Catherine Destivelle (born 24 July 1960) is a French

rock climber Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in guidebooks, and ...

and

mountaineer Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become sports ...

who is considered one of the greatest and most important female climbers in the history of the sport. She came to prominence in the mid-1980s for

sport climbing Sport climbing (or bolted climbing) is a type of free climbing in the sport of rock climbing where the Lead climbing, lead climber clips their climbing rope, rope — via a quickdraw — into pre-drilled in-situ bolt (climbing), bolts for their ...

by winning the first major female

climbing competition Competition climbing is a form of regulated rock-climbing competition held indoors on purpose-built artificial climbing walls (earlier versions were held on external natural rock surfaces). The three competition climbing disciplines are lead c ...

s, and by being the first female to redpoint a sport climbing route with ''Fleur de Rocaille'' in 1985, and an route with ''Choucas'' in 1988. During this period, she was considered the strongest female sport climber in the world along with

Lynn Hill Carolynn Marie Hill (born January 3, 1961) is an American rock climber. Widely regarded as one of the leading competition climbers, traditional climbers (and particularly big wall climbers), sport climbers, and boulderers in the world during ...

, however, in 1990 she retired to focus on

alpine climbing Alpine climbing () is a type of mountaineering that uses any of a broad range of advanced climbing skills, including rock climbing, ice climbing, and/or mixed climbing, to summit typically large routes (e.g. multi-pitch or big wall) in an alpi ...

. In 1990, she made the first female alpine ascent of the ''Bonatti Pillar'' on the

Petit Dru The Aiguille du Dru (also the Dru or the Drus; French, Les Drus) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps. It is situated to the east of the village of Les Praz in the Chamonix valley. "Aiguille" means "needle" in French. The ...

, which she followed up in 1991, by becoming the first female to create a new extreme alpine route, also on the Petit Dru, which was named ''Voie Destivelle'' in her honor. From 1992 to 1994, Destivelle became the first female to complete the winter alpine

free solo Free solo climbing, or free soloing, is a form of rock climbing where the climber (or ''free soloist'') climbs Solo climbing, solo (or alone) without Climbing rope, ropes or other Rock climbing equipment#Protection devices, protective equipmen ...

of the " north face trilogy" of the

Eiger The Eiger () is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, overlooking Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland, just north of the main watershed and border with Valais. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends ...

, the

Grandes Jorasses The Grandes Jorasses (; 4,208 m; 13,806 ft) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif, on the boundary between Haute-Savoie in France and Aosta Valley in Italy. The first ascent of the highest peak of the mountain (''Pointe Walker'') was by H ...

, and the

Matterhorn The , ; ; ; or ; ; . is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the Main chain of the Alps, main watershed and border between Italy and Switzerland. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the Pennine Alps, ...

. She made Himalayan and high-altitude ascents such as Nameless Tower in 1990, the southwest face of

Shishapangma Shishapangma, or Shishasbangma or Xixiabangma ( zh, s=希夏邦马, p=Xī xià bāng mǎ), is the 14th-highest mountain in the world, at above sea level. The lowest 8,000 metre peak, it is located entirely within Tibet. Name Geologist Toni H ...

in 1995, and the south face of Peak 4111, in Antarctica, in 1996. As well as her Alpine free solos, she made other notable free solos, such as the

Devils Tower Devils Tower (also known as Mato Tipila or Bear Lodge) is a butte, laccolithic, composed of igneous rock in the Bear Lodge Ranger District of the Black Hills, near Hulett and Sundance in Crook County, northeastern Wyoming, above the Bel ...

in 1992, and the

Old Man of Hoy The Old Man of Hoy is a Stack (geology), sea stack on Hoy, Orkney, Hoy, part of the Orkney archipelago off the north coast of Scotland. Formed from Old Red Sandstone, it is one of the tallest stacks in the United Kingdom. The Old Man is popular ...

in 1997. She is the subject of several documentaries, including Rémy Tezier's, ''Beyond the Summits'', which won the best feature-length film award at the 2009 Banff Film Festival. In 2007, she was made a Knight of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

, and in 2020, became the first female recipient of the

Piolet d'Or An ice axe is a multi-purpose hiking and climbing tool used by mountaineers in both the ascent and descent of routes that involve snow or ice covered (e.g. ice climbing or mixed climbing) conditions. Its use depends on the terrain: in its sim ...

''Lifetime Achievement Award''.

Early life and education

Catherine Destivelle was born in

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

, in

French Algeria French Algeria ( until 1839, then afterwards; unofficially ; ), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of History of Algeria, Algerian history when the country was a colony and later an integral part of France. French rule lasted until ...

, to French parents, Serge and Annie Destivelle. Catherine was the eldest of six (four sisters Florence, Sophie, Martine, and Claire, and one brother Hyacinthe). Her father was an amateur climber and mountaineer. As a young teenager, her family moved to Paris, France, where she attended the Lycée Corot in

Savigny-sur-Orge Savigny-sur-Orge (, literally ''Savigny upon Orge'') is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 19.1 km (11.9 mi) from the center of Paris in the département In the administrative divisions of France, ...

. At the age of 12, Destivelle became a member of the

Club alpin français Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

, and started

bouldering Bouldering is a form of rock climbing that is performed on small rock formations or Climbing wall, artificial rock walls without the use of ropes or Climbing harness, harnesses. While bouldering can be done without any equipment, most climbers ...

Fontainebleau Fontainebleau ( , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the Kilometre zero#France, centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a Subprefectures in Franc ...

, multi-pitch

big wall climbing Big wall climbing is a form of rock climbing that takes place on long and sheer multi-pitch climbing, multi-pitch climbing routes, routes (of ''at least'' 6–10 pitches or 300–500 metres) that require a full day, if not several days, to ascen ...

Burgundy Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. ...

, and alpine climbing in the

Massif des Écrins Massif des Écrins (; Écrins Massif) are a massif in the French Alps. They form the core of Écrins National Park in Hautes-Alpes and Isère.Verdon Gorge The Verdon Gorge (French language, French: ''Gorges du Verdon'' ) is a river canyon located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of Southeastern France. It is about 25 km (15.5 mi) long and up to 700 metres (0.4 ...

, with climbing-partner, Pierre Richard. In that year, Destiville made alpine ascents of the ''Cousy-Desmaison Route'' ( ED) on the north face of l'Olan, and the ''Devies-Gervasutti Route'' ( TD+), on the northwest face of

Ailefroide The Ailefroide (3,954 m) is a mountain in the Massif des Écrins in the French Alps, and is the third highest peak in the Dauphiné Alps after the Barre des Écrins and La Meije. It lies at the south-western end of the Mont Pelvoux– Pic San ...

. The following year, in 1977, she ascended the ''American Direct Route'' ( ED1), on the west face of Le Petit Dru in

Chamonix Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (; ; (no longer in use)), more commonly known simply as Chamonix (), is a communes of France, commune in the departments of France, department in the regions of France, region in Southeastern France. It was the site of the f ...

. From 1980 to 1985, Destivelle focused on studying

physiotherapy Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is a healthcare profession, as well as the care provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through patient education, physical intervention, disease preventio ...

at the ''Ecole de kinésithérapie de Paris'', and then working full-time as a physiotherapist.

Climbing career

Sport climbing and competition climbing

In 1985, Destivelle became a professional climber, which happened almost by accident after being asked to do a climbing film, ''E pericoloso sporgersi'', that captured her making the first female ascent of the 1,000-metre multi-pitch sport route ''Pichenibule'' in

Verdon Verdon may refer to: People *Verdon (surname) Places France * Verdon, Dordogne, in the Dordogne ''département'' * Verdon, Marne, in the Marne ''département'' * Vinon-sur-Verdon, an old French town in the département of Var, Provence-Alpes-Cô ...

, which was only the second-ever female ascent in history of a route; after the film, she was offered sponsorships. In 1985, Destivelle made what was thought to be the first female breakthrough into the grade with ''Fleur de Rocaille'', however, its grade was subsequently softened to 7c+/8a. Destivelle initially rejected

competition climbing Competition climbing is a form of regulated rock climbing, rock-climbing competition held indoor climbing, indoors on purpose-built artificial climbing walls (earlier versions were held on external natural rock surfaces). The three competition ...

, co-signing the 1985 , but then changed her mind and won at

Sportroccia Sportroccia was the very first international climbing competition. Four annual Sportroccia editions were held in 1985, 1986, 1988, and 1989, in the village of Bardonecchia and Arco, Trentino, Arco, Italy. History The first edition of Sportrocci ...

in 1985, the first international climbing competition (held in

Bardonecchia Bardonecchia (; ; , ) is an Italian town and ''comune'' located in the Metropolitan City of Turin, in the Piedmont region, in the western part of Susa Valley. It grew out of a small village with the works for the Fréjus Rail Tunnel, the first c ...

and

Arco Arco may refer to: Places * Arco, Trentino, a town in Trentino, Italy * Arco, Idaho, in the United States * Arco, Minnesota, a city in the United States * ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California, home of the Sacramento Kings Companies * ARCO (b ...

), which later became the

Rock Master Rock Master is an international competition climbing event that is held every year in Arco, Italy. The event takes place in two rounds: the first is an on-sight session and the second is called "after work". The final classification is given by ...

annual competition. Later that year, she fractured her pelvis in a fall in Chamonix. Destivelle recovered and in 1986 set new records by becoming the first female to climb an route with ''Fleur de Rocaille'' (later downgraded to 7c+/8a), and winning again at Sportroccia, beating her main rival

. 1988 would be the pinnacle of Destivelle's sport climbing career when she redpointed ''Choucas'' in

Buoux Buoux (; ) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Located on the north side of the Luberon, the town is known for the high cliffs that surround it, making it a popular venue for ...

, the first female ascent of an graded route. She had repeated several routes that year in preparation, including ''Rêve de Papillon'', ''Elixir de Violence'', ''Samizdat'', and ''La Diagonale du Fou''. She also beat her fellow French rival

Isabelle Patissier Isabelle Patissier (born March 1, 1967) is a French world champion rock climber and more recently a rally driver. She is known for winning two Lead Climbing World Cups (1990, 1991) and for being the first-ever woman in history to climb an route ...

to win her third Sportroccia title. In 1989, Destivelle won the first international climbing competition held in the US, organized by

Jeff Lowe Jeff Lowe (September 13, 1950 - August 24, 2018) was an American alpinist from Ogden, Utah who was known for his visionary climbs and first ascents established in the Rocky Mountains, US and Canadian Rockies, Alps and Himalayas. He was a propon ...

Snowbird, Utah Snowbird is an unincorporated community in Little Cottonwood Canyon in the Wasatch Range of the Rocky Mountains near Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It is most famous for Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, an alpine skiing and snowboarding ar ...

. In 1990, Destivelle finished third at the annual Snowbird international competition and decided to retire from competition climbing to focus on mountaineering and alpine climbing.

Alpine climbing

In 1990, Destiville came to international attention with the first female ascent of the ''Bonatti Pillar'' (TD+: 5.9 A1) on the southwest face of the Petit Dru, which she completed as a

in 4 hours; in 1955

Walter Bonatti Walter Bonatti (; 22 June 1930 – 13 September 2011) was an Italian people, Italian mountaineer, alpinist, explorer and journalist. He was noted for many climbing achievements, including a Solo climbing, solo climb of a new alpine climbing route ...

spent six days on the route as he made what became regarded as one of the most famous ascents in

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

. In 1991, Destivelle completed one of her most notable alpine climbing feats by opening up a new route on the west face of the Petit Dru, named the ''Voie Destivelle'' (or ''Destiville Route'') (VI 5.11b A5). Her 11-day free solo of the route, which bears her name in her honor, was captured in the film ''11 Days on the Dru'', and covered widely in the international media. Destivelle turned her attention to completing the free solo climb, in winter, of the three greatest north faces in the Alpes (the winter " North Face Trilogy" of Ivano Ghirardini). She started in 1992, making the first female solo ascent of the ''1938 Heckmair Route'' (ED2) on the north face of the

in 17-hours (and featured in the 1992 climbing film, ''Eiger''). In 1993, she made the first female solo ascent of the ''Walker Spur'' (ED1, 5.8 A1) on the north face of the

. In 1994, she completed the 'winter solo trilogy' climbing the ''Bonatti Route'' (ED2/3) on the

. In 1999, she completed the first female free solo of the ''Brandler-Hasse Route'' (ED-: 5.10c A0), on the north face direct of the

Cima Grande di Lavaredo The ; ), also called the ; ), are three distinctive battlement-like peaks, in the Sexten Dolomites of northeastern Italy. They are one of the best-known mountain groups in the Alps. The three peaks, from east to west, are: *Cima Piccola / Klein ...

; her last major alpine climb.

Himalayan and high-altitude climbing

In 1990, Destivelle went on an expedition with Jeff Lowe and

David Breashears David Finlay Breashears (December 20, 1955 – March 14, 2024) was an American mountaineer, filmmaker, author and motivational speaker. In 1985, he reached the summit of Mount Everest a second time, becoming the first American to reach the summi ...

to try a new route on Nameless Tower in the

Karakoram The Karakoram () is a mountain range in the Kashmir region spanning the border of Pakistan, China, and India, with the northwestern extremity of the range extending to Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Most of the Karakoram mountain range is withi ...

, however, poor conditions forced them to change plans and they instead made the second free ascent of ''Yugoslav Route'' (VI 5.12a) (and featured in the 1990 climbing film, ''Nameless Tower''). In 1992, Destivelle went on another expedition with Jeff Lowe to climb the north ridge on the north face of Latok I, in the

, but was forced back due to severe storms. In 1993, she went on an expedition to the west face of

Makalu Makalu (; ) is the fifth-highest mountain on Earth, with a summit at an elevation of AMSL. It is located in the Mahalangur Himalayas southeast of Mount Everest, on the China–Nepal border. One of the eight-thousanders, Makalu is an isolat ...

with

and French mountaineering guide, Erik Decamp (who would later become her husband). Lowe tried an alternative solo route while Destivelle and Decamp tried the West Pillar, however, both groups were unsuccessful due to severe snowfall. In 1995, Decamp and herself made a successful ascent of the ''Loretan-Troillet-Kurtyka Route'' on the southwest face of

. In 1995, the pair were less successful in attempting to open a new route on the south face of

Annapurna Annapurna (; ) is a mountain situated in the Annapurna mountain range of Gandaki Province, north-central Nepal. It is the 10th highest mountain in the world at above sea level and is well known for the difficulty and danger involved in its as ...

, beside the old ''Bonington Route''. In January 1996, after the pair successfully completed a new route on the south face of Peak 4111 in Antarctica, Destivelle fell 20-metres through a cornice while momentarily unroped on the summit, and suffered a severe compound leg fracture. Destivelle thought she would die given their remote position, however, a 15-hour self-rescue brought her to safety.

Free soloing

Destivelle is known for her free soloing of multi-pitch rock climbs, and both alpine big wall and alpine mixed climbs (i.e. rock climbing and ice climbing). On a 1992 tour to the US, she free soloed the second half of ''El Matador'' on the

in Wyoming, and ''Supercrack'' , in Indian Creek, Utah (both are captured in the 1992 climbing film, ''Ballade à Devil's Tower''), and in 1997, while four months pregnant, free soloed the

in Scotland (captured in the 1998 film, ''Rock Queen''). During 1992–1994, she completed the winter free solo trilogy of the north faces of the Eiger, the Grandes Jorasses and the Matterhorn. In a 2020 interview with ''

Rock & Ice ''Rock & Ice'' is a magazine published by Outside focusing on rock and ice climbing. The first issue came out in March 1984. The first publisher was Neal Kaptain. George Bracksieck worked for him, beginning in January 1984, and the two became e ...

'' she said: "When I'm free soloing, I feel O.K. I always have a big safety margin, I'm not struggling. You feel quite powerful and calm. If I ever felt afraid, I wouldn't go. I don't like to bet". She said of her Eiger free solo: "I didn't want people to say it was the first female ascent, I wanted to be the first person to climb the Eiger onsight and solo in winter".

Legacy

Destivelle is widely considered one of the greatest all-around female climbers in the history of the sport. In 2014, the former editor of the ''

Alpine Journal The ''Alpine Journal'' (''AJ'') is an annual publication by the Alpine Club of London. It is the oldest mountaineering journal in the world. History The journal was first published on 2 March 1863 by the publishing house of Longman in London, ...

'', Ed Douglas, called her "the world's most famous woman alpinist during the 1990s". When she became the first female recipient of the Piolet d'Or ''Lifetime Achievement Award'' in 2020, ''PlanetMountain'' said: "the 59-year-old Frenchwoman is considered one of the greatest climbers and mountaineers of all times". In 2020, ''

Climbing Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or other parts of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains (e.g. the eight thousanders) to small boulders. Climbing is done for locom ...

'' magazine noted her pioneering role in competition climbing and her rivalry with Lynn Hill as they vied for the title of the strongest female sport climber, but noted that her true passion was for alpinism, and said of her achievements: "Catherine Destivelle crushed the stereotypes that top-level sport climbing and daring alpinism were reserved for men. She is one of the most well-rounded climbers of all time—from the boulders of Fontainebleau to the Himalaya—and her storied career serves as inspiration to climbers everywhere".

Personal life

In 1996, Destivelle and Erik Decamp were married, and have a son. After her son was born, Destivelle began to cut back on free solo and extreme climbs in the late 1990s and developed a career as a lecturer, speaker and a mountaineering writer. By 2000, she completely retired from any major sport climbing or alpine climbing activities. In 2011, in partnership with Bruno Dupety, she became a publisher at her firm, "Les Editions du Mont Blanc", a company specializing in books about mountaineering and alpinism.

Awards

*In 1993, Knight of the

Ordre national du Mérite The (; ) is a French order of merit with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic, founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The reason for the order's establishment was twofold: to replace the large number of ...

in France. *In 2007, Knight of the

in France. *In 2008, . *In 2020, 12th

''Lifetime Achievement Award'', she became the first female recipient and its youngest-ever recipient.

Notable climbs

Sport climbing

During her competition years, Destivelle was considered one of the world's best sport climbers. *1983 – ''La Dudule'' , Saussois, France, the third-ever female 7a in history. *1985 – ''Pichenibule'' ,

, France, the second-ever female 7b+ in history (captured in the 1985 climbing film, ''E Pericoloso Sporgersi'). *1985 – ''Fleur de Rocaille'' ,

Mouriès Mouriès (; , ) is a commune in France, commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône Departments of France, department in southern France. Population Economy Mouriès is known for its olive oil production, calling itself "the olive oil capital of Fra ...

, France, the first female 7c+/8a; this was initially considered the first 8a, but it was later downgraded one notch. *1988 – ''Rêve de Papillon'' ,

, France, the fourth-ever female 8a in history. *1988 – ''Elixir de Violence'' ,

, France. *1988 – ''Samizdat'' , Cimaï, France. *1988 – ''La Diagonale du Fou'' ,

, France. *1988 – ''Chouca'' ,

, France, the first female 8a+ in history.

Free solo rock climbing

Destivelle was also one of the few rock climbers who practiced

free soloing Free solo climbing, or free soloing, is a form of rock climbing where the climber (or ''free soloist'') climbs solo (or alone) without ropes or other protective equipment, using only their climbing shoes and their climbing chalk. Free soloing ...

at extreme grades. *1985 – El Puro,

Mallos de Riglos The Mallos de Riglos (English: Mallets of Riglos) are a set of conglomerate rock formations, located in the municipality of Las Peñas de Riglos, in the Hoya de Huesca comarca, in Aragon, Spain. They are located near Las Peñas de Riglos som ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

*1987 –

Bandiagara Escarpment The Bandiagara Escarpment (, ) is a sandstone cliff in the Dogon country of Mali. It rises about above the lower sandy flats to the south, and has a length of approximately . The area of the escarpment is inhabited today by the Dogon people. ...

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

(captured in the 1987 climbing film, ''Seo''). *1989 –

Phi Phi Islands The Phi Phi Islands (, , ) are an island group in Thailand between the large island of Krabi Province, Krabi and the Straits of Malacca coast of Thailand. The islands are administratively part of Krabi Province. Ko Phi Phi Don (, ) (''ko'' 'isl ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

(captured in the 1989 climbing film, ''Solo Thai''). *1992 – ''Supercrack'' , Indian Creek, Dead Horse Point State Park in Utah (captured in the 1992 climbing film, ''Ballade à Devil's Tower''). *1992 – ''El Matador'' ,

in Wyoming (captured in the 1992 climbing film, ''Ballade à Devil's Tower''). *1997 –

sea-stack in Orkney Islands,

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

(captured in the 1998 film, ''Rock Queen'').

Alpine climbing

Destivelle was the first woman to complete the following solo alpine climbing and big wall climbing ascents:. *1990 (October) – ''Bonatti Pillar'' (TD+: 5.9 A1), on the southwest face of the

, first female free solo. *1991 (June) – ''Voie Destivelle'' (VI 5.11b A5), west face of the Petit Dru,

first free ascent In mountaineering and climbing, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books), is the first successful documented climb to the top of a mountain or the top of a particular climbing route. Early 20th-century mountaineers and climbers focused ...

and first female to free an alpine route of that level of technical difficulty; also the first major Alps route to be named after a woman (captured in the 1991 climbing film, ''11 Days on the Dru''). *1992 (March) – ''1938 Heckmair Route'' (ED2), north face of the

, first female winter free solo (captured in the 1992 climbing film, ''Eiger''). *1993 (February) – ''Walker Spur'' (ED1: 5.8 A1), north face of the

, first female winter free solo. *1994 (February) – ''Bonatti Route'' (ED2/3), north face of the

, first female winter free solo; and first female to complete Ivano Ghirardini's winter "North Face Trilogy". *1999 (June) – ''Brandler-Hasse Route'' (ED-: 5.10c A0), north face direct of the

, first female free solo of one of the six

great north faces of the Alps The six great north faces of the Alps are a group of vertical faces in the Swiss, French, and Italian Alps known in mountaineering for their difficulty, danger, and great height. The "Trilogy" is the three hardest of these north faces, being th ...

Himalayan and high-altitude climbing

She also went on innovative and challenging Himalayan and high-altitude mountaineering projects. *1990 (September) – ''Yugoslav Route'' (VI 5.12a), Trango (Nameless) Tower,

, second free ascent with

and

(captured in the 1990 climbing film, ''Nameless Tower''). *1992 (August) – North Ridge, north face of Latok I,

, unsuccessful attempt with

that retreated at 5,800-meters due to storms. *1993 (May) – West Pillar, west face of

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

, expedition with

(who tried a different route); Destivelle and Erik Decamp reached 7,600-metres before retreating due to heavy snow. *1994 – ''Losar'' (VI, ice grade WI5),

Namche Bazaar Namche Bazaar (also Namche Bazar, Nemche Bazaar or Namche Baza; ) is a town (formally Namche Village Development Committee) in ward no 5 Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality in Solukhumbu District of Koshi Province in northeastern Nepal. I ...

, Nepal, first ascent of the 700-metre frozen waterfall with Erik Decamp (captured in the 1997 climbing film, ''La Cascade''). *1995 (September) – ''Loretan-Troillet-Kurtyka Route'', southwest face of

, China, summitted with Erik Decamp. *1995 (October) – South Face of

, Nepal, Destivelle and Erik Decamp reached 7,800-metres on a new route (right of the ''Bonington Route''), before retreating due to heavy snow. *1996 (January) – South Face (TD: V 5.10), of Peak 4111,

Ellsworth Mountains The Ellsworth Mountains are the highest mountain ranges in Antarctica, forming a long and wide chain of mountains in a north to south configuration on the western margin of the Ronne Ice Shelf in Marie Byrd Land. They are bisected by Minneso ...

, Antarctica, first ascent with Erik Decamp; suffers compound leg fracture after a 20-metre fall on summit cornice.

Bibliography

Destivelle is the author of the following books: *''Danseuse de roc'', Denoël, 1987 () *''Rocs nature'' (with photos by Gérard Kosicki), Denoël, 1991 () *''Annapurna: Duo pour un 8000'' (with Érik Decamp), Arthaud, 1994 () *''L'apprenti alpiniste: L'escalade, l'alpinisme et la montagne expliqués aux enfants'' (with Érik Decamp and Gianni Bersezio), Hachette Jeunesse, 1996 () *''Ascensions'', Arthaud, 2003 () *''Le petit alpiniste: La montagne, l'escalade et l'alpinisme expliqués aux enfants'' (with Érik Decamp and Claire Robert), Guérin, 2009 () *''Rock Queen'', Hayloft Publishing Ltd, 2015 () *''L'escalade, tu connais?'', Editions du Mont Blanc, 2017 () *''L'alpinisme, tu connais?'', Editions du Mont Blanc, 2019 ()

Filmography

Destivelle has been the subject of several films and documentaries:''The Houghton Mifflin Dictionary of Biography''
"Destivelle, Catherine"
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2003, p. 429. *''E Pericoloso Sporgersi'', Robert Nicod, 1985 *''Seo'', Pierre-Antoine Hiroz, 1987 *''Solo Thai'', Laurent Chevallier, 1989 *''Nameless Tower'',

, 1990 *''11 Jours dans les Drus'', Gilles Sourice, 1991 *''Eiger'', Stéphane Deplus, 1992 *''Ballade à Devils's Tower'', Pierre-Antoine Hiroz, 1992 *''La Cascade'', Pierre-Antoine Hiroz, 1997 *''Rock Queen'', Martin Belderson, 1998 *''Au-delà des cimes'' (''Beyond the Summits''), Rémy Tézier, 2008; winner of the best feature-length film award at the 2009

Banff Mountain Film Festival The Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival, formerly Banff Festival of Mountain Films, is an international film competition and annual presentation of films and documentaries about mountain culture, sports, environment and adventure & exploration, h ...

CBC News CBC News is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC ...

Finding Farley wins at Banff Mountain Film Festival
November 9, 2009. Retrieved 17 September 2010