UKC

On International Women's Day, Anna Fleming speaks to French climbing icon Catherine Destivelle about her evolving career, subverting stereotypes and her respect for British climbing and its culture... 

Since she began climbing in the 1970s, Catherine Destivelle has recorded a diverse and highly successful career, from hard sport climbs to world championship titles and alpine feats involving first ascents across the globe. In the '90s, Destivelle's achievements and her reputation for bold solos as a woman in a male-dominated scene attracted mainstream media interest and made her one of the most famous climbers in the world. Now aged 63 and based near Chamonix, Destivelle balances climbing for enjoyment with her mountain book publishing company, Éditions du Mont Blanc.

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Legend...my fav climber of all time.

That’s great. What a star ⭐️ 

It's easy to forget how damn good she is at climbing

Great article, Anne, thanks so much for taking the time to speak with her and documenting it. A remarkable human being and climber.

Really nice read, great to see such a legend still getting media attention. 

Great article, thanks.

Superb interview ahh happy days how my climbing mates and I idolised ( and still do ) Catherine, a remarkable story and human being, so talented, forward-looking and brave. Proper badass as they say. A legend.

Great article about a genuine legend.