Fred Nicole, a renowned Swiss professional climber, was born in 1970 in Vevey. He started climbing at the age of 13, alongside his brother François Nicole, and three years later, he successfully repeated the route Le Toit d'Auguste, which had been attempted by many climbers without success. This route, opened by French climber Patrick Berhault near Nice, was rated 8b+, the highest level of difficulty at that time.
As the 1980s came to a close, Fred discovered the climbing site of Saint-Loup in Switzerland. In 1987, he made the first ascent of Anaïs and Cannabis, the second route rated 8c after Wall Street, opened by Wolfgang Güllich in Frankenjura. From the beginning of the 1990s, Fred Nicole climbed a large number of blocks rated 8A and 8A+, and in 1993, he made the first ascent of Bain de Sang, rated 9a.
In the following years, Fred continued to push the limits of climbing, making numerous first ascents of blocks and routes of very high level. He discovered the sites of Fontainebleau and Hueco Tanks, where he carried out numerous repetitions of blocks rated from 8A to 8B, and made the first ascent of La Pierre Philosophale and The Crown of Aragorn.
Fred also traveled to South Africa, where he made many first ascents of bouldering between 8A and 8B, and to Cresciano, where he made the first ascent of Dreamtime, rated 8C. In 2006, he reached a higher level by performing the opening of Terremer, originally rated 8C+, but downgraded to 8C by second his coach, Paul Robinson in 2008.
Believing that the difficulty rating is very subjective, Fred Nicole often announces his openings with a fork. According to him, this estimate is more an indication of the difficulty than an absolute truth. In the following years, he made many openings of blocks and routes of very high level without giving precise quotations.
In 2015, at the age of 45, Fred Nicole made the first ascent of Azark, rated 8C. Throughout his career, Fred Nicole has been recognized for his exceptional climbing skills and has inspired many climbers around the world.
