On January 26, 2006, in the depths of the Himalayan winter, Jean-Christophe Lafaille disappeared on the slopes of Makalu. Twenty years ago, French mountaineering lost its king of commitment. We look back on the career of a gifted climber, survivor of Annapurna and visionary of alpine style, who left his mark on an entire generation before being swallowed up by his last great dream.
It was a January morning, one of those days when the jet stream tears across the peaks at over 100 km/h. In the icy solitude of Makalu (8,485 m), Jean-Christophe Lafaille was attempting the impossible: the first solo winter ascent of this Himalayan giant. At six o’clock in the morning, he called his wife, Katia. He was feeling good and aiming for the summit. Then, silence. An absolute, heavy silence that has lasted for two decades.
Twenty years later, the void left by the French