Marie-Pier Desharnais

high altitude mountaineer, speaker and disaster management expert

Marie-Pier Desharnais is an adventurer, a high altitude mountaineer who climbs the highest peaks on the planet.


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Adventurer with a capital A

We are proud to have Marie-Pier Desharnais as one of our Chlorophylle ambassadors. A seasoned mountaineer, she has taken on numerous challenges on the world's highest peaks. Notably, she summited Mount Everest and embarked on other significant expeditions.

In July 2022, she reached the summit of K2, the second-highest mountain in the world at 8,611 meters. This historic achievement made her the first Québécoise to complete the ascent. Marie-Pier is part of the elite group of alpinists and one of the few Canadian women to conquer this legendary peak on the China-Pakistan border.

Marie-Pier Desharnais alpiniste en escalade

A resilience beyond measure

After the 2004 Tsunami in Thailand, at the age of 19, the survivor had to learn at a very young age to deal with her trauma and develop her personal resilience. Resilience has become her profession, as she is now an expert in disaster management and business continuity. Pandemics, natural disasters, cyber-attacks, supply or diplomatic crises, it's all there. Marie-Pier Desharnais is also led to test her own resilience, and in an extreme way, during her expeditions, which are nothing less than real continuous risk management exercises.

The mountain, a therapy

What motivates a woman to go from one summit to another? "The surpassing of oneself, the encounters and above all, the singular energy that the mountain gives me, says the mountaineer. I often say it and repeat it, the mountain is my therapy. Not only is it where I feel most alive, most at peace, but it's also where I am the best version of myself. For her, the mountain is nothing less than a "true mirror of the soul". From expedition to expedition, she transforms herself, she does not hesitate to say. So far, her most beautiful memory is that of her adventure on K2 in the summer of 2022. "This mountain is at the same time big, beautiful, mythical and terrifying, she laughs. It was the highlight of my mountaineering career, and one of the greatest gifts of my life. I have this mountain imprinted on my heart."

Her future projects

At the head of the Apex Woman project, Marie-Pier wishes to raise the profile of women, who are underrepresented in many fields, including mountaineering, by increasing the ratio of women to men on the world's highest peaks. 

We will be there to follow her, encourage her and support her during her future expeditions.