In 2020, Catherine Destivelle became the first woman to be awarded a Piolet d’Or for her lifetime achievements. Indeed, her impressive climbing record across the Alps, from the Eiger to the Drus, and in the Himalayas, would, on its own, justify her place on this list.
But Destivelle is also an important figure in the mountaineering world due to her position as head of Éditions du Mont-Blanc, the publishing house she founded in 2011. The most recent addition to the company’s catalogue is a collection of children’s books, launched in 2021. She admits it has been hard work, but her tenacity has paid off.