Dean of Swiss mountaineers, Marcel Remy, dies at 99

The Swiss Marcel Remy, one of the world's largest active mountain climbers, has died at the age of 99, newspapers and specialized websites reported on Wednesday.

"For nearly a century, you have been inspiring people all over the world with your unwavering passion for climbing," Swiss mountain sports company Mammut, which is the sponsor of Marcel Remy's activities, said in an Instagram post.

"Thank you for everything, Marcel. Climb up safely," she added.

In 2017, at the age of 94, Remy climbed the Miroir d'Argentine, popular with climbers with its 500 meters of limestone.

Even in his late 90s, Remy was climbing a 16-meter-high wall at an indoor climbing center in Villeneuve, in southwestern Switzerland, with his eldest son, Claude.

Climbing has always been a major part of Remy's life.

He grew up on stories related to the mountain world, loved discovering the great outdoors and the Alps became his playground.

Remy worked on the Swiss railways, and spent all his spare time in the mountains, taking his two sons with him.

"He was a tough father," his son Claude told AFP last year. He didn't leave us with any other choice but to practice climbing, and Remy passed on his passion for the Alps to his two sons, Claude and Yves, who also achieved fame.

In August 2020, the French mountaineering reference magazine "Grimbet" devoted forty individual pages to the family's exploits and the most prominent achievements of its members in mountaineering together.

In an interview with Agence France-Presse in June of last year, Remy explained that the secret to his longevity lies in his life discipline.

"It's the rhythm you have to take, in terms of breathing and movements," he said. "If I go over that, I pay the price...I can't say exactly that, but it's either the shoulders or the muscles. It's better to move calmly, without excessive effort - Then it works."

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