Top of the World and Beyond

Mountaineer and inspiration to all women, Sophie Denis dropped her career as a U.S. banker, moved to France, and made mountain climbing her full-time job. She has climbed mountains of various heights all over the world and feels more empowered by each mountain she climbs. But now Sophie’s aiming to climb six of Earth’s highest mountains this year, with the overall aim to be the first French person to realize one of the most difficult human endeavors on the planet: an ascent of the world’s 14 elite 8,000-meter peaks.

Women’s Adventure interviewed Sophie to discover this renowned climber’s past, find out what keeps her trekking the most difficult mountains, and learn how she prepped for this giant undertaking.

WAM: What has kept you inspired about mountain climbing these past few years?
SD: Probably the unique feeling of touching the sky, seeing the world from above.

You cannot always stay on the summits. You have to come down again . . .
So what’s the point? Only this: what is above knows what is below, what is below does not know what is above. While climbing, take note of all the difficulties along your path. During the descent, you will no longer see them, but you will know that they are there if you have observed carefully (“The Art of Climbing Mountains” by René Daumal).

Also, I will do a photography book illustrating my journey to share with all what one sees higher up: the beauty and the thrill of touching the sky, as well as the wonder of meeting and sharing with local people in their culture and traditions.

WAM: Was it difficult to leave your job for your passion?
SD: It is never easy to change a life so radically; in my case, I changed my job from banker to climber, moved from the U.S. to France, and left my friends. No one believed in me (beside the people who know me best); some people even laughed at me when I told them I wanted to climb five peaks above 8000 meters in five months.

My motto “Everything Is Possible” is my legacy. It helps me reinvent myself and allows me to think beyond the norm and take initiative. So I did not let others’ opinions influence me. I had a project; I gave myself one year to do it; and then I wanted to see where I stood. I was confident in my decision; it was a perfect life timing to give it a shot and be a climber. It was a difficult move but I think trying something aside from the normal path will always be difficult.

WAM: What would you like all women to know?
SD: You can be the woman you want to be. Through my performance, I hope to instill awareness on the individual endless possibility and inspire and empower women to climb their own Mount Everest.

WAM: What is the hardest climb you’ve ever completed? What propelled you past its challenges to the top?
SD: Broad Peak, which I summited finally at my fourth attempt in one month. It was a rich experience as I got exposed to various hazards. Powered with resilience, I was able to overcome those hazards and reach the top. My climbing partner and I arrived at Broad Peak base camp on June 24th. The next day, we were on the mountain and shooting for a summit on June 27th. But, at 7,500 meters, we got caught in a windstorm, with wind blowing more than 60mph. We turned back, leaving some gear at Camp 3 (7,200 meters), and went down to base camp the same day.

A few days later, we tried going up again for a summit on August 6th. After going through a wind storm for several hours above Camp 2, we got the unpleasant surprise that Camp 3 had been covered by an avalanche. We tried to find it, but it was impossible. We had to go down.

For our third summit attempt, several teams joined forces, bringing more manpower to break the trail. Noticing that the sun would hit the face at 9 a.m., I had taken my stove with me, in case I got cold. Sure enough, after 11 hours of climbing (from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m.), my feet got cold. I took off my boots and socks at 7,900 meters, warmed up my feet, dried my boots, and went down to base camp the same day. Carrying a stove to 8,000 meters represented important extra weight, but it proved vital, as it saved my toes my frostbite.

My drive was my personal reasons for summiting, as I wanted to dedicate my summit to my sisters. They had a tough year, and I know that this summit would give them strength, joy, and inspiration. I climbed it for them!

WAM: What got you climbing in the first place?
SD: I discovered climbing by mistake, after a rugby injury. I crunched my thoracic cage and fractured my collarbone while playing rugby with my team in September 2005. As a banker, I was required to take off two weeks. I choose to do a trek in Ecuador that offered an option to climb the Cotopaxi, the highest active volcano in the world. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen; it was love at the first sight. I was seeing the world from a different perspective, upside-down. From where I was standing, it seemed that I was wearing goggles to watch the undersea world. The lava waves looked like ocean waves, covered in seaweed. Being just a little above the clouds, the lava seemed so like the sea, clouds, lakes, mirrors, and holes. Then, I could see the top of the mountain covered with snow, it looked like a volcano emerging from a sea made of clouds. It was outstanding. It is how I got hooked to climbing.

WAM: How has climbing influenced other aspects of your life?
SD: When I am climbing, I take the opportunity to be more relaxed and take time for myself, to be spiritual and be in touch with nature. I try to remember this state of mind when I get stressed, unhappy, or overwhelmed. Climbing influences my psyche positively, takes me higher on one hand but down to earth on the other hand. I live with the locals; I am learning their culture, their language, and their traditions. It is as rich a human adventure as an outstanding sportive endeavor.

WAM: Can you tell us at all about your upcoming adventure?
SD: I will undertake the challenge of climbing six of the highest mountains in the world in 2012. Upon completion, I will be on good track to be the first French person to realize one of the most difficult human endeavors on the planet: an ascent of the world’s 14 elite 8,000-meter peaks. I established climbing strategy, peak schedule, and summit date projections based on historical weather patterns and previous summit attempts.

This Challenge starts in Nepal on March 25 by climbing Annapurna then Dhaulagiri.

Learn more and track Sophie’s progress at Follow the Climb.

Category: Hiking & Backpacking