CATHERINE
DESTIVELLE
Catherine
was born in
Algeria but
grew up in
Paris, the
eldest of
five sisters
and one brother.
Her father
had a taste
for climbing
and a passion
for the outdoors
and from an
early age,
she was a
regular visitor
of the forest
of Fontainebleau,
close to Paris.
There, a seed
was sown.
Her climbing
is deeply
rooted in
the traditions
of this sport,
at one with
mountains
and adventure.
She began
climbing at
the age of
13 when she
tried rock
climbing.
By the age
of 15, she
was picked
up every Sunday
by a group
of more experienced
climbers and
whisked off
to Fontainebleau
for the day.
At the age
of 16, she
had climbed
the Couzy-Desmaison
route on the
Olan and the
Devies-Gervasutti
route on the
Ailefroide,
followed the
year after
by an ascent
of the American
Direct on
the Petit
Dru.
She took
a five-year
break from
climbing to
further her
career in
physiotherapy
and then appeared
on the competition
scene. She
entered her
first competition
in 1985, at
the age of
25, which
is rather
late by today’s
standards,
and still
in 1985, she
became a professional
climber. In
1988, Catherine
climbed the
still-new
13c route
called Chouca
at Buoux,
France, a
radically
steep line
of one-finger
and two-finger
pockets that
had become
the symbol
of the sport-climbing
revolution.
It was then
the hardest
route in the
world ever
climbed by
a woman. For
three consecutive
years she
won at Bardonecchia,
Italy, but
after competing
in the second
Snowbird Cup
in 1989 she
retired from
competitions
to focus on
mountaineering.
In 1990 she
free-climbed
the Nameless
Tower in Pakistan
and solo climbed
the Bonatti
Pillar on
Les Drus.
In June 1991,
she opened
a new route
up the famous
west face
of the Drus,
during a remarkable
11-day solo-climb.
On the 10th
March 1992,
it took her
17 hours to
solo the north
face of the
Eiger (3970
metres), in
the Bernese
Oberland,
a mythical
rock-face,
regarded as
the most fatal
in the Alps.
During that
year, she
attempted
the huge Latok
in Pakistan.
In 1993, she
achieved the
winter solo
of the North
Face of the
Grandes Jorasses,
and attempted
the West Pillar
of the Makalu
in Nepal.
In 1994, she
soloed in
winter the
Bonatti route
on the North
Face of the
Matterhorn.
1995 saw
Catherine
climb the
South West
Face of Shishapangma
in Tibet,
and attempt
the South
Face of Annapurna.
This extraordinarily
brave woman
is an accomplished
speaker in
both English
and French.
She gives
inspirational
presentations
where she
challenges
and inspires
her audience
to re-focus
their goals
to achieve
success by
sharing her
visions and
startling
achievements.
Catherine
powerfully
illustrates
with slides,
video footage
and films
the necessary
vision, belief
and self-determination
needed to
stretch herself
to her full
potential.
Catherines
topics include:
Reaching
The Top Following
One’s
Instinct Catching
The Opportunity
Rising To
The Challenge
Taking Calculated
Risks Adding
Value
These are
just some
of the themes
she has already
developed
for companies.
Catherine
tailors her
talks to the
personnel
of Companies
and she has
spoken for
amoungst others:
Arthur Andersen,
Deloitte &
Touch, IBM,
Unisys, Epson,
Inktomi, People
Soft, The
Association
of Risk Management,
Critical Path,
Avery Dennison,
Elis.
Her topics
include:
Motivation
and Will to
Succeed Risk
and Responsibility
Security and
Quality of
Preparation
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