François Damilano

Mon, 23/07/2012 - 15:22 — Francois Damilano

France

Tue, 29/11/2011 - 18:56 — Petzl

FRA

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Photo portrait:

Francois Damilano - photo © Bertrand Delapierre

Date de naissance:

30 December 1959

Lieu de résidence:

Chamonix (France)

Formation:

State degree in special education, Mountain guide

Statut actuel:

Mountain guide, writer, filmmaker

Date d'entrée dans le Team Petzl:

1985

Desire and ambition: a long-term relationship
«I had the chance to experience the golden age of ice climbing and I still love to climb at the end of a valley in full winter. My life as an alpinist has been marked with an indelible seal by the world of ice climbing. In the early eighties, I found a synthesis between sport climbing and alpinism, two practices that tended to be differentiated by separate worlds. In ice climbing, I found the movement and the pleasure of rock climbing combined with the mastery of risky terrain that is important to an alpinist. In ice climbing, I have also made some great friendships with those tied into the other end of a rope.
The image had a strong influence on me and I love to try to carry the aesthetic of a mountain that has beaten me, or escape from a line that has made an impact on me. After that it’s the stories of companionship. Those with photographers and filmmakers. Their skills have taught me to look for the best light, select the material, transcend the impatience of a climber. It’s a way to not get locked inside the intemperance of the performance. In a photograph or film, this manifests itself as the choice of the best framing to elicit an emotion, of an angle used to tell a story, for many people to see, or simply as a way to keep a memory for a few moments of our lives as climbers. Finally, later, now, to dare to make my films from behind the camera and show things differently. Perfect my view, refine the dialogue, try to let others tell their stories by combining my mountaineering experience with my passion for the image. More than stories of climbing, I love the stories of climbers.»

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See further...
«I have climbed for quite awhile now… and, as in climbing, my journey is marked by a few key passages. Feelings of discovery emerge, the satisfactions of performance, the complicities of friendship, tears from dramas and the joy of motivation. Years forced to take a turn: the loss of recklessness. It’s perhaps because of this that today I am trying to keep from locking myself in my own caricature. Certainly, the practice of ice climbing is a ‘big part’ of my life as an alpinist, but it has also allowed me to go beyond that, to see differently and to learn from practices other than my own. Without being a writer nor a filmmaker… I have actually spent a lot of time making books and films. Today, I focus my guiding practice on the people I am with, at very high altitude, which forces me to explore other ideas and take a necessary step back from the practice of the sport, in my practice of the sport. Today, breathing life into a publishing house (JMéditions) is a way to use my pen to hatch the writing projects of others. The author publisher relationship is also like a climbing partnership. Today, to swap my ice tools for a camera is to walk away from the role of a climber ‘who takes the stage’ to talk about something new and give birth to the narrative. To find the angle of a story is to sharpen the critical analysis and not be soothed by convention.
Today, I continue to live my childhood dreams fuelled by the stories of Rebuffat, Terray and Desmaison. Their books and films inspire me to leave my comfort zone. I have always been sensitive to those who find the ability to juggle their passion (climber), their work (mountain guide) and the taste for publishing.»

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Diaporama Photos:

Diaporama Videos:

Francois Damilano - photo Bertrand Delapierre

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Réalisations marquantes:

Solo climbs:
- Mont-Blanc du Tacul (Chamonix) ‘Supercouloir’ 1986
- Ben Nevis (Scotland) route linkups, 1987
- La Grande Traversée des Cimes (Mont Blanc range) 1992, solo traverse of the entire Mont Blanc range summit ridge in total autonomy
- Ama Dablam (Nepal) Southwest Face in one day, 1993
- Canada Trophy Wall and Norway, ice route linkup, 2003

Exploratory first ascents:
- Urgyenmang (Nepal) North Face (6001 m) 1999
- Shishuan (China) Abi Mountain (5900 m) 2004
- Sano Chekigo (Nepal) (6000 m) 2006
- Hawley Peak (Nepal) (6182 m) 2008

First ascents in the Mont Blanc range:
- Aiguille du Midi, Mont Blanc du Tacul, Mont Blanc (seracs) 1987 – 1991
- Aiguille Sans Nom ‘Naïa’ (gully) 1996
- Mont Blanc du Tacul ‘Pilier des Séracs’ (rock route)

Ice climbing first ascents:
- Bourg d’Oisans (France) ‘Visa pour l’Amérique’ 1987
- La Grave (France) ‘L’étoffe’ 1987
- Val Nontey (Italy) ‘Repentance’ 1989
- La Grave (France) ‘Les Galands’, ‘Grands Clôt’ 1990
- Le Fournel (France) ‘Gramuzat Directe’, ‘Juste une Illusion’, ‘Blowjob’, ‘Les Racines du Ciel’ 1991
- Sixt Fer à Cheval (France) ‘La Folly’, ‘La Massue’, ‘Trélachaume’ 1991
- Canada ‘Le lézard d’Or’, ‘French Reality’ 1992
- Canada ‘The Day After les Vacances de Mr Hulot’ 1993
- Ben Nevis (Scotland) ‘French Connection’ (‘The most difficult route added by an overseas team’ S.Richardson) 1995
- Valdigne (France) ‘Liaisons Dangereuses’ 1996
- Vallée de l’Arve (France) ‘L’Arpenaz’ 2001
- Sixt Fer à Cheval (France) ‘La Sorcière Blanche’ 2006

The great classics with clients:
North Faces: Grandes Jorasses, Matterhorn, Eiger, Pilier d’Angle…

Informations supplémentaires:

Books :
- ICE 89: Illustrations, Proactis 1988
- CHEMINS DE GEL: Text and photos with Bernard Amy and Gérard Kosicki. Glénat 1989. French and German versions. Awarded in Germany
- HAUTE MONTAGNE ET ALPINISME: How-to book with Dominique Lebrun. Solar 1989
- L’ESCALADE: How-to book. Solar 1990
- CASCADES DE GLACE: Guidebooks for l’Oisans with Godefroy Perroux, 1992
- GLACE NEIGE ET MIXTE: 500 Itinéraires dans le Massif du Mont-Blanc. With Godefroy Perroux, 1996
- MONTAGNE PASSION: With Claude Gardien. Hachette 1997. French, English, Spanish, German versions. Awarded in Italy
- CASCADES AUTOUR DU MONT-BLANC: Two volumes with Godefroy Perroux, 1998
- CASCADES DE GLACE, l’Oisans aux six vallées: Two volumes with Godefroy Perroux, 2000
- MONT BLANC 4808 m, 5 Routes to the Summit: JM Éditions 2004. French, English, Spanish versions
- SNOW, ICE AND MIXED, guide to the Mont-Blanc Range: two volumes. JM Éditions 2005. French, English, Spanish versions
- ICE CLIMBING AND DRY TOOLING, Haute-Savoie: Two volumes with Philippe Batoux et Ludovic Seifert. JM Éditions 2007. French, English bilingual version, Italian, Spanish, English editions
- LA VALLÉE BLANCHE, the most beautiful off-piste in the world: JM Éditions 2009. French, English versions

Chronicler: MONTAGNES MAGAZINE (1987 - 1989),
Editor: VERTICAL (1990 - 2000).

Films :
- SAFARI ROC: Bourse de l’Aventure Antenne 2. 1984. Climbing Mont Kenya (5200 m)
- VISA POUR L’AMÉRIQUE: FR3 Montagne, 1988. Ice climbs
- LA DAME BLANCHE: Ushuaia/TF1, 1989. Solo ice climb in Québec
- L’ÉLÉPHANT BLANC: Ushuaia/TF1 - Chromatique, 1989. Seracs of Mont Blanc
- À BOUT DE GLACE : MC4/Antenne 2, 1990. Ice climbs of Canada. Awarded at the Autrans Festival.
- USHUAIA. TF: Trois plateaux en situation avec Nicolas Hulot: Alpe d’Huez, Aiguille du Midi, Canadian rock
- ICE UP: 2003. Ice climbing and dry tooling with seven famous climbers. 30’. DVD, French, English versions
- SKIPPERS D’ALTITUDE: 2005. Gear guide - clients on a 7000m peak. 38’. DVD, French, English, Spanish versions
- LA SORCIÈRE BLANCHE: 2006. Ice climbing and dry tooling in the Cirque du fer à Cheval. 40’. DVD, French, English, Spanish and Italian versions
- LA STRATÉGIE DE L’ESCARGOT: 2008. ‘Moving slowly’ at very high altitude. 10’. French, English versions
- PARENTHÈSE À 8000: 2009. Stories from eight amateur alpinists at very high altitude. 30’. French, English versions

Vous et le team:

«I started my collaboration with Petzl in 1985… I like long-term relationships! Petzl is one of my best climbing partners. I represent desire and ambition. I am both ambassador and counsellor.»

Mike Horn

Wed, 23/05/2012 - 16:18 — Mike Horn

South Africa

Tue, 29/11/2011 - 18:49 — Petzl

ZAF

Flux RSS:

http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/62462250.rss

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Photo portrait:

Date de naissance:

16 July 1966

Lieu de résidence:

Switzerland

Formation:

Degree in Sports and Human Movement Science Stellenbosch University (South Africa)

Statut actuel:

Professional adventurer / Explorer

Date d'entrée dans le Team Petzl:

1998

My personnal blog:

www.mikehorn.com

My favorite saying: We can make our dreams come true.
«I have completed some quite exceptional feats of endurance, determination and courage, which have pushed my own limits, if not that of human beings and their dreams. My experiences with oceans, rivers and mountains, of marshland and tundra, of ice, jungles and deserts are unquantifiable. Aquatic activities are my favorite. Over the last ten years, I have spent a long time in the equatorial jungle of the Amazon and in the Arctic. Out there, I feel totally at one with nature and the elements – it's the only way to survive. You have to respect nature and its inhabitants and learn from them. The biggest life lessons I have learned have been from the Amazonian Indians and the Inuit peoples of the Arctic. I have the utmost respect for the explorers of times past such as Admundsen and Jacques-Yves Cousteau. In my profession, first and foremost as a solitary adventurer, what matters most is determination coupled with great mental capacity and strength. I get my energy from God, my family, my close team and my circle of friends.»

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Today: transmit
«I would like to transmit a maximum amount of energy to the younger generations by taking them on expeditions with me, to give them the opportunity to explore. I would like to share my experiences with them and show them that you can learn through exploration, and through this learning, take measures to preserve our planet's natural resources.

This is the aim of the YEP Pangaea youth explorers program. These young people are the future. This program could become an important environmental project in the future. Having such an in-depth knowledge of nature, I am afraid of what the future holds. There will be many more things on the planet that we'll need to preserve, such as life.»

«What will I do next? I don't know, tomorrow is another day. I live from one day to the next. Each second of every minute counts. I am happy with what I'm doing and don't want to change a thing. I just need 36-hour days.»

«To conclude, it's better to try and fail than to fail to try. The impossible only exists until we find a way to make it possible.»

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Diaporama Photos:

Diaporama Videos:

Pangaea Expedition project introduction :

Pangaea Expedition in Himalaya :

Pangaea Expedition in New Zealand :

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Réalisations marquantes:

- Amazonian Expedition, 1997.
Non-motorised solitary crossing of the South American continent: left the Pacific coast on foot – summit of Mt Mismi – source of the Amazon River – navigated the river on hydrospeed – reached the Atlantic coast after six months of autonomy.

- Latitude Zero, around the world on the equator, 1999.
An 18-month voyage: left Gabon (west coast of Africa) – crossed the Atlantic to Brazil on a 28-foot trimaran – crossed Brazil and Ecuador on bike, canoe and on foot – crossed the Pacific Ocean reaching Indonesia via the Galapagos Islands – crossed Borneo and Sumatra on foot – crossed the Indian Ocean – crossed the African continent on foot (Congo, Gabon).

- Around the world on the Arctic Circle, solo, 2004.
A solitary voyage of two years and three months without motorised transport (boat, kayak, ski kite and on foot) on a 20,000km odyssey: left North Cape in Norway – Greenland – Canada – Alaska – Bering Strait – Russian Siberia – reached North Cape.

- North Pole, February to March 2006 with the Norwegian explorer Borge Ousland.
A first, a 60-day voyage on skis without dogs or motorised transportation during the Arctic night dragging pulkas: left Cape Artichesky in Russia – arrival at the North Pole.

- Gasherbrum (Pakistan) 2007.
Summit of Gasherbrum 1 (8035m) and Gasherbrum 2 (8068m) without oxygen.

- Broad Peak (Pakistan) 2010.

Informations supplémentaires:

Books
- "Latitude Zero", éditions XO Paris (translated into English, German, Italian, Czech, Korean, Romanian, Estonian)
- "Conquering the Impossible" (Arctic expedition) editions XO Paris, (translated into English, German, Czech, Korean, Romanian)
- "À l’Ecole du Grand Nord", éditions XO Paris
- "Objective: The North Pole by Night", éditions XO Paris

Films, videos
- "Latitude Zero"
- "Le voyage intérieur de Mike Horn" (The Inner Journey of Mike Horn)
- "4 x 8000 metres"

Order DVDs
www.mikehorn.com or info@mikehorn.com

Website
www.mikehorn.com
www.facebook.com/PangaeaMikeHorn
www.youtube.com/user/pangaeaexpedition

Vous et le team:

«The Petzl spirit of adventure has supported me since 1998. I am an ambassador for this brand, which gives me the chance to dream and to make these dreams a reality. My projects are a good communication platform to transmit the values of Petzl products.
Petzl makes the tools that allow me to do my work to the best of my ability. For me, the link between Petzl and the hardships of my adventures is clear. At the level I'm performing, I am handing my life, my safety over to the reliability of the equipment. I'm often on a knife edge. For example, on my last expedition to the North Pole in 2006, my survival would not have been possible without the head torch that lit the way for three months in unimaginable temperatures.»