Jean-Christophe Lafaille

Jean-Christophe Lafaille, born March 31, 1965, in Gap and who disappeared on January 26, 2006, on the slopes of Makalu, Nepal, is a French mountaineer. He was an "international guarantor" for the Mountain Wilderness Association. Married twice, he is the father of two children: Marie with his first wife, Véronique (Lafaille gave his name to a 6,250-meter peak in the Himalayas, Mari Ri) and Tom with his second wife, Katia (a route on Nanga Parbat is named after his son). Jean-Christophe Lafaille, originally from Gap, began climbing at the age of 7. During his adolescence, he was inspired by the books of Walter Bonatti and Reinhold Messner. He participated in numerous sport climbing competitions. A mountain guide, Jean-Christophe Lafaille teaches at the National Ski and Mountaineering School and is also a member of the GHM. The definitive impetus didn't come until 1990 with the discovery of solo climbing in winter conditions. During the coldest months of that year, he climbed the Bonatti...