Yvette Vaucher

Biography

Yvette Vaucher, née Pilliard on November 11, 1929, in Vallorbe, Switzerland, was a pioneer of women's mountaineering and an iconic figure in the Swiss mountains. Tall and athletic, she distinguished herself in a world then dominated by men, achieving ascents that marked the history of mountaineering. Born in the Vallorbe region, Yvette grew up in a post-war context where women rarely ventured into extreme mountaineering. Passionate about the mountains from a young age, she took up climbing and quickly ascended demanding routes such as the Bonatti Pillar of the Dru, the east face of the Petit …