Versante Sud Dress in Paradise novel

Dress in Paradise by Chantal Mauduit is the autobiography of one of the boldest and most idealistic female climbers of the 1990s. Translated by Riccardo Castellani and with a preface by Nives Meroi, the book tells the life of Mauduit, a Parisian raised in Savoie, who discovered mountaineering at the age of 15 and passionately dedicated herself to the great alpine classics, later tackling the mountains of the Himalayas. She was the first woman to fly to the summit of Urus (5500 m) and Huascarán (6768 m) in the Andes. Her secret dream was to climb all fourteen eight-thousanders without oxygen. She managed to reach, without oxygen and often solo, the peaks of Chogori in 1992, Shisha Pangma and Cho Oyu in 1993, Lhotse and Manaslu in 1996, and Gasherbrum II in 1997. In May 1998, at the age of 34, she was swept away by an avalanche on Dhaulagiri while sleeping in a tent at Camp 2 at 6500 meters, along with the sherpa Ang Tshering. Her disappearance caused deep emotion, as she had exhibited unusual behaviors in the harsh life at high altitude, always loaded with books as well as equipment, and could not tolerate intolerance and racism. Her deep love for the mountains led her to join Mountain Wilderness. In her memory, some friends created the Chantal Mauduit Namasté association with the aim of helping to finance the studies of her son Lhakpa and those of the sherpa Tshering, and to improve the living and educational conditions of the children in the Nepalese villages dear to her.