The French climber is one of the best, if not the best, of his generation. Benjamin Védrines has just climbed, alone and in winter, an extreme route in Les Drus, above Chamonix, called BASE (ED+, M8+, 7a) and opened in 2021 by the GMHM’s finest (French Army Elite Mountaineers : Thomas Auvaro, Léo Billon, Jordi Noguere and Sébastien Ratel). Védrines spent 5 days rope-soloing on the west face of Les Drus, from February 16 to 21, to complete what is one of the toughest routes in the Mont-Blanc massif. Benjamin spoke exclusively to Alpine Mag about this extraordinary project. “The most ambitious and difficult I’ve ever done in the Alps”, he admits.
Why did you decide to embark on this project?
Benjamin Védrines : Because it’s been on my mind ever since I was a young mountaineer. I remember reading the Labande topos, seeing Arnaud Guillaume’s solos on the north