Paul-Henri Girardin (1936-2010), the 'magicien du rocher', was quietly smoking a cigarette on the stairs of his house in Bienne when he suddenly passed away.

Nicknamed 'Paulet', Girardin was one of the unsung heroes of Swiss rock climbing and unknown outside the country, mainly due to his modesty and a preference not to talk about his own routes.

A mechanic by profession, he began climbing in 1950 after hearing a radio news report about the Eiger.

He started bouldering, adopting a philosophy similar to Paul Preuss of climbing down anything that he ascended. He became a pioneer of free climbing in the Jura, when the region was undergoing a period of great development.

His most famous exploit occurred in 1954, when he repeated the 100m aid route, Face de la Heutte, with its author Hugo Weber. Avoiding the aid section, Girardin established a completely free variant, in big leather mountaineering boots, with the rope tied around his waist and a peg hammer in his pocket.

This variant was F6b, sustained, and completely unprotected, an achievement totally unimaginable in Switzerland at the time. Even today, few people repeat his line: it is simply too bold.

Weber, who would later become one of the most famous alpinists in Switzerland after his 1959 first ascent of the Swiss Direct on the North Face of the Cima Ovest and a year later the first ascent of Dhaulagiri, could only marvel.

Other impressive routes Girardin climbed in the Jura during that period include the Face de Plagne and Grand Vide. The latter has a 6a exit that still causes trouble for a number of today's climbers generally competent at the grade.

In 1957 Girardin suffered a bad accident while climbing at Gastlosen, and thereafter climbing 'would never be the same again'. However, he continued to transmit his enthusiasm to many younger climbers, including his two sons, Boris and Christophe, themselves well-known in Jura climbing circles.

Thanks to Claude Remy for this tribute.
 

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