The trio made these ascents by the most direct and harshest routes between January 12 and February 9, braving the cold, fatigue, wind and stress to reach these mythical peaks.

Védrines (29 years old), Billon (29 years old) and Ratel (35 years old) first conquered the Eiger by the Harlin route (1650 m/Switzerland) from January 12 to 16 then chained with the Grandes Jorasses by the Directe de l'Amitié (1200 m/France) from January 24 to 26, to finish with the Matterhorn on Wednesday via the Cerruti-Gogna route (1000 m/Switzerland), swallowed in a single day.

Three weeks after Charles Dubouloz, who became the first to climb the north face of the Grandes Jorasses solo in winter, a new record has been set in the Alps.

The famous trilogy of the Alps had already been successful in 2011 by the duo Patrice Glairon-Rappaz and Cédric Périllat Merceroz, but over a longer period of two months (between January 14 and March 11).

Arrived at the top of the Cerruti-Gogna route, at sunset (6:20 p.m.), standing on a snowy and narrow ridge overlooking the mountain range, the trio shouted: "We did it!", brandishing their fists while keeping balance, according to their video.

"Suffering" and "Fight"

"We don't jump for a lot of joy because we have to stay focused on the descent, but we let our relief and our surprise be expressed at having done it in such a short time", rejoiced Védrines, in a telephone interview. with AFP while managing his descent to Zermatt (Switzerland).

The high mountain guide, who already achieved a feat in October with the opening of a new route in duet with Dubouloz on the north face of Chamlang (7319 m) in Nepal, is behind the project which gave him was inspired by Glairon-Rappaz/Périllat Merceroz.

Photo of mountaineer Sébastien Ratel published on February 10, 2022 showing him climbing the Eiger, one of the three emblematic faces of the Alps Benjamin VEDRINES Vedrines-Billon-Ratel / AFP

"The difference is that they didn't do the entire route on the Eiger, they escaped at the end. We did the first ascent in alpine style, as validated by a mountain historian", says Védrines.

The trio climbed the Harlin route in four days (three bivouacs), the Directe de l'Amitié in three (two bivouacs) and the Cerruti-Gogna in a single day.

La Cerruti-Gogna, "if we succeed in summer over two days, it's (already) good, there are not many passages in winter", underlines to AFP the mountaineer Stéphane Benoist, specialist in the Grandes Jorasses.

"There are not many contenders. The conditions are tough, it's suffering, you have to get over it physically and mentally. You have to feel like going back there, there is still a notion of combat, in walls which are enormous", he continues.

"imbued with beauty"

The three mountaineers returned home after each ascent, discussed cycling, skiing or even running before putting on their crampons.

La Directe de l'Amitié will forever remain their "great favourite".

"We came out of it steeped in beauty (...) We saw several sunsets and sunrises, we were able to immerse ourselves in the intimacy of a north face. It's rare", confides Védrines, who does not suffered no injuries despite some scares.

Photo of mountaineers Sébastien Ratel and Léo Billon (right) published on February 10, 2022 showing them at the top of the Eiger at 3,967 m - Vedrines-Billon-Ratel/AFP

The native of Drôme explains that he fell once and Ratel made two falls in the lead.

"Three like that, in a month in winter, it happens quickly that someone gets hurt. It's insane".

The trio was in a hurry to go down on Thursday: Ratel promised his wife to meet her at the restaurant in Valence in the evening!

sc/ll/dep

Benjamin Vedrines

© 2022 AFP