Paraclimber Solenne Piret leads ice climb at Ceillac, France

She was born without her right forearm, but this has certainly never stopped her from exploring the vertical world, from fully enjoying the emotions the mountains can provide. "Last week I led my first ice climb" the French climber Solenne Piret wrote enthusiastically on her social media handle. "I'm super proud of myself: I’ve always thought "ice climbing top-rope is already complicated enough for me, so I’ll never lead!" Instead, the she proved herself wrong and, armed with ice axes and crampons, the 30-year-old led Sombre Héros. The route is an ultra classic icefall at Ceillac, first ascended in 1980 by none other than Jaques Perrier and Jean-Marc Troussier.

Climbing comes natural to Piret. Her parents met in Fontainebleau, on the outskirts of Paris famous for its sandstone boulders, and ever since she was a little child she accompanied them bouldering. The vertical is very much part of her DNA therefore, even during her adolescence when climbing wasn't her main focus.

Then one day, after not having touched rock for about ten years, she decided to go climbing again, despite the obvious difficulties she would have to face because of her disability. Since she started climbing again in 2017, her progession has been astounding: she has bouldered up to 7B, and as a member of the French paraclimbing team she won the 2018 and 2019 Paraclimbing World Championships. Her ice climb now, not toprope but lead, is a new step forward in her career.

"Many of you ask me how I manage without my right forearm, if I climb with only one ice axe, etc....." explains Solenne. "I climb with two ice axes, and I pinch the right one with my elbow. I can't really hit the ice with this one, so I find hooks, and if the ice is too compact and it's not possible, I switch from the right ice axe to the left. Sometimes it's a bit of a mess but it's also very challenging!" The grade of the climb? WI5. But that, of course, is totally irrelevant.

by Gian Luca Gasca

Piret thanks: Petzl, SCARPA