Delphine Xainte
The Frenchman Charles Dubouloz, a high mountain guide, has just signed an unprecedented feat in mountaineering by managing to climb alone and in winter the north face of the Grandes Jorasses (Mont Blanc massif) via the route of the Rolling Stones, reputed to be perilous, i.e. six days and five nights by minus thirty degrees.
The mountaineer, who left Chamonix (Haute-Savoie) on Thursday, reached the summit of the Grandes Jorasses (4208 m) after an ascent of 1100 meters via the Rolling Stones route, dry and known for its bad stones, open in the summer. 1979 by four Slovak mountaineers and which no one had yet tackled in winter and solo.
The 32-year-old guide says to himself “super experienced” after its performance in harsh conditions. Dubouloz had to face an icy wind, blowing a lot at night, when he tried to sleep in a bivouac, sometimes hanging in a hammock. This is the second solo and winter feat for the young alpine climber, who a year ago completed the north face of the Petits Drus in the Mont-Blanc Massif. Last October, he opened a new route in duo with Benjamin Védrines on the north face of Chamlang (7319 meters, Nepal).