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Sophie
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EN

Sophie
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Blog
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L’équipe presque au complet

1 juillet 2016

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L’équipe presque au complet

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sophie_lavaud

Mountainer / Speaker / Author
Completed 14 x 8000m | 𝟏𝐬𝐭 , 𝟏𝐬𝐭 , and 𝟏𝐬𝐭 woman
Climbing Annapurna II, III, IV in 2025!

Why do we climb at night? One common questio

🌌 Why do we climb at night?

One common question I often hear: why do climbers make their summit push at night? 🤔

The answer is mostly about safety🛡. In the high mountains 🏔️, daytime temperatures can rise quickly, making snow and ice unstable ⚠️. This increases the risk of avalanches and serac collapses.
Sunlight also reflects strongly off the snow — the albedo effect🔆 — which can damage eyes and skin. As temperatures rise during the day, the body also tires faster, and weather patterns tend to become more unpredictable.

At night 🌙, conditions are more stable . The cold keeps the snow and ice firmer underfoot. The risk of collapse is lower. Visibility may be limited, but the benefits outweigh the challenges ✅.

There’s also something to be said about the timing. On a summit push, reaching the top with the first light of the day 🌄 often means witnessing the mountains at their fullest majesty ✨.

For these reasons, night ascents are standard practice in Himalayan climbing 🏔️
📸 @dawasangay_ & @sophie_lavaud

#SophieLavaud #LetsGoSummit #WhyWeClimb #8000ers #SummitPush #MILLET #MountaineeringInsights #amrae #grantalexander

May 15 - A Special Day to Celebrate!

May 15 - A Special Day to Celebrate! 🎉🎂 (French version in comment 🇫🇷)

A year ago today, I gracefully received the distinction of Chevalier de l'ordre national du Mérite (Knight of the National Order of Merit) 🎖️ from the French Republic in recognition of my contribution to Alpinism 🏔️.

Sharing this memory today, which also happens to be my birthday 🥳, with a thought — when you commit to something over time, it can create a meaningful ripple in society 🌍✨.

In mountaineering, there are no shortcuts. It is a pursuit grounded in hard work 💪, endurance 🧗‍♂️, consistency 🔁, and selflessness 💙.
Risk is constant ⚠️, the consequences are often fatal, and the process is slow. But when you keep going, recognition eventually arrives — not just in medals, but in how your work is valued and understood 🙌.

Just as the first ascent of Annapurna in 1950 inspired a generation and sparked the golden age of Himalayan climbing, we continue to draw meaning from the mountains — and from those who walk before us 👣.

Thank you 🙏 to all my sponsors, partners, teammates, friends, and family ❤️. Your support has made it possible to keep moving forward ➡️.

Looking ahead to the journeys to come ✨.

📸 @bertrandcarlier_photographe

#Gratitude #Alpinisme #Montagne #OrdreNationalDuMérite #LetsGoSummit #148000ers #Mountaineering #Annapurna2025 #celebration #recognition #transmission

Nanga Parbat’s Kinshofer Wall

Nanga Parbat’s Kinshofer Wall 🏔️
The classic challenge on the Diamir side

For most climbers attempting Nanga Parbat, the Kinshofer Wall is considered the crux of the route — a section that tests a climber's core motivation, often breaking them. 💪

Why wouldn't it? The Kinshofer wall is a 150-meter vertical rock wall 🧗‍♂️ which needs to be climbed with pure strength and endurance. The brutal part is that the wall comes after climbing 1000 meters of steep couloir where you have already spent your energy. You are severely exhausted by the climb and then you have to push through a 150-meter rock wall. That's the classic Kinshofer wall challenge. I remember the frustration I had to deal with on this wall. Even the thought of this wall feels exhausting! 😮‍💨

Interestingly, this was not the original route used in the early ascents of Nanga Parbat. 📚 The first ascent in 1953 followed the Rakhiot Flank on the east side. It was in 1962 that German climber Toni Kinshofer and his team pioneered a safer line on the Diamir Face, avoiding the avalanche-prone center and instead climbing the prominent buttress on the left. The wall has carried his name ever since. 🏅

And even after the wall, the summit push from Camp 3 still rises nearly 1,400 meters — Nanga Parbat is not considered one of the toughest Himalayan giants for nothing. ⛰️

But that’s a story for another day. 📖

📸 @francois_damilano @dawasangay_

#SophieLavaud #LetsGoSummit #NangaParbat #KinshoferWall #148000ers #WomenWhoClimb #Mountaineering

Back Home — Reflecting on Annapurna IV and the H $Back Home — Reflecting on Annapurna IV and the Himalaya in General Back home now after our Annapurna IV expedition 🏔️ — safe 🙏 and with time to go through the photos and memories from the past weeks 📸. Looking back, I’m revisiting all the lessons from this climb 🧗‍♂️. The mountain was unusually dry, with large fractures and impassable crevasses that forced us to turn back 🔁. And hearing about the recent summit push difficulties elsewhere — including Annapurna I and rope fixing challenges on Everest — I can’t help but relate it to our own experience. It makes me wonder about the broader changes happening in our high mountains 🏔. Especially in 2025, declared the UNESCO International Year of Glacier Preservation 🌐, it feels like the right time for the mountaineering community to pause, reflect, and mobilize 🤝. The effects are frightening 😟 as 2024 was observed as the warmest year on record, and in 2023, glaciers suffered the largest recorded mass loss in five decades. The future of our mountains and glaciers concerns us all — climbers, guides, local communities and beyond 🌎. Thank you for your work and your involvement in this great cause Dr. Heïdi Sevestre & Matthieu Tordeur - Explorateur 📷 @sophie_lavaud & @dawasangay_ #SophieLavaud #LetsGoSummit #AnnapurnaIV #MountainsMatter #Himalaya #Glaciers2025 #yearofglacierspreservation #UNESCO$

The Khumbu Icefall – A frightening natural

🧊 The Khumbu Icefall – A frightening natural wonder!
➡️Lhotse Expedition 2022

Anyone who knows Everest knows the Khumbu Icefall — a frozen maze of huge seracs, deep crevasses, and shifting ice blocks.❄️
This is one of the most challenging and dangerous sections on the route to Everest and Lhotse from the Nepal side.
Rising between Everest Base Camp (5,300 m) 🏕️ and Camp 1 (6,100 m), this dynamic icefall demands not only technical skill but also precise timing, as the ice constantly shifts and collapses ⚠️
A highly specialized team known by the name "Icefall Doctors" fix this section, placing ladders over the ice blocks every year for the spring expeditions.🪜

On each ladder over a crevasse, a climber can not afford to lose focus or control when crossing between this void. To your surprise, some 40 to 50 of these ladders must be crossed to reach Camp I.
The icefall moves violently under the heat of the day🌡️, thus early morning starts are crucial to minimize exposure to the hazards. This is what we did. Dawa Sangay Sherpa and I moved up the icefall almost midnight 🌙 and this is the reason we never got caught in the climbers' queue.

During my 2022 Lhotse expedition, I remember feeling particularly glad that our team had to make fewer crossings of these ladders as we completed the first rotation in Island Peak 🏞️, familiarizing elevation. We made as lesser crossings of the icefall as possible. This iconic section once again offered moments of awe and intensity — a place where the mountain shows both its beauty and its unpredictability.

Grateful to share these glimpses from the heart of the icefall 🙏💙
📸 @dawasangay_ & @sophie_lavaud

#SophieLavaud #LetsGoSummit #KhumbuIcefall #Lhotse2022 #Himalaya #8000ers #WomenWhoClimb #Mountaineering

A special day 🧗‍♀️for special kids 👩🏻from a special school🏠
« Bal Sarathi School »
Volonteers teatchers for underprivileged kids discovering wall climbing!
Smiles and happiness makes a great day for them. Thank you Ludovic for this initiative and with Dawa Sangay and Lhamu Sherpa we enjoyed to belay all of them.
🇳🇵🩷🇳🇵#letsgosummit #sharingknoledge #happiness #wallclimbing #learningbysport

Thank You Dear Sponsors and Partners

Thank You Dear Sponsors and Partners 🙏💙

A heartfelt thanks goes to all our sponsors, partners, and supporters who have been part of this journey. Your backing has been invaluable, and without you, these expeditions would not be possible. 🏔️🤝

The Annapurna IV expedition was a part of a climbing project initiated to honor the pioneers of Himalayan mountaineering 🧗‍♂️🗻—especially the first French Annapurna Expedition (1950) 🇫🇷 on the 75th anniversary of the ascent. Annapurna IV truly is an exceptionally beautiful mountain, and the experience remains special to our team 💫.

Unfortunately, due to safety concerns—particularly a massive crevasse between Camp 2 and Camp 3 we made the decision to terminate the climb for now.
Safety remains our priority ✅

We will return 💪

Thank you 🙏

#SophieLavaud #LetsGoSummit #AnnapurnaIV #Expedition2025 #WomenWhoClimb #amrae #GrantAlexander

Annapurna I via the Dutch Ridge Route! On 23

🔙Annapurna I via the Dutch Ridge Route!

On 23 April 2019, @dawasangay_ and I reached the summit of Annapurna I (8091 m), climbing via the Dutch Ridge, a less frequented but more direct variation to reach Camp 3 ⛺️.

The Dutch Ridge, first climbed by the Dutch Annapurna Expedition Team in 1977 🇳🇱, lies to the west (right) of the regular couloir. Despite its steepness, the route offers a more direct line from Camp 2 to Camp 3 compared to the traditional route through the couloir, which is notorious for avalanches ❄️.
In 2019, the conditions at the upper edge of the ridge allowed this variation to be used successfully ✅. Gelje Sherpa was one of the lead fixers of this route variant, and we informally called the route "Gelje Ridge" afterwards.

We left Camp 4 (7000 m) at 10:30 pm on 22 April 🌙 and climbed through the night. It was cold 🥶 with light winds. We reached the summit around 3:15 pm on 23 April, spent about 15 minutes on the summit, and returned safely to Camp 4 by 6:30 pm. Oxygen was used from Camp 4 to the summit and partially on the descent 🫧.

🙏 Thankful for the partnership of Dawa Sangay Sherpa and for the collective effort of all the climbers and Sherpas on the mountain during this window 🫱🏽‍🫲
@gelje_sherpa_

📸 Dawa Sangay Sherpa & Sophie Lavaud

#SophieLavaud #LetsGoSummit #Annapurna #DutchRib #148000ers #WomenWhoClimb #amrae #GrantAlexander

Expedition Update – Annapurna IV Story en

➡️ Expedition Update – Annapurna IV Story ends!🏔️

After several days of illness and recovery in Humde, I was finally able to rejoin the team at Annapurna IV Base Camp (4800 m). Following a short rest, we launched our first acclimatization rotation under good weather conditions ☀️. Our team had already progressed ahead, opening Camp 2 ⛺.

The ascent to Camp 1 involved a mix of steep snow and technical terrain, gaining roughly 500 meters ❄️🧗. While I was recovering, the rest of the team — Ludovic, Robin, Sangay, and Vanessa — worked to secure the route, placing around twenty bolts to support the fixing efforts on this rarely climbed mountain 🔩⛓️. Their initiative will certainly support future teams attempting Annapurna IV 🧭.

After a successful night at Camp 1 🌙, we prepared for the climb to Camp 2. However, over the radio came difficult news: our lead Sherpa team attempting the route toward the shoulder and Camp 3 had to turn back. The route was too dangerous ⚠️. Due to ongoing dry conditions, similar to what we experienced on Cholatse last spring, the mountain was unstable. A massive, vertical wall of exposed ice made the upper section impassable 🚫.

Despite hopes to assess the situation ourselves, it became clear: we would not continue.
The decision was unanimous — safety first ✅.

The expedition has come to an end for now. We leave with respect for the mountain, and perhaps, a plan to return another time ⛰️🩵.

My heartfelt thanks go to our entire team, the sponsors, my friends and family 🙏🫶. Your love and support has given me and the team a huge boost ✨.

Thank you!

📸 @sophie_lavaud & @dawasangay_

Base Camp (4820 m) to Camp I (5450 m) - Annapu

📍Base Camp (4820 m) to Camp I (5450 m) - Annapurna IV 🏔️*

The climb from base camp to camp I to describe in a few words will be: interesting, technical 🧗‍♂️ and beautiful 😍.
Our team did an excellent job in fixing the line🙏. @ludo.giambiasi and @dawasangay_ specially put in a great effort by securing the ropes with many balanced bolts 🪢🔩.

It is ~650 meters of a great climb that comes with an amazing view 🌄.
We set up camp I at the northern spur 🏕️. Almost the entirety of the northern flank of Annapurna IV is visible from the campsite and it feels great to climb up with the team 🙌.

📷 @sophie_lavaud & @dawasangay_

#SophieLavaud #AnnapurnaIV #LetsGoSummit #WomenWhoClimb #HonoringthePioneers #AnnapurnaC1

Base camp Puja and the Annapurna IV Climb begins 🇳🇵🙏 !

✨We held the base camp puja recently—a sacred ritual performed before beginning any climb in the Himalaya. As mountains are believed to be the dwelling places of deities, the Sherpa climbing community offers prayers and seeks blessings for a safe passage. The puja is taken seriously by both Sherpas and climbers, and it marks a meaningful start to the expedition.

Our Liaison Officer has now joined us, and with preparations in place, we begin the climb. The plan is to ascend the north ridge to the western shoulder, and make our way toward the summit. Trailblazing in the Himalaya, especially on a peak like Annapurna IV, is demanding and comes with risk, but we’re ready to proceed🤝.

#SophieLavaud #AnnapurnaIV #LetsGoSummit #WomenWhoClimb #HonoringthePioneers #amrae #GrantAlexander

Finally at Annapurna IV Base Camp (4636 m)

Finally at Annapurna IV Base Camp (4636 m) 🏕️

After a few days of setback due to a cold, I’ve now rejoined the team at base camp 🙌. The climbing journey begins!

I caught a cold after crossing Kang La Pass 🏞️ — a very long day of gain and descent, and exposure to weather. It gradually worsened, and I had to stay back in Humde 🏘️ to recover, while the rest of the team moved ahead to establish base camp and prepare for the climb.
It’s never easy to stay behind 😔, but this is something mountaineering often requires — patience with the unexpected!

Now that I’ve recovered, I’m especially thankful to @dawasangay_ , who came down to accompany me back to base camp🙏 .
The team is together again✨

The climb begins now! 🚩🏔️

#SophieLavaud #AnnapurnaIV #LetsGoSummit #WomenWhoClimb #HonoringthePioneers

2017- The Summit Ridge of Broad Peak (8051 m)

🔙 2017- The Summit Ridge of Broad Peak (8051 m) 🏔

The summit ridge of Broad Peak (12th highest 8000er) is among the longest I have undertaken on an 8000er 😅
Upon reaching the fore summit, the length and exposure of the final section becomes clear — it is a serious undertaking to reach the true summit. When we reached the fore summit in 2017, seeing the ridge ahead was overwhelming.

A memorable part of the climb was that Fida Ali, a Pakistani climber and guide 🇵🇰🧗‍♂️, joined our team. He had limited prior experience and was understandably hesitant. I encouraged him to bring his ice axe 🪓, gear up and come along. We crossed the entire ridge together, without fixed ropes and supplemental oxygen💨, and summited on 11 July, 2017😊.
He reached his first 8000-meter summit that day 🏔️👏.

Companionship gives great strength in the mountains🤝💪.

📸@Fida Ali & @sophie_lavaud

#SophieLavaud #LetsGoSummit #BroadPeak #148000ers #WomenWhoClimb #Amrae #GrantAlexander

Happy Nepali New Year 2082

🇳🇵Happy Nepali New Year 2082 🎊

Wishing all my Nepali friends a year of health, peace, and perspective 🙏✨💙

Today marks the start of 2082 in the Nepali calendar (Bikram Sambat), which runs approximately 56.7 years ahead of the Gregorian (Western) calendar. In contrast, many Sherpa families follow the Tibetan calendar, which is lunar-based and celebrates New Year (Losar) in February or March.
Mountaineering in Nepal brings all these timelines together — all coexisting on the same trail.

This is a pleasure to celebrate the Nepali new year in the lap of Annapurna 😊

#SophieLavaud #NewYear2082 #AnnapurnaIV #LetsGoSummit #WomenWhoClimb #AnnapurnaCircuit #chhortens #maniflag #prayerwheel #stupa #buddhistheritage

Through the first phase of Annapurna IV

👉Through the first phase of Annapurna IV 🗻!

Our team is currently at Shree Kharka (3950 m), and it’s been a steady journey so far.

After a night down in Beshisahar (700 m), we drove up to Koto (2600 m) the next day. Since good acclimatization is essential for Annapurna IV, we chose to take the longer route via the Nar-Phu valley and cross over to Manang only after giving ourselves time to adapt.

From Koto, we trekked to Meta (3560 m), and then continued up the Nar valley. The village of Nar (4200 m) sits quietly on a wide plateau, surrounded by silence and space🌄.
From there, the trail climbs up to Kang La Pass (5300 m) — the highlight of the trek so far.

It was a long day. About 1300 meters of ascent, followed by 1700 meters of descent, over nearly 10 hours.
But the view from the top was something else 😍.
Right in front of us stood Annapurna IV, the mountain we’ve come here for. It’s a rare thing to look straight at the mountain you're planning to climb, so close and so present 🫶

After crossing Kang La, we reached Ngawal (3650 m) and had a quiet celebration. Everyone’s doing their part, and I appreciate the work of our porters and support crew. They’re holding everything together 💪🙏

Caught a bit of a cold after the pass but am recovering well here at Shree Kharka.
The team is in good shape. Hoping to get back on my feet and keep moving 🔛

#SophieLavaud #LetsGoSummit #AnnapurnaIV #honoringthepioneers #Annapurna75 #148000ers #WomenWhoClimb #amrae #GrantAlexander

Gasherbrum II (8035 M) – No oxygen! In 201

🏔 Gasherbrum II (8035 M) – No oxygen!

In 2015, during my ascent of Gasherbrum II without supplemental oxygen, we reached the col before the final slope 💨
From there, the summit looked deceptively close. Confident in the moment, I decided to continue the climb without the use of supplemental oxygen and deposited the bottle at the col.

But as we climbed on, the mountain revealed its truth. Altitude distorts perception — the slope stretched on, steeper and longer than it had appeared. The summit was much farther than expected. It was an exhausting push, but the ascent was eventually successful 💪🏔️

One lesson that has stayed with me from that day: in the mountains, things are rarely as straightforward as they seem. What appears close can be in fact very distant. What seems manageable can become overwhelming. The only way forward is to stay committed and keep moving.
Continuity, not speed or certainty, is often the key to reaching the summit 🆙

📷 @sophie_lavaud

#SophieLavaud #LetsGoSummit #GasherbrumII #148000ers #womenwhoclimb #amrae #grantalexander

Expedition Safety with RECCO® SAR Tech! As

🔍 Expedition Safety with RECCO® SAR Tech!

As the RECCO® Ambassador for Nepal and Pakistan, I’ve been advocating the use of RECCO reflectors in high-altitude expeditions for several years now.

💡RECCO is a SAR technology developed to assist professional rescuers in locating people buried in avalanches or lost in the outdoors. The system consists of a passive reflector, integrated into clothing or gear, and an active detector used by search and rescue teams. Unlike personal locator beacons (PLBs) or GPS trackers, RECCO reflectors require no batteries or activation, making them maintenance-free and always “on.” The detector sends a radar signal that bounces off the reflector and guides rescuers to the precise location—whether under snow, crevasse, or rocky terrain.

Our Annapurna IV team is currently using RECCO reflectors in the Annapurna IV expedition and multiple RECCO detectors have been deployed with contact persons in other mountains of Nepal this spring. In the Himalayan expeditions where access is challenging, RECCO can be an important SAR tool in the broader safety and rescue framework. It does not replace other safety protocols but adds another layer of preparedness for both climbers and rescuers.

👉Recently, we had organized training program with RECCO for Nepali mountain guides and rescue professionals. Nepal joining the global RECCO network looks promising in expedition safety.

📷 @pasang_rinzee

#SophieLavaud #LetsGoSummit #RECCO #besearchable #ExpeditionSafety #Himalaya #MountainSafety #AvalancheRescue #Nepal #Pakistan #148000ers

Annapurna IV Climbing Companions

🏔️ Annapurna IV Climbing Companions🇳🇵!
Meet Dawa Sangay Sherpa @dawasangay_ and Dorjee Tundop @dorjee.tondup, our climbing partners on this expedition 👋
Both Dawa and Dorjee together have completed the Aspirant Guide Course and are actively working as mountain guides in Himalaya
🔹Dawa, as known to most of you is my climbing partner for a long time now. He accompanied me in half of my 8000ers pursuit.
🔹Dorjee too is a promising climber who is joining us as his first time to gain experience on guiding. He is a Ladakhi and in fact is the first Aspirant guide from Ladakh. This is a really nice opportunity for him as an Indian to gain experience in a Nepali mountain. I'm sure he'll make the best of his trainings and abilities on this expedition.

Overall, it is a great pleasure to have these two on our expedition 🙏

#sophielavaud #letsgosummit #AnnapurnaIV #honoringthepioneers #Annapurna75 #148000ers #WomenWhoClimb

↔️ Shishapangma – 11 Years Apart! In 2012,

↔️ Shishapangma – 11 Years Apart!

In 2012, Shishapangma was my first 8000er — the beginning of a climbing journey that turned out to be much longer than I ever imagined… and it’s still going!

11 years later, I completed my 14x8000ers journey, and after all that time, I found myself back on Shishapangma.
Shishapangma, the 14th 8000er forms a part of the Langtang Himal range but is located in Tibet. In 2012, I had climbed the central summit (8012 m) and when I decided to do the 14 peaks, 11 years later, I went for the main summit at 8027 meters 🏔️.

A lot has changed in these 11 years - both on the mountain and within me. The mountains have become much drier, darker, snowless, exposed and thus, much more dangerous. Not just in Shishapangma but almost everywhere in the Himalaya that I've witnessed the snow cover depleting every year, glaciers melting at an accelerated rate. This is a sad reality 😢.

Over the years, I’ve learned the art of prioritizing, solving problems, building mental fortitude, and being present in the moment. Mountains have a way of teaching things, you just have to be patient and disciplined enough to listen 🙏.

#SophieLavaud #LetsGoSummit #Shishapangma #148000ers #WomenWhoClimb

Pic 1: Traverse up the main summit
Pict 2: Summit Selfie with climbing guide @Nima Sherpa

Boudhanath - A site close to my heart in Kathmandu

Boudhanath - A site close to my heart in Kathmandu ❤

One of the most important heritages of Buddhism, Boudhanath stupa is believed to safeguard the remains of Kassapa and Shakyamuni Buddha. Located on the ancient trade route from India to Tibet, many Indian/Tibetan tranders and merchants used to rest in Kathmandu, by Boudhanath, pray and make their journey.

I have always felt peace and a deep spiritual experience in every visit. Boudhanath is my favorite place in Kathmandu and this is around where I have been staying for the last 15 years 😊

#sophielavaud #LetsGoSummit #boudhanath #kathmandu

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