Thirty women,many navigating the complexities of breast cancer treatment or celebrating remission,gathered Wednesday with a mix of anticipation and determination. They’re preparing for a unique challenge: conquering mountains – not just physical peaks, but personal ones – through a program designed to harness the healing power of nature and community. The program, spearheaded by the Finistère Menez Roz association, offers expeditions designed to rebuild strength, foster resilience, and redefine limits.
Finding Strength in the Ascent
The idea for Finistère Menez Roz, meaning “Pink Mountain” in Breton, blossomed from Magois’s own experience with cancer. Following her operation in May 2023, she found herself walking the halls of the clinic, resolute to regain her strength.Just three months later, she was participating in an internship in Chamonix. “The next day, I was walking back and forth in the hallway of the clinic to walk again. Three months later, I was on an internship in Chamonix,” she recalled.
Magois, an offshore racing logistics manager at MerConcept, is an accomplished sportswoman and mountain enthusiast. She began rebuilding her fitness with climbing in Fouesnant, celebrating each small achievement. “I made a path. Then a second. So many small victories,” she confided. Tennis and health activities at the Kemper Institute be you (Kis) in Quimper further aided her recovery, providing a sense of normalcy and empowerment. “It brought me a lot.”
Inspired by the Niort-based association “La Cordée de l’après,” which facilitates climbs of Mont-Blanc for women in remission,Magois launched Finistère Menez Roz in October 2024. “A rope party means being connected by a rope, with crampons and a harness, but it is above all a question of confidence,” she explained.A pilot team of six Cornish women successfully completed an expedition in march 2025, followed by another in Chamonix during the summer of 2025, solidifying the program’s potential.
A Rigorous,Supportive Approach
These aren’t simply vacations. The projects of Finistère Menez Roz, involving around thirty women, are carefully supervised by a team of professionals, including physiotherapists, nurses, coaches, and mountain guides. This ensures the safety and well-being of all participants.
A partnership with the Maison sport Santé at Cornouaille hospital allows even women currently undergoing treatment to participate. “The idea is to show the benefit of physical planning and the group effect as part of the treatment,” Magois stated. “I wanted to retransmit what I received.”
The 2026 program, detailed at the Trégunc briefing, includes a five-day snowshoeing and cross-country skiing excursion in Val-Louise (Hautes-Alpes) in March. This will be followed by two alpine stays this summer, with climbs targeting peaks of 3,500 m or 4,215 m in the Monte Rosa massif, located on the Italian-Swiss border. The upcoming expeditions will involve hiking, walking, paragliding, via ferrata, and even rope progression on a glacier, pushing participants both physically and mentally. “It’s great to see the happiness that it can arouse, it makes them all dream,” Magois smiled.
The stays are already funded thanks to the support of KempeR’Osethe Concarn’Rose, Trégunc Rose and the Guy Cotten company, allowing the women to focus entirely on their physical and emotional journeys. Participants are currently engaged in an intense training program encompassing walking, fitness, climbing, paddleboarding, and Pilates to foster camaraderie and build strength. “The weather? We decided that we didn’t care,” Magois laughed. “But not emotion.”
One woman shared with Magois during a summer expedition: “I wanted to say thank you to my cancer because, without him, I would never have done this in my life.”
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