Up-and-coming bouldering and sport-climbing star, Chloe Graftiaux, died on August 21 after a fatal fall on l’Aiguille Noire de Peuterey on the Italian side of Mont Blanc. After reaching the summit, the 23-year-old from Belgium was climbing unroped down the face on a relatively easy section of the arete when a hold broke, releasing a large rock and sending Graftiaux on a 600-meter fall.
A committed all-around climber, Graftiaux greatly enjoyed alpinism and made annual trips to the Mont Blanc Range to climb classic routes, such as Voie Contamine on Aiguille du Moine (3412m) and the Gervasutti Pillar on Mont Blanc du Tacul (4248m). Rounding out her talents, Graftiaux had also mixed climbed M11 and ice climbed WI6. The French Alpine Club selected her for the 2008-2009 Groupe Excellence Alpinisme.
Originally from Belgium, Graftiaux moved to Grenoble, France, four years ago with the goal of becoming a qualified mountain guide at Ecole Nationale de Ski et d’Alpinisme (ENSA) in Chamonix.
On her profile on her website, Graftiaux said she was simply “born to climb.”