Biography

Jean-Claude Charlet (1953-2017) is the son of Armand Charlet, a large family of mountain dwellers from Argentière (Chamonix valley). He follows the traditional steps in the training of high mountain guides: aspiring guide (1978) then official guide (1981). A member of the Compagnie des guides de Chamonix, he was its president twice, from 1990 to 1994 and then from 2015 to 2016. With his many loyal customers, he has traveled on foot or on skis through the Mont-Blanc massif, the Swiss Alps as well as more distant mountains such as Aconcagua, Kilimanjaro or the peaks of Colombia. He is the author of "Fils en aiguille", where it is as much about mountaineering as about filiation: himself the son of the famous Armand Charlet, his son Zian is also a guide. Jean-Claude Charlet had also invested in politics: in addition to local campaigns, he had climbed the Aiguille de la République – with his son precisely – to invite the Front National to be blocked in the second round of the presidential elections. Saturday December 2, 2017, Jean-Claude Charlet, high mountain guide and former president of the Compagnie des guides de Chamonix died at the age of 64, following a long illness. His funeral was celebrated on Tuesday, December 5, 2017 at the Argentière church.