Grande Traversée des Alpes: D’Addario and Ratti from Triglav to Mont Blanc

A month-long traverse of the Alps—covering over 1,000 km on foot and by bicycle, with 15 ascents—following in the footsteps of Patrick Berhault; a journey blending mountaineering, sustainability, and observation of changes in the Alpine environment.

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A month-long traverse of the Alps—covering over 1,000 km on foot and by bicycle, with 15 ascents—following in the footsteps of Patrick Berhault; a journey blending mountaineering, sustainability, and observation of changes in the Alpine environment.

The route of the first month: from Triglav to Mont Blanc

A month has passed since the start of the *Grande Traversée des Alpes*—a project by mountain guides Lorenzo D’Addario and Francesco Ratti that retraces, more than twenty years later, the route of the historic traverse undertaken by Patrick Berhault between 2000 and 2001. The goal is to link some of the great faces that have shaped the history of Alpine mountaineering, traveling exclusively on foot and by bicycle.

Setting off on August 24th from Mount Triglav in Slovenia, the two mountaineers traversed the eastern and central sections of the Alpine arc, alternating long journeys on two wheels with ascents of major faces. Their traverse took them through the Dolomites—tackling the North Face of Cima Grande di Lavaredo, the South Face of the Marmolada, and the Northwest Face of Civetta—before continuing toward the Central Alps and the Bernese Oberland, where they climbed the North Face of the Eiger. From there, the route led through the Valais region to the Mont Blanc massif, featuring the East Face of the Grandes Jorasses and the Red Pillar of Brouillard.

Over the course of four weeks, the climbing team covered more than 1,000 kilometers and completed 15 ascents. They reached the summit of Mont Blanc on the 33rd day before returning to Courmayeur, where D’Addario and Ratti took a brief break to review their progress and prepare for the upcoming stages.

The Grande Traversée des Alpes is now entering its final phase, with the last sections of the western Alpine arc still to be traversed in the coming weeks.

A vertical and spiritual journey

After more than a month spent navigating transfers, elevation changes, and massive rock faces, the crossing of Mont Blanc also offers a chance to reflect on the more personal significance of the journey. Lorenzo D’Addario describes the inner dimension of a trip that—beyond its mountaineering aspect—is evolving into a journey of discovery and self-examination:

“The beauty that powerfully emerges from this vertical and spiritual journey lies in how the dream is roped to reality, and in the importance of maintaining the vital balance of this exchange—a realization born of recent, challenging experiences on the great walls of the West. Berhault’s words regarding the difficulty of the undertaking come to mind: ‘It is not measured by the obstacles encountered; it depends on the strength of our motivation.’”

As long as I experience this journey with eyes filled with beauty and a desire to discover, everything will seem natural to me—indeed, as fascinating as nature itself.

A traverse across the changing Alps

The Grande Traversée des Alpes also offers the opportunity to observe firsthand how the high-altitude environment has changed since the years of Berhault’s traverse. Glacier retreat and the progressive deterioration of certain rock faces—linked to rising temperatures—have on several occasions necessitated changes to the originally planned routes or revisions to the ascent schedule.

This is what happened, for example, on the Pilastro Rosso of the Brouillard, where mountain conditions required a particularly careful assessment.

“Climate change is no longer a theoretical projection but a reality we face daily on the mountain face,” says Francesco Ratti. “Severely shrunken glaciers and rock faces that are increasingly dry and prone to collapse force us to read the mountain with even greater care and to alter historic routes for safety reasons. Bicycles give us the flexibility to move quickly between massifs, yet our interaction with the environment highlights just how much the Alps have changed in little more than two decades.”

The film of the feat: the storytelling and visual sensibility of Alessandro Beltrame

The *Grande Traversée des Alpes* was not conceived as a challenge defined by numbers, but rather as a human and ethical journey inspired by Patrick Berhault’s experience and the sense of freedom recounted in his book *Encordé mais libre*. It is a route that also seeks to compare the mountains of today with those observed over twenty years ago, drawing on images and archival material from the earlier crossing.

The project goes beyond the daily updates posted on the two protagonists’ digital channels. The entire experience is actually being turned into a full-fledged film, entrusted to the vision of director and outdoor videographer Alessandro Beltrame (AGB Video). The documentary will chronicle the traverse, interweaving the transformation of the Alpine landscape with the personal journeys of the two mountaineers.

From a production standpoint, this is a particularly complex undertaking: following a climbing team for two months—spanning long road journeys and high-altitude ascents—means documenting the feat without altering its timing or dynamics. Consequently, the production relies on meticulous shoot planning, lightweight yet high-resolution equipment that can be carried directly onto the rock face, and constant consultation with Beltrame before each new stage.

D’Addario and Ratti also participate directly in the creation of the material. Following the director’s instructions, they gather footage and personal accounts during the ascents and at bivouacs, recording their sensations, reflections, and experiences in the field while the emotions are still fresh.

“Documenting a two-month traverse is vastly different from following a single climb,” explains director Alessandro Beltrame. “Our goal isn’t to make a classic mountaineering film that celebrates technical prowess; the aim is to delve deeper and tell the story of the human and spiritual dimensions of this journey. The changing landscape provides the backdrop for a story of genuine sharing and mutual exchange. Francesco and Lorenzo are more than just a climbing team: they are elite athletes, but above all, they are human beings—each with their own distinct personality—finding themselves living and interacting daily, both on and off the rock face.”

The documentary thus evolves alongside the crossing, gathering images, encounters, and testimonies of an ongoing journey along the way.

The 15 climbs of the first month

• Pilastro Rosso del Brouillard / Monte Bianco (Bonatti route)
• Mount Triglav – North wall (Helba + Skalaska route)
• Piccolo Mangart – South-West (Drill route)
• Cima Grande di Lavaredo – North wall (route ISO 2000 con uscita sulla Comici)
• Seconda Torre del Sella – North wall (Messner route)
• Marmolada – South Wall (Tempi Moderni route)
• Punta Civetta – NOrth West wall (Chimera Verticale route)
• Crozzon di Brenta – East Wall  (Super Maria route)
• Cima Tosa – Crozzon di Brenta traverse
• Pizzo Badile – NOrth – East wall (Cassin route)
• Pizzo Cengalo – South – West edge (Vinci edge)
• Mount Qualido – East wall (Artemisia route)
• Eiger – NOrth Wall (Le Chant du Cygne route)
• Grandes Jorasses – East Wall (Gervasutti route)
• Punta Innominata – East Ridge