Catherine Destivelle

Catherine Destivelle ( born July 24, 1960 in Oran, Algeria ) is a French mountaineer. She is considered one of the world's best mountaineers.

Destivelle grew up in Paris and accompanied her father often than girls for bouldering in the forest of Fontainebleau. In 1971, at age 11, Catherine began to train intensively. At 14, she began to climb in earnest. At 16, Catherine climbed the opened from Devies and Gervasutti route on the L' Ailefroide, 17 the so-called American route on the Petit Dru.

Destivelle retired for some years from climbing to study 1981-1984 physiotherapy. In 1985 she won the first "western" climbing competition, the sports Roccia in Bardonecchia (Italy). She became one of the dominant figures of the women's competition climbing for several years and could limit the performance enormously move upwards. A short time later, she crashed hard on a 35 - meter fall into a crevasse, but still won in 1986 the second edition of Sports Roccias, this time in Arco. In 1988 she became the first woman to a route in the French Difficulty 8a .

After 1990 they went back to the alpine mountaineering and climbing difficult routes in the world:

In 1996 Destivelle suffered a serious accident in Antarctica, from which it again but recovered well. In the same year she married Erik Descamp. A year later their son was born. In 1999, she was able to solo ascent of the north face of Grand Battlement on the Hasse - Brandlerführe with only partial self- assurance.

Appeared in 2005 Catherine Destivelles autobiography "Ascension " or " solo by great walls " in the AS Verlag, Zurich, translated by Gaby radio ( Mountain journalist / author ).