1. Hello Anne, would you please introduce yourself and tell us about your career?

My name is Anne Bialek and I’ve been living in Bolivia for 13 years. I’ve become an Andinist.

When I was young, I dreamed of being an adventurer and I became an engineer. After 10 years of loyal service in the car industry, I was bored stiff. My life had a bitter taste and I felt slowed down. I looked at the mountain people with admiration and envy, and that’s when I discovered Bolivia. I climbed my first “6000” and almost my first glacier race.

That “first 6000” was an unforgettable experience. I was under enormous pressure. I barely knew how to cramp and had no experience of very high altitude. A French mountain guide had warned me: “you mustn’t think that you’re going to succeed with your 6000 on your first trip, it’s harder than you think”. The climb was both nerve-wracking and exhilarating. I was very well acclimatised after 15 days of trekking, I had the body and I was very motivated. I had also mentalised the difficulty. It was really hard, I admit, you can’t imagine what the body can feel at these altitudes, this constant desire to give up and go down, this nausea and headaches at the start….you have to clench your fists…and the arrival at the summit is unforgettable, a deliverance, an intense joy….after I reassure you, you get used to this suffering!

I fell in love with the mountains of Bolivia, but also with the good humour and joie de vivre of its inhabitants.

In Bolivia, there’s a slogan: “Everything is possible, but nothing is certain”. What I liked was the “Anything is possible”. Everything seemed possible at the time….. leave everything in France.

I started working as a trekking guide, then as a sales assistant in a travel agency and then I decided to open my own agency, Thaki Voyage, with my friend Jérôme, whom I met in Bolivia.

I learned all about the high mountains from Bolivian guides. I was 40 at the time. Little by little, I climbed the easy normal routes, the “6000s”, then I tried my hand at the more technical routes, and I said to the guys “why don’t we go and climb some unknown summits”. We started opening routes. I started to be accepted and recognised in the guide community.

After climbing the West Face of Huayna Potosi and doing the Traversée Intégrale de l’Illimani, I had won their trust and admiration. For the last 9 years, we’ve been exploring regularly and have opened up some beautiful routes in Bolivia.

I’ve proved myself and am now recognised as a specialist Andeanist by mountain guides and the mountain community.

I’m very involved in the mountain world, both through my personal projects and through the involvement of Thaki Voyage (of which I’m co-founder) in responsible, solidarity-based projects.

With the royalties from my book “Cordillera Royale: Trek and mountaineering in Bolivia”, we made a donation and were able to organise environmental awareness days for the children of the Cordillera Royale.

Generally speaking, with the mountain guides, I explore as often as possible to open up new routes and discover little-known mountain ranges. And it’s Thaki that finances the mountain exploration expeditions.

In the mountains, I tend to be bulimic… but I’ve got some catching up to do! On Aconcagua, I climbed straight up in 5 days and without any porters. In the Cordillera Apolobamba, we climbed every possible peak along the way; in the Volcanoes region of Argentina, we climbed the second and third highest peaks in South America, the Ojos del Salado and the Pissis; In Ecuador, I climbed Cotopaxi, Cayambe, Illiniza Sur and Chimborazo; in 2015, we opened a new route on the South Face of Illimani, and in 2016 it was the year of the massifs crossings in Bolivia. We set out to cross the Illampu massif and in the process we crossed the Illimani (for the 2nd time for me) and the Cola del Condor. So far, I’ve only climbed to the gates of the 7000. But I’ve still got lots of projects in mind….

We passionate mountaineers all dream of one day setting foot on an 8,000er. It teases us, and sometimes it even becomes an obsession. I dream of going to the Himalayas one day to attempt the adventure. The obstacle is financial, and it is difficult to raise the sum needed for such a project. But I am not giving up hope.

2005: first 6000m, Huayna Potosi (6088m)

2006: Pequeño Alpamayo (5410m) and Licancabur (5916m)

2008: Huayna Potosi for the second time (6088m) and Uturuncu (6008m)

2009: Aconcagua (6962m, Argentina), Parinacota (6330m) and Acotango (6032m), Condor Head (5648m) and Pequeño Alpamayo again (5410m)

2010: Illimani normal route (6439m)

2011: Chachacomani (6074m), Chearoco (but not to the summit, up to Pic Anne!), Chaupi Orco (6070m), Pico Schulz (5943m), Illampu (6368m), Sajama (6542m), and in November the West Face of Huayna Potosi (first major route).

Then in Argentina, Ojos del Salado (6900m) and Pissis (6800m)

2012: Chachacomani again and Chearoco (to the summit this time, 6127m). A few ascents in the Quimsa Cruz Cordillera (Don Luis or Tres Maria, San Enrique and Jankho Loma), Ancohuma (6427m), Alto Toroni (6002m) and the Traverse of Illimani (second major experience)

http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/13201212537/Bolivia-Overview-2013

2013: Traverse of Pomerape (the last 6000m of Bolivia’s 13, 6220m), Right Wing of the Condor, Expedition in the Apolobamba Cordillera “To each their own Thaki” with 5 summits (Ullakaya, Condorini, Cololo, Huanacuni and Chaupi Orco), Direct route of Pequeño Alpamayo

https://www.thebmc.co.uk/first-female-ascent-of-all-bolivias-6000ers

http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/13201212538/South-to-North-Traverse

Winter 2013: Ecuador with Cotopaxi (5897 m), Cayambe (5790 m), Iliniza Sur (5248m) and Chimborazo (6310)

2014: French Route on Huayna Potosi, Ascent of Janq’u Uyu (5515 m) and Pach’a Pata (5650 m), Ascent of Gorra de Hielo (5740 m) and the North Peak of Illampu (6070 m)

Winter 2014: Colombia with Pan de Azucar (5215 m), Concavo (5200 m) and Ritacuwa Blanco (5333 m)

2015: Ridge traverse between Janq’u Uyu and Chachacomani, Chachacomani with the Thaki Voyage agency team, Ascent of Janq’u Laya (5535 m).

Normal route of Illimani for the second time. Opening of a route on the South Face, the Directe Boliviana (24 hours of climbing, my third major experience). Akamani in the Apolobamba Cordillera (5415m)

http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/13201213824

2016: Kasiri (5850m), Traverse of the Illampu massif (North Peak to South Peak, the South Peak was not reached), Full Traverse of Illimani (second time), Traverse of the Cola del Condor (Condoriri massif)

2017: Serki Kollo (5500m), Chearoco (second time 6127m), Exploration of Chaupi Orco to plan the North Peak to South Peak traverse (6044m South Peak), Acotango to Capurata Traverse (5990m), Argentina: Macon (5500m), Socompa (6050), Llullaillaco (6739m, up to the ruins below the summit because of a storm),

2018: “A sleepless night under the stars” expedition in the Illampu massif, traverse along the ridges below the South Peak, Exploration of the north ridges of Chearoco, Argentina: Quewar (6130m)

2019: Alto Toroni (6002m), Exploration of the Wakana massif, Ascent of Wakana (6217m), West Face of Huayna Potosi (second time), Calzada (5871m), Acotango link-up (6032m)

2020: Llullaillaco (6739m)

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