Catherine Destivelle is recognised and admired as the most adventurous and exciting female climber in the world today.

"Climbing has been my prime passion and I keep indulging it wherever I run into mountains, cliffs or competing walls. I also love to talk about it, either as an enthusiast to excite your curiosity and fuel your dreams or to explore the blend of individualism and teamwork which best allows us to frequent and penetrate our own mountains."

Catherine grew up in Paris, the eldest of five sisters and one brother. Because her father had a taste for climbing and a passion for the outdoors, she was from an early age a regular visitor to the forest of Fontainebleau, close to Paris. There, a seed was sown.

Her climbing is deeply rooted in the traditions of the sport, at one with mountains and adventure. She began climbing at the age of 13, "When I tried rock-climbing, I was good at it straight away, so I liked it". By the age of 15, she was picked up every Sunday by a group of more experienced climbers and whisked off to Fontainebleau for the day. By the age of 16, she had climbed the Couzy-Desmaison route on the Olan and the Devies-Gervasutti route on the Ailefroide. This was followed the year after by an ascent of the American Direct on the Petit Dru.

After taking a five-year break from climbing to further her career in physiotherapy, Catherine appeared on the competition scene. She entered her first competition in 1985 at the age of 25. In 1985, she became a professional climber. In 1988, she climbed the still-new 13c route called Chouca at Buoux in France. This is a radically steep line of one-finger and two-finger pockets that has become the symbol of the sport-climbing revolution. It was then the hardest route in the world ever climbed by a woman. For three consecutive years Catherine won at Bardonecchia, Italy, but after competing in the second Snowbird Cup in 1989 she retired from competitions to focus on mountaineering.

In 1990 she free-climbed the Nameless Tower in Pakistan and solo climbed the Bonatti Pillar on Les Drus. In June 1991, she opened a new route up the famous west face of the Drus, during a remarkable 11-day solo-climb.

In 1995 Catherine climbed the South West Face of Shishapangma in Tibet, and attempted the South Face of Annapurna.

In early summer 1999, Catherine climbed the Direct North Face of Cima Grande di Lavaredo in the Italian Dolomites. Catherine was again the first woman for this solo ascent which took her 2 days.

This extraordinarily brave woman is an accomplished speaker in both English and French. She gives inspirational presentations where she challenges and inspires her audience to re-focus their goals to achieve success by sharing her visions and startling achievements. Catherine powerfully illustrates with slides, video footage and films the necessary vision, belief and self-determination needed to stretch herself to her full potential.