Three Alpine Big Walls in Only Three Days
Two climbers have pushed the bar even higher for what's possible in winter
Benjamin Vedrines and Leo Billon have successfully climbed three classic alpine big wall routes in winter and in only three days. On Sunday, they climbed the 850-metre Voie des Guides M8+ on the Drus in around 10 hours.
The next day, they climbed the Rhem-Vimal on the Droites, a 1,000-metre M7/8 in just over seven hours. On the third day, the two friends who met in high school, climbed the 1,100-metre No Siesta, an M8 WI6, up the north face of Grandes Jorasses in only 12 hours. Their No Siesta ascent was one of the fastest on record of the test-piece line.
French alpinist Stephane Benoist said here that climbing the three routes “in three days, it’s crazy! It breaks all standards!” In 2022, Vedrines soloed the Integrale of Peuterey on Mont Blanc in only seven hours.
Watch a short collection of videos from the triple-route link-up below, it gives you a good sense of the conditions that Vedrines and Billon climbed in.
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