Originally from Bordeaux, France, Mélissa Le Nevé discovered her passion for climbing at the age of 15. It was love at first sight. Within just a few years, Mélissa began competing and quickly rose to prominence, eventually becoming a professional athlete. She claimed the French women’s bouldering championship titles in 2010 and 2013, placed fourth overall in the 2011 IFSC Bouldering World Cup, and secured podium finishes at individual World Cup events in Slovenia (2013), Switzerland (2016), and Japan (2016). In 2016, Mélissa rounded off her competitive career by finishing third in the overall IFSC Bouldering World Cup standings. However, after nine years of international competition, several injuries, and mounting stress, she made the surprising decision to retire at the end of 2016.

Mélissa’s decision was driven by a desire to fully embrace her passion for climbing and push herself outside the confines of competitions. This marked a new chapter in her life, one that felt more harmonious with her values.

Today, Mélissa enjoys climbing in all its forms—whether it’s bouldering, sport, trad, indoors, or outdoors, she embraces it all.

In the world of bouldering, Mélissa achieved a major milestone in 2015 when she became the first woman to complete the ‘Big Five’ in Fontainebleau. The following year, she conquered ‘La Cicatrice de L’Ohm’ (8B/V13), and in 2017, she ascended ‘Méchanique Élémentaire’ (8B+/V14), both also in Fontainebleau. Additionally, she claimed the First Female Ascent (FFA) of ‘The Dagger’ (8B(+)/V13(14)) in Cresciano, Switzerland.

In sport climbing, Mélissa made history in 2014 with the first female free ascent (FFAA) of ‘Wallstreet’ (8c/5.14b) in the Frankenjura, Germany—a groundbreaking achievement. She has since climbed other legendary routes, including ‘Golden Ticket’ (8c+/5.14c) in the Red River Gorge, USA, and ‘Mister Hyde’ (8c+/5.14c) in Céüse, France. In April 2020, Mélissa achieved one of her most notable feats: the first female ascent of Wolfgang Güllich’s iconic route ‘Action Directe’ (9a/5.14d) in the Frankenjura, one of the most famous and revered sport climbing routes in the world, renowned for its mythical jump start.

Mélissa has also ventured into trad and multi-pitch climbing, beginning with ‘Le Voyage’ (E10/8b+), and taking on the challenging ‘Delicatessen’ (8b/5.13d) in Corsica.

Now living in the Southern French Alps, with Céüse as her home crag, everyone here at Lattice is psyched to help Mélissa tick her dream routes!

Image: © Martin Pötter