Isabelle Patissier

Isabelle Patissier (born March 1, 1967) is a French world champion rock climber and more recently a rally driver. She is known for winning two Lead Climbing World Cups (1990, 1991) and for being the first-ever woman in history to climb an route

Climbing career
Patissier started climbing at age 5 or 6 with her parents. At 14 she practised mountaineering in Chamonix and also slalom and downhill skiing. In 1986 at the age of 19, she won the first French official climbing competition, taking place in the sportshall in Vaulx-en-Velin only steps from her highschool, climbing barefoot. After this she devoted herself full-time to climbing and in 1988 became both the first woman to climb an 8b (Sortilèges at Cimaï) and French champion. She subsequently won this title a further 3 times.

Personal life
Between 1993 and 1996 she was married to Nicolas Hulot a TV presenter and writer. In 1995 she retired from climbing. In 2000, she made her motorsport debut in the Rallye Aicha des Gazelles and in 2002 competed in her first Paris-Dakar rally. She later married her copilot/mechanic Thierry Delli-Zotti.

Notable climbs



 * Les sucettes à l'anis - Cimaï (FRA) - 1989
 * Sortilèges - Cimaï (FRA) - 1988 - First-ever woman in history to redpoint an


 * Échographie - Gorges du Verdon (FRA) - 1988


 * Katapult - Frankenjura (GER) - 1985

Rally results

 * 2000 - 3Com Star Challenge - 2nd
 * 2000 - Trophy des Gazelles - 3rd
 * 2004 - 1st woman world champion (Production category), with Team Nissan Dessoude
 * 2004 - Oman Desert Express - Winner
 * 2004 - Rally of Tunisia - 9th
 * 2006 - Rally of Tunisia - 7th
 * 2007 - Rally of Tunisia - 4th
 * Dakar Rally - competed 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 (3rd in 2WD, 16th in overall ranking) and 2012