Meet the Woman Who Helped Set a Speed Record on a Classic Alpine Ski Route

It was February or March 2019, and we both did a 1,000-meter vertical ski race. Hillary won, and I came in second. We were waiting for the awards ceremony after the race and my partner, Ben, heard her talking about how she wanted to set a record on the Chamonix-Zermatt route. Ben knew that I had this idea but that I doubted my abilities, so he told me: “That’s exactly the person you need to make a great team.” Hillary is about 10 years younger than me, and I think that age difference means she doesn’t doubt her abilities the way I do. Now, I see women half my age who really believe that women can make a mark and set their own records. There’s a cultural difference too — Americans have a very positive character, always saying, “That’s amazing! Good job!” While we French are more like: “OK, you could have done that better.” Hillary is a trail runner, so she has great endurance. She’s also very versatile in the mountains, very positive and very determined. Once I get into it, I’m determined, too, but I hesitate to start. So I don’t know if I would have ever set this record if I hadn’t met her.

We left from the church in Chamonix at 2 p.m. and we arrived at the church in Zermatt at 4:21 p.m. the next day, which was Easter Sunday. There wasn’t a big crowd waiting, just a few family and friends. The snow conditions had deteriorated a bit over the previous week, so we were a little doubtful that we would make it, which is why we hadn’t alerted too many people. When we arrived in Zermatt, no one was really interested in these two exhausted women who were crying their eyes out and throwing themselves into the arms of the few people who were waiting.

It was kind of a volcano of emotions. I was exhausted and so relieved to have finished. I was also very moved because I realized that I had done it: I had made the tribute to my husband. I had done as he had done. I had succeeded in connecting Chamonix to Zermatt on my skis and without assistance. So there was a personal pride, and also powerful thoughts of Laurent. Just after his death, I had the impression that he was with me everywhere, that he was watching over me. It’s thanks to him that I’m doing this sport.

Until the age of 17, I lived in the area around Paris, but as a child I always wanted to live in the mountains. When I was 10, I had a cousin who got married in Chamonix, and while we were there, my father and I took the lift up to the Aiguille du Midi, and I was just amazed and thought, “I would love to live here.” Later, when I was a medical student in Bordeaux, I made a lot of trips to the Pyrenees, and then I did an internship in Chamonix in 2001 and 2002, when I met Laurent. Later, I was able to do some mountain diplomas, which allowed me to get a position accompanying the mountaineers of the military high mountain group. Living in the mountains has always been something inside me, and the training I’ve had has allowed me to come here and stay.

I’m going to try to do both — continue to work as a doctor, doing shifts in the emergency department and as a reservist for the military, while also pursuing projects in the mountains. It’s important to me to have both these lines of work, which challenge me in different ways. Being in the mountains requires a lot of intellectual ability — calculating risk, preparing your body, all of that. But, of course, being a doctor is also very intellectual. You have to really consider a diagnosis, make your investigation. It’s also fatiguing in its own way. But for me, both of these activities are really important.

So far, I haven’t heard anyone say that they were interested, but we would be so happy if other women came to us. Because it’s not just about keeping the record to ourselves for as long as possible. It’s about inspiring others and helping them achieve it — that’s what I didn’t have.

Flex Space Domination: A Game-Changing Book by the Team Revolutionizing Commercial Real Estate

Cody Payne, Austin Edelmon, and Michael Tran, trailblazing experts in commercial real estate investment, have released their groundbreaking book Flex Space Domination: Capitalizing on the Small Bay Flex Industrial Market – Building and Investing. This revolutionary guide is not just another resource; it’s set to redefine how investors and developers approach small bay flex industrial […]

Know More

A Cockney Rosebud: New Bittersweet and Poignant Memoir Captivates with Tale of Early 20th Century East End Family Life

In the first of her three-part memoir, Josie Bruce captures the essence of life in London’s East End – its community, social history and those strong characters that shaped the author, and ultimately almost broke her. Embracing the philosophy that ‘together we make eternal memories’,  author Josie Bruce grips readers with the first instalment of […]

Know More

This Acne Skincare Brand is Blowing Up All Over Social Media

The Kill Acne & Redness Ritual from Norse Organics has revolutionized the Acne space. More than 100,000 customers have purchased it since its launch in 2024. Norse Organics hasn’t done much marketing, and most of the sales come from recommendations from friends, families, and dermatologists. One of the main ingredients is Calendula. Norse Organics has […]

Know More