Portrait Claude Albrand

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There are those mountaineers who see the profession of guide as a simple livelihood, and those who simply can’t imagine doing anything else.

Claude Albrand, Experienced skier and climber

Aged 80, Claude Albrand still works at the Écrins Vallouise-Ailefroide guide office, 55 years after joining. With the same enthusiasm and the same form, this winter he will take customers for the umpteenth time to the crossings of the Meije and the Pelvoux or to the summit of the peak of the Arsine glacier. Raised on skis, “my father was a mountain rescuer. We have lived in a dozen different ski resorts,” this Argentinian quickly found his vocation.
“At 17, I was a ski instructor and at 20 a mountain guide. These jobs were obvious to me. An experienced skier and climber, he embarked on a career as a teacher-trainer of climbing instructors and mountain guides.

An illustrious figure in the valley, Claude Albrand stands out from his peers by his immoderate and unconditional love of the Écrins massif.

“Peru, Kenya, Tanzania, Canada, Australia, Jordan, the Middle East… I have travelled to all the continents where there are mountains. The most beautiful country remains this territory. Not only because it’s where I live, but because it has the most beautiful peaks and for all levels. »

When he walks up and down the peaks, the transfixed lover immerses himself every day in a new universe, without ever getting tired.

“With its climate and temperatures, the high mountain environment is a myth that we touch with our fingers. Every day is new. »

And then there is this privileged contact with customers. “It’s almost intimate. We are dream setters, we allow them to live an experience that they will remember for the rest of their lives. It’s obviously a highlight. »