Biography

Jean-Christophe Lafaille, born March 31, 1965, in Gap and who disappeared on January 26, 2006, on the slopes of Makalu, Nepal, is a French mountaineer. He was an "international guarantor" for the Mountain Wilderness Association. Married twice, he is the father of two children: Marie with his first wife, Véronique (Lafaille gave his name to a 6,250-meter peak in the Himalayas, Mari Ri) and Tom with his second wife, Katia (a route on Nanga Parbat is named after his son). Jean-Christophe Lafaille, originally from Gap, began climbing at the age of 7. During his adolescence, he was inspired by the books of Walter Bonatti and Reinhold Messner.