Hello,

I am Caro North!

I'm an alpinist and mountain guide. It's hard for me to say whether I prefer climbing or skiing; I wouldn't want to have to make a choice! My home base is a small hut in Switzerland, but I actually feel at home all over the world—at least where there are high mountains!

I studied geosciences in Lausanne, and I am now a certified mountain guide, which is quite an accomplishment for a woman in this male-dominated profession!

My passion for climbing has already taken me to many places, including Patagonia, the Indian Himalayas, Iran, Armenia, Alaska, South Africa, and Yosemite Valley, just to name a few.

I've been ski touring in Antarctica, and last year, I rode my bike across Switzerland to climb some of the biggest rock walls in the Alps.

Sailing to the Antarctic

An undulating ocean is unfamiliar terrain for Caro, but in 2018, she set sail to Antarctica in search of snowy peaks.

Her reward was carving untracked lines against a surreal backdrop of ice and sea.

THE MOUNTAINS: LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

The mountains have always played a big role in my life. I was born in Switzerland and was put on skis by my parents when I was just three years old. Later, we often hiked from hut to hut with the whole family. Even back then, the difficult scrambling passages were the most fun for me. That's probably when I discovered my love for climbing.

My parents supported my sporty ambitions from the very beginning and enrolled me in an alpine climbing group as a child. When I was 16, I spent a school year in Argentina and wanted to take part in an expedition to Aconcagua. That was no problem for them either; they simply filled out all the forms.

Caro North cannot resist a beautiful line, such as the 2474m-high Fiamma, a prominent rock needle made of granite in Bergell (Graubünden, Switzerland).

CLIMBING: EVERYWHERE AND IN ALL FACETS

For the past several years, Caro has not only been climbing set routes but finding her own lines.

Aconcagua, 6961m

ARGENTINA, 2007: I climbed my first six-thousand-meter peak when I was still in school during a stay abroad in Argentina. Although I had to turn back at about 100 meters below the summit, it was my first big step into the world of alpine climbing.

Arapi, 2271m

ALBANIA, 2011: I travelled to Albania for the first time in 2011 with the JDAV (Junior German Alpine Club) team. Along with a few Albanian climbers, we established a new route on the 800m-high Arapi south face: “Tschackalacka”

Astroman, Yosemite Valley

USA, 2015: In 2015, I completed an onsight ascent of the legendary Washington Column, the 303m-long trad climbing route with 10 pitches.

Monte Iñaki, 5370m

INDIA, 2016: I discovered a previously unclimbed mountain (5370m) in the Indian region of the Himalayas. Along with two Chilean climbers, Cristobal Señoret and Max Didier, I ascended via the west face, and we gave it the name Monte Iñaki.

But one mountain holds a special place among her many triumphs.

CERRO TORRE, 3133m

PATAGONIA, 2015

THE LONG WAY TO CERRO TORRE

2013

During my first trip to Patagonia, we got lucky with the weather. After climbing the Guillaumet, a window opens for Cerro Torre, so Laure Batoz and I decide to attempt the long approach. A few days later, we climb to three pitches below the summit where we unfortunately have to turn back. We make the long descent, and I cannot stop thinking about the Cerro Torre. Soon after that, we were able to climb Fitz Roy.

2014

A year later, I want to make a second attempt on Cerro Torre with Yvonne Koch, but the weather does not cooperate. We are stuck in El Chaltén for two months. We spend the time climbing smaller routes and even helping with a big rescue operation, but the weather doesn't let up, so we have no chance to get to Cerro Torre.

2015

My third attempt—with Christina Huber! We take advantage of a spontaneous weather window and head for the mountain. Other climbers decide to wait for even better conditions, so we meet just one other climbing team at Cerro Torre. El Chaltén is hidden under thick clouds at this point, but we are lucky. We finish the ascent and stand on the summit of Cerro Torre! The descent presents an extra challenge when a completely unexpected storm rolls in; we need to get back to El Chaltén as quickly as possible. The way down takes 20 hours, and after 48 hours without sleep, we finally arrive there safely.

Caro North has now been to Patagonia several times. The climbing area around Cerro Torre is known for its extreme and capricious weather, which she has experienced firsthand. She knows that, for the best climbing, sometimes you just have to wait.

BACK TO PATAGONIA

When I was back in Patagonia in 2018, I climbed 55 new routes in an almost untouched climbing area called Minialaska. You won't find anything like it in Europe. The granite was perfect!

THE SCHRECKHORN—WHEN THE HORN BLOWS, ALPINIST CARO NORTH ANSWERS

In the EOFT program 2021, we follow Caro to Switzerland, where she embarks on a daring and demanding expedition. You will see the versatile alpinist and mountain guide go her own way on rock and ice, continually acquiring new skills so she can move more flexibly and safely in the mountains. In the summer of 2021, along with Nadine Wallner, Caro ventures a traverse of the Schreckhorn (4078m) under the most difficult conditions... but is she truly prepared for it?