Catherine Destivelle
Encyclopedia
Catherine Monique Suzanne Destivelle (born 24 July 1960) is an Algeria
-born French rock climber
and mountaineer
. In 1992 she became the first woman to complete a solo ascent of the Eiger
's north face
. She completed the climb in winter in 15 hours. Her other notable climbs include the Bonatti
Route on the north face of the Matterhorn
and the southwest pillar of the Aiguille du Dru
(the Bonatti Pillar). Destivelle has been the subject of several documentaries, including French director Rémy Tezier's, Beyond the Summits (Au-delà des cimes), which won the award for best feature-length mountain film at the 2009 Banff Mountain Film Festival
.
, to French parents, Serge and Annie Destivelle. When Destivelle was a young teenager, the family moved to France where she attended the Lycée Corot in Savigny-sur-Orge
. She then studied physiotherapy at the Ecole de kinésithérapie de Paris, and worked as a physiotherapist from 1981 to 1985. While still a teenager, she had already made several challenging ascents in the Freÿr
massif
and the Dolomites
, but did not take up a full-time professional career in rock
and mountain climbing until 1985. The following year, she and her compatriot Patrick Edlinger won the combined final ranking of the Arco and Bardonecchia
climbing championships.
With her fellow alpinist, Érik Decamp, Destivelle climbed the southwest face of Shishapangma
in Tibet in 1994 as well as the icefall
near Namche Bazaar, Nepal. During their 1996 expedition to Antarctica, they made the first ascent of "Peak 4111" in the Ellsworth Mountains
before the expedition was cut short after Destivelle fell 20 metres (65.6 ft) while descending from the summit and received a compound fracture of her leg. The couple married in 1996 and their son, Victor, was born the following year. She began to cut back on solo climbs in the late 1990s and developed an active career as a lecturer and writer.
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
-born French rock climber
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
and mountaineer
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
. In 1992 she became the first woman to complete a solo ascent of the Eiger
Eiger
The Eiger is a mountain in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends across the Mönch to the Jungfrau at 4,158 m...
's north face
Great north faces of the Alps
In mountaineering, the six great north faces of the Alps are known for their difficulty and great height. They are:*Cima Grande di Lavaredo*Eiger*Grandes Jorasses*Matterhorn*Petit Dru*Piz Badile...
. She completed the climb in winter in 15 hours. Her other notable climbs include the Bonatti
Walter Bonatti
Walter Bonatti was an Italian mountain climber. He is noted for a solo climb of a new route on the south-west pillar of the Aiguille du Dru in August 1955 and the first solo winter ascent of the Matterhorn north face in 1965.-Life and career:Bonatti was born in Bergamo...
Route on the north face of the Matterhorn
Matterhorn
The Matterhorn , Monte Cervino or Mont Cervin , is a mountain in the Pennine Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Its summit is 4,478 metres high, making it one of the highest peaks in the Alps. The four steep faces, rising above the surrounding glaciers, face the four compass points...
and the southwest pillar of the Aiguille du Dru
Aiguille du Dru
The Aiguille du Dru is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps, lying to the east of the village of Les Praz in the Chamonix valley.The mountain has two summits:...
(the Bonatti Pillar). Destivelle has been the subject of several documentaries, including French director Rémy Tezier's, Beyond the Summits (Au-delà des cimes), which won the award for best feature-length mountain film at the 2009 Banff Mountain Film Festival
Banff Mountain Film Festival
The Banff Mountain Film Festival is an international film competition and an annual presentation of short films and documentaries about mountain culture, sports, and environment. It was launched in 1976 as The Banff Festival of Mountain Films by The Banff Centre and is held every fall in Banff,...
.
Biography
Catherine Destivelle was born in Oran, AlgeriaOran
Oran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
, to French parents, Serge and Annie Destivelle. When Destivelle was a young teenager, the family moved to France where she attended the Lycée Corot in Savigny-sur-Orge
Savigny-sur-Orge
Savigny-sur-Orge is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 19.1 km from the center of Paris in the département of Essonne.During the 2005 civil unrest in France, Savigny was the first city to implement a curfew...
. She then studied physiotherapy at the Ecole de kinésithérapie de Paris, and worked as a physiotherapist from 1981 to 1985. While still a teenager, she had already made several challenging ascents in the Freÿr
Freÿr
The castle of Freÿr with its gardens in the style of Le Nôtre are located on the left banks of the Meuse River, between Waulsort and Dinant . They form one of the most magnificent natural sites in Belgium...
massif
Massif
In geology, a massif is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole...
and the Dolomites
Dolomites
The Dolomites are a mountain range located in north-eastern Italy. It is a part of Southern Limestone Alps and extends from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Valley in the east. The northern and southern borders are defined by the Puster Valley and the Sugana Valley...
, but did not take up a full-time professional career in rock
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
and mountain climbing until 1985. The following year, she and her compatriot Patrick Edlinger won the combined final ranking of the Arco and Bardonecchia
Bardonecchia
Bardonecchia is an Italian town and comune located in the Province of Turin, in the Piedmont region, in the western part of Susa Valley....
climbing championships.
With her fellow alpinist, Érik Decamp, Destivelle climbed the southwest face of Shishapangma
Shishapangma
Xixabangma, frequently spelled Shishapangma or Shisha Pangma , also called Gosainthān , is the fourteenth-highest mountain in the world and, at 8,013 m , the lowest of the eight-thousanders...
in Tibet in 1994 as well as the icefall
Icefall
An icefall is a portion of some glaciers characterized by rapid flow and a chaotic crevassed surface. Perhaps the most conspicuous consequence of glacier flow, icefalls occur where the glacier bed steepens and/or narrows...
near Namche Bazaar, Nepal. During their 1996 expedition to Antarctica, they made the first ascent of "Peak 4111" in the Ellsworth Mountains
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. They are bisected by Minnesota Glacier to form the northern Sentinel Range and the southern Heritage...
before the expedition was cut short after Destivelle fell 20 metres (65.6 ft) while descending from the summit and received a compound fracture of her leg. The couple married in 1996 and their son, Victor, was born the following year. She began to cut back on solo climbs in the late 1990s and developed an active career as a lecturer and writer.
Notable ascents
Destivelle was the first woman to complete the following solo ascents:- 1987 – Bandiagara EscarpmentBandiagara EscarpmentThe Bandiagara Escarpment is an escarpment in the Dogon country of Mali. The sandstone cliff rises about 500 meters above the lower sandy flats to the south. It has a length of approximately 150 kilometers. The area of the escarpment is inhabited today by the Dogon people. Before the Dogon, the...
in MaliMaliMali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with... - 1990 – Bonatti Pillar of the Aiguille du DruAiguille du DruThe Aiguille du Dru is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps, lying to the east of the village of Les Praz in the Chamonix valley.The mountain has two summits:...
- 1991 – new route up the Aiguille du Dru. The "Destivelle Route" was the first rock face to be named after a woman.
- 1992 – north face of the EigerEigerThe Eiger is a mountain in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends across the Mönch to the Jungfrau at 4,158 m...
- 1993 – Walker Spur of the Grandes JorassesGrandes JorassesThe Grandes Jorasses is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif.The first ascent of the highest peak of the mountain was by Horace Walker with guides Melchior Anderegg, Johann Jaun and Julien Grange on 30 June 1868...
- 1994 – Bonatti Route on the north face of the MatterhornMatterhornThe Matterhorn , Monte Cervino or Mont Cervin , is a mountain in the Pennine Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Its summit is 4,478 metres high, making it one of the highest peaks in the Alps. The four steep faces, rising above the surrounding glaciers, face the four compass points...
- 1999 – north face direct of the Cima Grande di Lavaredo
Publications
Destivelle is the author of the following books:- Danseuse de roc, Paris: Denoël, 1987
- Rocs nature (with photos by Gérard Kosicki), Paris: Denoël, 1991
- Annapurna: Duo pour un 8000 (with Érik Decamp), Paris: Arthaud, 1994
- L'apprenti alpiniste: L'escalade, l'alpinisme et la montagne expliqués aux enfants (with Érik Decamp and Gianni Bersezio), Paris: Hachette Jeunesse, 1996
- Ascensions, Paris: Arthaud, 2003
External links
- Catherine Destivelle on WorldCatWorldCatWorldCat is a union catalog which itemizes the collections of 72,000 libraries in 170 countries and territories which participate in the Online Computer Library Center global cooperative...