NICOLAS
DRAPERI

Like all my fellow mountain guides, I was born and raised in mountain huts, where I now spend my days patiently waiting for my climbing partners to turn up. I pass the time staring at the horizon, watching every change in the light, every falling rock and every whistling marmot. I have an endless passion for hut cuisine, instant coffee and stale crusts of bread. And I simply couldn’t fall asleep without the guttural snoring of my fellow guides and the fragrant delights of the guides’ dormitory.

When I’m forced to come back down to the valley, I’m based in Champcella, in the one and only, authentic and inimitable Hautes-Alpes, at the foot of the Écrins and on the doorstep of the Queyras. It can’t quite compete with the sheer happiness of life in a mountain hut, of course, but I do have a home that smells of lavender, a loving wife and two children ready to listen, open-mouthed, to long stories about the mountains.

The area ticks quite a few boxes for anyone who struggles to sit still in the mountains:

• the largest massif in the French Alps for year-round mountaineering — and, in my entirely unbiased opinion, obviously the most beautiful. Retinal damage guaranteed;
• enough climbing for several lifetimes: bouldering, sport climbing and multi-pitch routes, fully bolted or rather less so;
• more ski touring than you could possibly know what to do with, from peaceful larch forests to ambitious steep-skiing projects;
• small, friendly ski resorts packed with hidden gems for freerando and off-piste skiing;
• ice climbing whenever the water can be bothered to freeze between two winter heatwaves;
• endless opportunities for climb & fly, with regulations that are far more relaxed than in some other mountain ranges;
• a fine network of via ferratas for anyone with a taste for this particularly iron-rich form of mountain activity;
• and, to top it all off, an almost Mediterranean climate that gives us precious little bad weather in which to update our websites.

So, as you’ve probably gathered, life in the Hautes-Alpes isn’t easy. Every morning, standing in the gear room, there’s the same difficult decision: skis, climbing shoes, paraglider… unless, of course, I find a way to use all three in the same day!

A living demigod, the mountain guide braves the elements and storms, keeps the dangers of the mountains at bay, fights terrible demons and rescues princesses trapped on icy summits… With a monolithic build, a stern weather-beaten face and few but carefully chosen words, the guide is easily spotted outside a mountain hut, radiating greatness over the mere mortals below. There you go. Now you know.

OK, but what’s a guide actually for?

A guide is a bit like the interpreter of a score that’s constantly changing. And there’s no secret to it: you have to listen. Listen to you, to the group and to what the mountain is telling us.

My mission number 1: everyone comes back alive and in one beautiful piece! Safety comes before everything else. I’ll use my experience to help us build a realistic plan together from the very beginning — one that fits you. Choosing the right place, the right pace and the right moment, while anticipating uncertainty as much as possible. Managing risk, logistics and the unexpected, adapting when things don’t go to plan, assessing your abilities and those of the group, finding the right pace, breaking trail accordingly, reassuring people and keeping the whole trip running smoothly… In short, far more powerful than any AI!

My mission number 2: everyone has a good time! Because, after all, this is also about a bunch of human beings sharing time together in the mountains. I want your experience to be as good as it possibly can be. So I won’t hesitate to carry your stuff, put your boots on for you, butter your toast and listen with infinite patience as you tell me every detail of your life for the third time.

And sometimes, if I’m in a particularly generous mood, I might even share my passion with you, help you improve your skills and involve you in the decisions we make — because up there, we’re all part of the adventure.

I’ll do my best to create an atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable communicating, and to make sure we’re all happy and having a good time out there!

Well, it’s simple: let’s get in touch! Give me a call, send me a text, a WhatsApp, an email, a carrier pigeon or a telegram and, if I’m not up a mountain, you might even get a quick reply.

The website should already give you a bit of inspiration, but every project is different, so the best thing is simply to have a chat and create something unique together!