Claude (Claudio) Barbier was, without fear of contradiction, one of the greatest solo climbers the Dolomites have ever known.

Grumpy but not arrogant, characterized by a misunderstood vehemence and an unexpressed kindness, Barbier possessed a firm but so polite ethic that he avoided any public confrontation and during his summers in the Dolomites – climbing practically non-stop, every day – he achieved visionary feats.

In his way of climbing, alone and fast, he condensed twenty years of profound changes in the style and history of modern climbing. From 1957, the year of his first appearance in the Dolomites, to 1977, when he died without explanation at the Freyr crag in Belgium – where he was born and where he lived when he was not visiting Italy – Claudio proved decisive for everything that would come after, but he never obtained the recognition he deserved.

From the first speed enchainment in the history of climbing – signed by Barbier in 1961 on the five north faces of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo – to the opening of the indomitable Via del Drago in Lagazuoi, this book intends to retrace the traces left by Claudio on the mountains that he himself loved madly. The intent is to finally do justice to his impressive activity and avoid the risk, as well as the error, of relegating his decisive figure to oblivion.

Monica Malfatti was born in Trento on April 29, 1996, she loves the mountains by osmosis and has been writing since she was able. Graduated in Philosophy and languages ​​of modernity, she works as a freelancer in the field of communication, collaborating with various newspapers and dealing with various press offices. In 2020 she published Destino ridicolo. Fabrizio De André heard by a philosopher (Marco Serra Tarantola Editore). Since 2022 she has been a press officer for the Trentino Alpine and Speleological Rescue. Since 2023 she has been a Medium Mountain Guide.