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Interviewer: Anna Piunova, Mountain.RU
Photos from Katya and Jean-Christophe's family album

Instead of epitaph...

Jean-Christophe Lafaille.
Interview for Mountain.RU (2002)
Part 2 (Part 1 here)

Mountain.RU (M.RU): When you speak about Alpine style what do you mean by that?

Jean-Christophe Lafaille (L.): Alpine style… It means for me to remain independent as far as possible, i.e. not to fix the rope and not to set intermediate camps beforehand and to climb in such manner as it is accepted in the Alps. It is difficult enough to do in the Himalayas, but simultaneously it is more tempting. It has advantages and disadvantages, of course.

If to say about advantages - such style allows to remain nimble and mobile, that attracts me very much: I am not a big man and not adapted to carry of huge luggage. Well, it adds speeds. Ascent becomes faster. The feeling of weariness ironically plays the less important role but it is more painful. You should be acclimatized very well before to start a high-speed ascent and a fast descent too.

Disadvantages: a total involvement - you are completely caught up in your plan, you can rely only on your own speed, and you just can not make any mistake and especially get into foul weather. To summarize roughly, if I and Pierre Beghin had ascended in Himalaya style in 1992 with fixing the rope we would have been given a chance to return safe and sound.

One further peculiarity of Alpine style: the scantiness of gear. On Manaslu I decided not to take a rope. I had nothing except for ice-axes and crampons. But in the Himalayas such limitation of equipment does not allow to do the things comparable with climbing the routes on Dru or Grandes Jorasses North face. If you haul ropes, pitons etc. you will lose the speed. It is a principal cause of choosing routes on ice, couloirs, and chutes. Active trainings and modern gear allow to climb very quickly without need to be belayed.

Reinhold Messner was the starter and propagandist of Alpine style climbs in the Himalayas. He refused using of artificial oxygen and installation of intermediate camps that led to necessity to climb as in the Alps, but in view of factors of high altitude and long-stage routes.

M.RU: What's your attitude towards to the idea of competitions?

L.: I've taken part in some rock-climbing competitions, participated in World Cup stages. Especially the period of my GMHM active duty was active in this respect, but it was not my own initiative, I only returned the Army's lead.

I've always climbed a lot, but competitions are a little bit a different matter. It's a real stress for me to reside into a crowd; I prefer to be in the cold, in mountains, in full loneliness instead of to feel public behind my back. I just like climbing, I started under outdoor competitions on real rocks, but then there were the first starts at artificial climbing walls in Grenoble, in Paris, - and I could not say anything enthusiastic. I am not an admirer of artificial walls.

As for the mountaineering competitions… Perhaps the idea of competitions consists in formation of one good team: from lots climbers to choose the strongest as, for example, Sergey Efimov did for Makalu expedition, but as a whole it is hardly right for evolution of mountaineering.

Competitions are harmonious in such kinds as ski-mountaineering and ice-climbing. These disciplines serve, finally, to development of mountaineering. But it's a different matter that ice-climbing competitions every year become more and more specific and more and more remind rock-climbing ones.

M.RU: What mountain, what ascent do you consider left memories never to be blotted out?

L.: Really, it is very difficult to tell. I think that's my last Annapurna ascent. I had come back to this mountain four times, I had been fatally out of luck, there had been many problems and disappointments always left upon by this mountain. It is difficult to explain, but within ten years I was attractable by Annapurna magnetically. The last ascent was the most hard, but the most interesting in technique and engagement. During this expedition all my arrangements ran smoothly from the very beginning, no problems with acclimatization, absolute mutual understanding with Alberto, the sun was above the summit, Katia was in base camp and we could talk on a portable radio set… The magic mountain. Even now I feel that I'm still there, at the summit and I still have not descended... Now I have some problems with motivation, nothing seems such tempting and attractive to me, as Annapurna does.

Probably, I have not just rested from my expedition yet… In fact having come back home, to France, I threw myself into the work at once…

I believe that in a view of engagement, nervousness, technique, tactics it really became my best ascent. Mixed sites, the extent (7,5 km) exhausting summit ridge, need to have time to catch the "window" - it just is impossible to climb the ridge in a gale-forced wind. Katia said me that there would be only three days of weather. That mean that I had one and only chance: three days for ascent and then precipitant descent. It seems that within the last ten years I had accumulated experience qualifying myself for this Mountain. I have never met the greater engagement in the Himalayas.

M.RU: Several years ago you spoke absolutely opposite things: Annapurna? - Nevermore…

L.: Yes. It's a very hard and ambiguous mountain. I have not had such problems climbing other "8-thounders". Everything went more or less predictably and tolerably, weather could deteriorate but I went on other, not planned route, but every time the things came my way. Annapurna sets out to write own history. Four times I turned up, again and again, two of them ended up with death of my friends. Annapurna could become my first "8-thounder", but Pierre was lost. I had never faced death or any accidents with me or my friends in mountains before that. I was seriously injured, the descent was awful. When I, at last, appeared below, I, really, said: “I will never go to these cursed mountains any more!”

A month later I, almost recovered strength and by the end of the summer, started to go simple routes in the Alps as I could not climb yet. Next year in autumn I summitted Cho Oyu. I tried to not to turn back, my memoirs were too painful, Annapurna had given birth to a lot of negative inside of me…

In 1998 I made the third attempt to subdue Annapurna. Accompanied by four sherpas, we were fixing the rope. It was the thundering knock when one of them, absolutely a kid, was engulfed in the avalanche. He had just disappeared, and we could not find him. That time I thought again: “I'll never more come to this mountain!”

This year I and my tremendous partner opened a challenge route on Annapurna. It is possible to tell that it was an ideal ascent. With such powerful positive which overpowered all negative experiences connected to this mountain. It was too strong contrast. Annapurna became very important mountain for me, a part of my life. After that it would be proper to stop, but I prefer to continue...

What else, except for Annapurna? Ê2 ascent in the last year. This mountain has the special status and when you are at the foot of it you are really under the great impression. The ascent was hard, weather conditions left much to be desired, the route was difficult and interesting, but certainly on intensity of sensations Ê2 keeps behind Annapurna.

M.RU: Now, at this distance of time, that do you think about your ascent in a two-man team with Pierre Beghin?

L.: This mountain one of hardest for ascents, one of the most dangerous. The main problem on Annapurna is to descend safe and sound. There is not the "classical" easy harmless route for descent on Annapurna.

In 1994 during my solo attempt Annapurna South face along the Bonnington Spur when I had already climbed all the most difficult sites of the route and reached the last snow site, I had to stop and return back because it was late, too late, and I realized that if I had taken another decision to continue climbing I would have had no chance to return alive. On Annapurna it is just impossible to descend quickly even on a "historical" route.

You have to climb here in more classical style with fixing the ropes and installation of intermediate camps. Annapurna also demands the certain technical training. I do not know other mountain in the Himalayas difficult in technical aspect like Annapurna South face.

In 1992 we did not know all of that, I was too young, it was my first Himalaya expedition.

This year I ascended only due to the huge experience of climbing in high mountains that I had got for the last years, my physical, technical and psychological trainings. I think that in 1992 I and Pierre did not have any chance of a successful ascent.

Part 3 >>