It is his favorite route: the 450 meter high northwest face of the famous Miroir de l'Argentine, the stronghold of climbers in French-speaking Switzerland. To about 200. Marcel Remy, father of the two Swiss climbing icons Yves and Claude Remy, climbs the 22. August 2017 together with his sons the classic. At the age of 94 years.
In the name of Remy, climbers first think of Claude and Yves. For half a century, the two brothers dedicate their lives to climbing. The number of routes opened up by them amounts to the thousands and made them icons of their sport in Switzerland.
Climbing and mountaineering was an early part of the Remy family program
Their father shared their passion for climbing with them. Marcel Remy took his sons mountaineering for the first time in the 1960s. Now he's talking about himself. When the now 94-year-old came to his sons Claude and Yves in May 2017 with the idea of climbing his favorite route at the Miroir l'Argentine again, they saw not only the enthusiasm and determination of their father, but also the risks involved Project brings with it. Marcel is now the oldest member of the Swiss Alpine Club, Les Diablerets section (Lausanne).
Intensive preparations before the visit
Although he climbs to this day, nevertheless, this tour requires the perfect preparation and the appropriate training: The brothers plan the visit on a minute-by-minute basis and put together a suitable program for their father. These include several climbing routes in succession in the fifth degree of difficulty, more challenging tours and mountain walks and the routes Foxie (5a A0) on Grimselpass and FOSL (5c) in Leonidio, Greece.
The day of truth in the summer 2017
Then it's time: on the 21. August 2017 breaks up Marcel and his two sons to the Miroir de l'Argentine. The classic he defeated 1946 for the first time. On the same day they reach over the steep path of the Miroir a bivouac at the foot of the mountain. On the morning of the next day, they tackle the first three pitches up to 1850 meters, and then switch to the direct route, which leads to the summit in 12 pitches in grade 5b +. To 15.15 clock of the 22. August Marcel Remy comes to 200. Time at the exit of the route. Exhausted, but happy. After some last meters of altitude in the direction of the summit of the Haute Corde on 2325 m, he returns from his departure point with the professional paraglider Jérémy Péclard by tandem flight back into the valley.
An impressive achievement - and undoubtedly a special experience between father and sons Remy.
Video of Marcel Remy in the multi-pitch tour Miroir de l'Argentine
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Credits: picture and text Mammoth
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