Benjamin Védrines completes Petit Dru winter solo climb via BASE

One year after the north faces of the Drus, the Droites, and the Grandes Jorasses in the heart of winter and in just three days with Léo Billon —a feat described as a "quantum leap" for mountaineering — French alpinist Benjamin Védrines has now accomplished what he himself has defined as something "truly insane.": the solo winter ascent the west face of the Petit Dru. From 17 to 21 February 2025, with four bivouacs on the wall, the 32-year-old repeated BASE, the route established in February 2021 by Thomas Auvaro, Léo Billon, Jordi Noguere and Sébastien Ratel, which partially retraces a 2015 attempt by Spaniards Josep Maria Esquirol and David Palmada.

Védrines had not climbed the route before and, writing to planetmountain briefly after the undertaking, explained: "it was actually a dream of mine to attempt it one day. Because when my buddies Léo and Seb opened it with their two colleagues, they immediately told me it was the craziest route they’d ever climbed! And yet, between the two of them they have an enormous amount of experience, and indeed, it’s rare in the mountains to have a wall this steep for this long, this difficult, this concentrated. And above all, theres the climbing style, extremely original and innovative! You have to climb with your climbing shoes on, and chalk your hands... on several pitches. So it’s very varied, for me it represents the best you can do in terms of technical mountaineering."

The mountain guide, who cut his teeth in the Écrins massif, couldn’t have chosen a more emblematic peak for his solo climb. "Yes, there’s the mountain, obviously full of stories of people who have soloed it. And it’s an extremely beautiful peak, clearly visibile from the Chamonix valley. So there’s the history and the aesthetics to add to all of the above."

Védrines is known for his fast ascents, such as climbing K2 last summer in just 11 hours, but here he himself admits that he had to enter a different dimension. "The sustained pitches forced me to be efficient, but above all, to accept slowness, to fully immerse myself into this realm."

Published below is the integral text he published on his Instagram account.

I’m back from one of the most intense experiences I’ve had to date.
On February 17, I set out to attempt the solo ascent of one of the most sustained routes in the Alps, on the west face of the Petit Dru. This was a project that had been close to my heart ever since I read the accounts of the winter and solo climbs of my mentors, Christophe Moulin and Arnaud Guillaume, in the Écrins massif. At the time, I thought it was insane—both terrifying and captivating!

I wouldn’t have imagined, 16 years later, experiencing a solo like this myself, something that leaves a mark deep within your soul. The sustained pitches forced me to be efficient, but above all, to accept slowness, to fully immerse myself into this realm. This resulted in four bivouacs on the face, the first of which was on a small ledge of hard, compact snow, strapped with slings to avoid slipping into the void.

I think I found what I came looking for: cold, difficulties to overcome, bad weather. Five days during which passion vibrated as much as the rock. Because yes, the granite here is no better than in the Écrins.

This project has been on my mind for years. Last winter, I didn’t dare commit to it, too intimidated. From then on, this climb began to haunt me. I thought about it every day, and in a way, it became "a burden." The infamous 7a pitch, on rotten rock, sent shivers down my spine. I didn’t know if I could do it. I needed to prove to myself that I was capable. Like an initiation journey…

So here I am, reaching the summit on February 21, feeling a very particular emotion. As if I had turned a meaningful page, at a crossroads. Thank you, mountains. Thank you, Leo Billon, my faithful climbing partner, for helping and inspiring me. Thank you, friends, for your support. Thank you, Les Drus, for this bond we’ve woven—one I won’t forget. It was truly insane.

 

 

 

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