Sílvia Vidal

Meet Sílvia Vidal

Sílvia Vidal is a renowned Catalan climber known for her bold and pioneering expeditions in the world of big wall climbing. Born in Barcelona She started with traditional rock climbing in the Catalan mountains before transitioning to more challenging and remote expeditions. Sílvia’s climbing style is characterized by her preference for solo climbing and extended periods on the wall, often spending weeks or even months on a single route in remote and inhospitable locations.

Sílvia Vidal’s achievements in mountaineering have garnered widespread recognition and acclaim, earning her numerous prestigious awards. In 2021, she was honored with the Piolet d’Or in Briançon, France, a special mention and the highest international recognition in mountaineering, marking her as the first person from Spain to receive this accolade. This was in acknowledgment of her groundbreaking solo ascent of the “Cerro Chileno Grande” in Patagonia, Chile, in 2020, as well as her illustrious career marked by numerous world-first solo ascents, characterized by commitment and technical difficulty.

She was also awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sporting Merit by the Superior Sports Council in Madrid in 2022. Furthermore, she received the Women and Sport Award in 2022 from the Barcelona City Council, highlighting her contributions to women’s sports.

In 2023, she was recognized as an Honorary Member of the Spanish Geographic Society in Madrid. Her achievements have been celebrated by organizations such as the Spanish Federation of Mountain and Climbing Sports (FEDME), which awarded her the Centenary Trophy in 2022 for her diverse solo climbing routes worldwide.

Additionally, she received the Snowflake of Honor Award at the Torelló Mountain Film Festival in 2023. Over the years, she has been consistently recognized by both FEDME and the Federation of Hiking Entities of Catalonia (FEEC) for her outstanding mountaineering achievements, including numerous solo ascents and groundbreaking route openings in various challenging terrains around the world.

In her keynote speeches, Sílvia often discusses the profound lessons she has learned from her expeditions—lessons about perseverance, self-reliance, and the importance of embracing fear and uncertainty. Sílvia can share insights into the transformative power of solitude and how it shapes not only her climbing experiences but also her approach to life.

She has been delivering conferences on climbing and for corporate events for over 25 years across Europe and other parts of the globe such as Vancouver, Calgary, and Banff in Canada, as well as to Peru. She has participated in both national and international mountain festivals, delivering motivational and inspiring talks for businesses, communicating through her personal experiences. These experiences often involve solo expeditions or teamwork in wild and remote locations, characterized by a significant component of exploration, commitment, and risk.

She has scaled large vertical walls, some untouched, spending weeks suspended on a vertical face to complete technically challenging climbs. With no means of communication such as radio, phone, or GPS, he operates in isolation and total autonomy. Carrying all equipment, totaling 150kg distributed across 6 backpacks of 25 kilograms each, she undertakes weeks-long journeys to reach the base of the wall and return thereafter.