Mélissa Le Nevé (born July 8, 1989) is a French professional

rock climber Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in guidebooks, and ...

specializing in

competition bouldering Competition climbing is a form of regulated rock-climbing competition held indoors on purpose-built artificial climbing walls (earlier versions were held on external natural rock surfaces). The three competition climbing disciplines are lead ...

, but and also in outdoor

sport climbing Sport climbing (or bolted climbing) is a type of free climbing in the sport of rock climbing where the Lead climbing, lead climber clips their climbing rope, rope — via a quickdraw — into pre-drilled in-situ bolt (climbing), bolts for their ...

and

bouldering Bouldering is a form of rock climbing that is performed on small rock formations or Climbing wall, artificial rock walls without the use of ropes or Climbing harness, harnesses. While bouldering can be done without any equipment, most climbers ...

Early life

Le Nevé grew up in the

Vosges The Vosges ( , ; ; Franconian and ) is a range of medium mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single geomorphological unit and ...

until she was 10, and later began climbing at age 15, at a gym near

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

Climbing career

Competition climbing

Le Nevé focused her

competition climbing Competition climbing is a form of regulated rock climbing, rock-climbing competition held indoor climbing, indoors on purpose-built artificial climbing walls (earlier versions were held on external natural rock surfaces). The three competition ...

career on the discipline of

. Le Nevé was the French women's

champion in 2010 and 2013, placed fourth in the 2011 IFSC Bouldering World Cup overall standings, and placed 2nd at individual IFSC World Cup events in Slovenia (2013), Switzerland (2016), and Japan (2016). She retired from competitive climbing in 2016, after finishing third in that year's IFSC Bouldering World Cup.

Rock climbing

In 2015, she became the first woman to climb a set of boulders in Fontainebleau called the "Big Five", one of which–''Atrésie''–is rated . In December 2016, she climbed an boulder in Fontainebleau, ''La Cicatrice de L'Ohm''. In 2017, she climbed the problem, ''Mécanique élémentaire'', at Fontainebleau. Le Nevé has also climbed some of the hardest outdoor sport climbing routes. In 2014, she made the

first female free ascent In mountaineering and climbing, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books), is the first successful documented climb to the top of a mountain or the top of a particular climbing route. Early 20th-century mountaineers and climbers focused ...

(FFFA) of , an sport climbing route in the

Frankenjura Franconian Switzerland (, ) is an upland in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany and a popular tourist retreat. Located between the River Pegnitz in the east and the south, the River Regnitz in the west and the River Main in the north, its relie ...

. In April 2020, she made the first free female ascent of Wolfgang Güllich's iconic route '' Action Directe'' (XI, 9a) in Frankenjura.

Personal life

She lives in

Fontainebleau Fontainebleau ( , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the Kilometre zero#France, centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a Subprefectures in Franc ...

...

Filmography

* Le Nevé's 2020 ascent of '' Action Directe'':

References

External links

MELISSA LE NEVE
IFSC Database
VIDEO: What Gets Melissa Le Nevé Out Of Bed In The Morning
''

Rock & Ice ''Rock & Ice'' is a magazine published by Outside focusing on rock and ice climbing. The first issue came out in March 1984. The first publisher was Neal Kaptain. George Bracksieck worked for him, beginning in January 1984, and the two became e ...

'' (February 2021) 1989 births Living people French rock climbers French female climbers Sportspeople from Gironde IFSC Climbing World Cup overall medalists Boulder climbers French competition climbers 21st-century French sportswomen {{France-sport-bio-stub