, in Les Menuires, and in Val d'Isère. Patrick also began to explore off-piste skiing and a new discipline: ski touring. In 1969, he was in Val d'Isère and discovered climbing. In 1970-73, he enrolled at the ENSA (National School of High Mountains) to learn his long-cherished profession as a High Mountain Guide. It was in 1971 that Patrick Vallençant began to tackle what had previously been impossible: on May 10th, he skied down the north face of the Grande Casse, a first. Forty days later, h...