FRANCE

The Federation of French Alpine and Mountain Clubs has always worked to include the new generations who will create the mountaineering of tomorrow.  Some will climb as pure amateurs without being preoccupied about performance.  Others, however, will pursue the dreams of those exceptional explorers who, over the last century were able to find, in the hidden corners of the world, places still untouched, forever rolling back the frontiers of the impossible. ….
But if the Groups of Excellence of the FFCAM are an open door, the highest level of alpinism is expressed individually or through independent teams, as an art form and needs nothing more than the support and admiration of such modest spectators as ourselves....

For this reason we must congratulate both the GHM and the Commune of Chamonix for allowing these exceptional climbers to be placed in the limelight in the spirit of sharing in their enthusiasm. May the celebration be beautiful and may friendship overflow!

The French  Mountaineering and Climbing  Federation has been involved for more than 60 years in activities linked to  the mountains. For the last eight years or more it has offered its members a continually increasing list of activities: mountaineering, far-flung expeditions, canyoning, climbing, hiking, snowshoeing, and ski mountaineering.  It is also the authorised organisation for the activities of canyoning, rock-climbing, snowshoeing and ski mountaineering. Mostly thanks to some great mountaineers, it has been able to evolve, combining all facets of these activities, whether for leisure, training or at a high level. 
It is involved in mountaineering as much through national expeditions as through its universally recognised teams of climbers.