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 Capucin, and the north faces of the Cima Grande and the West Summit of Lavaredo. In the 1950s, while living in Neuchâtel, she found there were no cliffs near her home and became the first Swiss woman to earn a parachutist's license, skydiving to satisfy her thirst for adventure.
Married to Michel Vaucher, a seasoned mountaineer and climbing partner of Walter Bonatti, she formed a formidable duo with him. In 1962, she made a successful first attempt on the Eiger's north face with Loulou Boulaz, but had to turn back due to bad weather after reaching the Ramp; they would have been the first women to conquer this legendary wall. The following year, in 1965, during the centenary of Whymper's first ascent of the Matterhorn, Yvette, with her husband and guide Michel Darbellay, climbed the Matterhorn's north face on July 13th and 14th, becoming the first woman to complete this vertiginous 1100-meter route, icy and exposed to rockfall. Her list of achievements quickly grew: in 1966, with Michel, she established the first direct ascent of the north face of the Dent Blanche. She climbed a string of classic routes of the 1960s and 70s: the north face of the Badile, the Grande Zinne, the Aiguille du Dru, the Grandes Jorasses, and the Eiger-Nordwand in 1974 after several attempts, the south face of the Aiguille Noire de Peuterey, the Gugliermina, the Sentinelle Rouge, the Grand Pilier d'Angle, and the Freney and Bonatti pillars. In 1971, she participated in the 1971 International Himalayan Expedition, which was cut short by the death of a climber and internal disagreements within the group.
Beyond her achievements, Yvette joined the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) in 1980 as its first female member, presided over its Geneva section from 1995 to 1998, and became an honorary member. Despite her age, knee replacement, and artificial hips, she was still hiking in the Alps well into the 2010s. Charismatic and devoted, she inspired young people, accompanying them on outings and races, her eyes shining brightly for the young climbers even in 2016.
Yvette Vaucher passed away on September 30, 2023, at the age of 94. The Swiss Alpine Club (CAS), which was her "second family," organized her funeral.
