Team Simond athletes

Team Simond athletes

Our technical partners

Simond works in close collaboration with a team of testing partners; professionals in mountaineering and climbing, who bring their experience from the rockface and very high standards for the daily use of safety equipment. ENSA trainer guides handle the training of future guides, climbing instructors who supervise young climbers (aged 4 and over), and young guides looking for adventure in the Himalayas or in the Andean Cordillera. The SIMOND Team is rich in different profiles, progressing in a variety of environments, but all driven by the same passion for climbing or mountaineering.

This bond between climbers and Simond had always led to innovative products that provide exponential increases in ease of use, comfort and performance.

Team Simond athletes

Trainers of the French
national Ski-Mountaineering School

Our equipment is tested by the most stringent climbers at the rockface:
trainers at ENSA - the French National Skiing and Mountaineering School designed to prepare
the next generations of high-altitude guides.
Pierre Gourdin - Patrick Gamba - Alexis Mallon - Fred Valet - Alain Ghersen - Eric Magnin - François Marsigny 

Team Simond athletes

Benjamin Guigonnet

Piolet d'or 2018

For the first ascent of the Southern side of Nuptse - Himalaya, NEPAL 7,742m, 2200m, WI6, M5+; with the “gang des Moustaches” (moustache gang).
Trainer for the French National Excellence in Mountaineering Group (GEAN)of the FFCAM (Federation of Alpine and Mountaineering Clubs)

Team Simond athletes

Elodie Lecomte

Instructor at the French National School of Skiing and Mountaineering (ensa) 

Globe-trotting High-Altitude Mountain Guide, from the Himalayas in Peru, from Spitzberg to Russia via Kenya (Diamond Butress), the Sigunyang for opening a big wall or even India for the first all-female ascent of the Scottish route on Bhagirathi III... Gl

Team Simond athletes

Thibault Lair

The team member from the Pyrenees

The climber from the Pyrenees who completes 9a routes one after the other: "To the Moon", "Soul surfer", "My Little Princess", "La Hija de la Luna", "La minute de rési", "Nilsbru"

Team Simond athletes

Alistair duval

French lead climbing champion 

The new guy on the team, this man from Savoy (Les Carroz) is establishing a presence on the international scene:  French lead climbing champion (youth), French junior climbing champion (Marseille) and third place in the world youth lead climbing championship (Arco - Italy) in 2020.

Team Simond athletes

Camille Marot 

GEAN Coach

Previously a member of the French National Excellence in Mountaineering Group (GEAN) of the FFCAM
GEAN coach
My route: free-climbing the "Way of the Fish" (18 pitches, ED+) at Marmolada - Dolomites ITALY

Team Simond athletes

Mathieu Detrie 

Trainer at ENSA

Trainer for the French National Excellence in Mountaineering Group (GEAN) of the FFCAM
My route: “Peine plancher” 6700m - ED, 1100m, M6, W16 - North-East Face of the Pandra NEPAL: with Benjamin Vedrines and Pierre Labbre

Team Simond athletes

Octave Garbolino

Former member of the GEAN

High-Altitude Mountain Guide in the Écrins.
My spots: The Écrins, of course! Fosslimonster in Norway for its frozen waterfall and Indian Creek for crack climbing.

Team Simond athletes

Antoine Bletton

Former member of the high-altitude military group

High-altitude guide
"Jack of all trades but master of none, I try to be versatile in my mountaineering: steep incline, 8000m in alpine style, 8b on the rockface and 8a in bouldering, grade 7 in ice climbing, M9 in mixed"

Team Simond athletes

Aurelie Didillon

Climbing instructor

This climbing instructor, originally from Chamonix, is naturally experienced in mountaineering. She is making climbing accessible for the greatest possible number of people, including setting up the equipment on the rockfaces at Burkina Faso.
Her route: "Logical progression" 7c+(900m), the world’s longest sport climbing route. El Gigante - Mexico

Team Simond athletes

Louison Burtin

5th place in the European bouldering championships 

Our local youth athlete whose success has nothing to do with her age: Fifth in the European bouldering championship and seventh at the European lead climbing cup at Saint-Pierre in Faucigny in 2019.
Her goal: Paris 2024!

Team Simond athletes

Marion Thomas

French ice climbing team

Member of the senior French frozen waterfall climbing team since 2016 in two disciplines: lead climbing (my favourite) and speed climbing.
fifth worldwide and second in Europe in the general lead climbing ranking / 6e Worldwide and third in speed climbing at the Denver World Cup 2019-2020

Team Simond athletes

Tanguy Topin

Climbing instructor 

Silver medallist at the French lead climbing championship in 2017, trainer at the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes centre for promising young climbers,
specialist in sporting coordination and optimising sporting performance
My spot: Bionassay (Haute-Savoie), that’s where I climbed my first 8c!

Team Simond athletes

Arthur Guinet

A promising rock climbing talent

alias: “Vertaco the extreme climber”
Certified climbing trainer at Mineral Spirit, promising rock climbing talent ("Super finale", "La prophétie des grenouilles”, "Condé de choc", "Der Heilige Graal",etc.) but he prefers to climb at Vercors!

Team Simond athletes

Elsa Ponzo

Member of the French national climbing excellence group

Certified climbing instructor with high-level sporting experience (European standard in lead climbing and international in bouldering), I’m now thriving outside of competing and in teaching.
My route: Dame Cookie at Verdon (8a+ max).

Team Simond athletes

Anthony Richier

Manager of the climbing division of the Chamonix Compagnie des Guides

A climber who can't stay still: Qualified National Climbing Instructor, gym coach, route-setter, ex-competitor on the French team for lead climbing when he was young…

Team Simond athletes

Thomas Morize

Route setter

Certified instructor, route setter, and Block’out coach, winner of the French bouldering cup in 2017/2018, second in the 2017 FISE (International Festival of Extreme Sports) bouldering series, winner of the Naturals Games 2018.
My bouldering routes: "Airstar" 8b+, "Sky" 8b, "El Corazón" 8a+/b (Rockland - South Africa).

Team Simond athletes

Benoit Peyronnard

Former member of the French mountaineering high-performance group

High-altitude mountain guide and paragliding instructor, a mountain addict from an early age.
My top conquests: "Ali Baba" (250m, 8a+max, 7b obl, E2F1, III) & "Les 40 voleurs"(330m 8a+max, 7b obl, E3 F2 II+) at La Paroi Dérobée - (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur)

Team Simond athletes

Christophe Dat 

High-altitude guide

High-altitude guide at the Chamonix company, always ready to open up secret bouldering spots and develop new innovations!

Team Simond athletes

Fabien Ibarra

Guide & La Chamoniarde instructor

High altitude guide, trainer for La Chamoniarde (off-piste skiing, icy terrain, and mountaineering safety), provider of shared mountaineering experiences for over 25 years in collaboration with the association"He is also involved in rescuing" people in difficulty on the mountain!

Team Simond athletes

Lionel Pernollet

High-altitude guide 

High-altitude guide for the Chamonix guide company, like my grandfather and great-grandfather.
I work all over, from Mont Blanc to the big walls at Yosemite. But my favourite spot is still the Grand Capucin and its beautiful granite cracks.

Team Simond athletes

Nicolas Bezard

 Instructor at the French national skiing & mountaineering training centre (cneas)

As a high-altitude guide, an instructor at the French National Ski and Mountaineering Centre (CNEAS) and the previous product manager, who better than Nicolas to co-design the most demanding products on the mountain?

Team Simond athletes

Romain Wagner

CRS mountain rescue first-aider

High-altitude guide and CRS mountain rescue first aider "competent in the most punishing climbing endeavours"
My routes: No Siesta (1200m, ED, M7/A1/90°) and la Gousseault (1200m, ED2/5c/A1/85°) in the Grandes Jorasses in less than a month.