A WINTER STORY - ICE CLIMBING IN France

After my trip in Canada, I was in good shape for ice climbing, so I took the opportunity to climb some wonderful and rare french ice routes formed in during February. I started from the bottom, with the “6+” and the magnificent iced waterfall  "Galan"; then it came the "Racines du ciel" (the roots of Heaven), certainly the most beautiful one.

Rarely in good condition, this stunning waterfall is located in Fressinières, the Mecca of high difficulty waterfalls in France. In this mythical place there’s a huge concentration of ice challenges and every single line is a real struggle. There I joined my friends and Nuptse mountaineers from Nice Ben Guigonnet and Thomas Arfi, with whom I decided to face this frightening defiance.

At 8pm we reached the top of this ice masterpiece, losing on our way a helmet and an ice-ax.

We were literally at the roots of the sky. This direct line brought us closer to a night sky filled with thousands bright stars ... even the moon was there to guide us in the deep dark.

That waterfall allowed us to express ourselves to the best: we put all our hearts in the climb, but at the end we were there: tired but satisfied. What a team we have been!

That day was even more special because of Benjamin Guigonnet’s birthday, who celebrated his years on that mythical place. Together with him and Fred Devgoulet I climbed the Nuptse in 2017 - and both took me down from that mountain when at 7200m I injured my back with a stone: those guys are real superheroes!

Dear Benjamin, that day has been perfect: full of commitment, fun and surprises! Meeting up there and sharing the rope during your birthday has been a great sign of friendship. See you soon at the next adventures!