Isabelle Patissier

Isabelle Patissier (born March 1, 1967) is a French world champion rock climber and more recently a rally driver. She is known for winning two Lead Climbing World Cups (1990, 1991) and for being the first-ever woman in history to climb an route.

Climbing career Patissier started climbing at age 5 or 6 with her parents. At 14 she practised mountaineering in Chamonix and also slalom and downhill skiing. In 1986 at the age of 19, she won the first French official climbing competition, taking place in the sportshall in Vaulx-en-Velin only steps from her highschool, climbing barefoot. After this she devoted herself full-time to climbing and in 1988 became both the first woman to climb an 8b (Sortilèges at Cimaï) and French champion. She subsequently won this title a further 3 times.

Personal life Between 1993 and 1996 she was married to Nicolas Hulot a TV presenter and writer. In 1995 she retired from climbing. In 2000, she made her motorsport debut in the Rallye Aicha des Gazelles and in 2002 competed in her first Paris-Dakar rally. She later married her copilot/mechanic Thierry Delli-Zotti.

Notable climbs

Les sucettes à l'anis - Cimaï (FRA) - 1989 Sortilèges - Cimaï (FRA) - 1988 - First-ever woman in history to redpoint an

Échographie - Gorges du Verdon (FRA) - 1988

Katapult - Frankenjura (GER) - 1985

Rankings

Lead Climbing World Cups 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 ? 1 1 2 7 2

Lead Climbing World Championships 1991 1993 2 3

Lead Climbing European Championships 1992 2

Lead Climbing Rock Master 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 3 2 2 2 1 2

Number of medals in Lead climbing World Cups Seasons 1st 2nd 3rd Total 1989 1990 2 2 1 5 1991 3 1 4 1992 1 3 2 6 1993 1 1 2 1994 2 1 3 Total 7 8 5 20

Rally results 2000 - 3Com Star Challenge - 2nd 2000 - Trophy des Gazelles - 3rd 2004 - 1st woman world champion (Production category), with Team Nissan Dessoude 2004 - Oman Desert Express - Winner 2004 - Rally of Tunisia - 9th 2006 - Rally of Tunisia - 7th 2007 - Rally of Tunisia - 4th Dakar Rally - competed 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 (3rd in 2WD, 16th in overall ranking) and 2012