Seems like we have another French connection! This will mark the second year of having a French athlete making their way to Ice Fest and we are super stoked about that! Make sure to make Mathieu welcome as this will be his first visit to the U.P.!

Born and raised in the Southern French Alps, Mathieu has always had the mountains as a constant reference point. His first experiences came in ski mountaineering, where he was part of the French national team for four years, winning a 2nd place at the Youth European Championships and two French national titles.

After his competitive years, he decided to leave racing behind to dedicate himself more and more to alpinism and expeditions around the world. He has climbed on ice
and rock across Europe, the United States, China, Nepal, Peru, Alaska, and Baffin Island, building a career defined by new challenges and remote adventures.

At home in the Alps, he works as a mountain guide and is also responsible for organizing Ice Climbing Écrins, the largest ice climbing festival in France. Yet his true essence remains exploration: from the glaciers of the Cordillera Blanca to the
icefalls of Quebec, from Mexico’s great walls to the vastness of the Himalayas,
every journey is part of his quest for adventure.

Since 2012, he has found a second home in Pakistan, discovering an endless playground of alpinistic possibilities, which he hopes to continue exploring with the goal of opening new routes on the world’s highest mountains.