C’est avec une immense tristesse que nous apprenons la mort du grimpeur français Patrick Edlinger âgé de 52 ans à son domicile en Savoie le matin du 16 Novembre 2012. Nous présentons nos plus sincères condoléances à sa famille et à tous ceux qui l’ont aimé et ont été témoins de ses prouesses en grimpe libre dans les gorges du Verdon.
En 1982, nous avions lancé un pari : « Si Patrick n’est plus vivant à la fin de l’année, j’achèterai une tournée de bières pour tout le monde et je mangerai mon chapeau ». Je n’ai jamais acheté cette tournée de bières et jamais mangé mon chapeau – je savais qu’il était (comme tant d’autres à cette période) en train de dépasser et de transcender les limites de cette profession.
« La Liberté, c’est juste un mot lorsqu’on a plus rien à perdre », Patrick a donc emprunté cette phrase à la frontière du monde réel et a grimpé en totale liberté les voies les plus difficiles des gorges du Verdon.
C’était l’année du “ThinkPink” et Patrick en était l’inspiration en France. Il a initié et diffusé en France la grimpe accompagnée de spiritualité et de philosophie, avec une approche écologique… mais ses performances physiques étaient – à l’image de son mental d’acier – d’une exceptionnelle puissance.
Patrick est parti la nuit dernière. Personne d’entre nous n’attend la vie éternelle mais le frisson était proche.
Dans l’une de ses dernières déclarations à la presse, Patrick disait : « Je suis un homme libre et ne regrette rien de ce que j’ai fait ». Oui la vie sur un fil – sans rien à perdre – est la vérité dans son essence momentanée, pas de futur devant, pas de passé derrière. Juste l’éternel MAINTENANT.
Cela importe-t-il, nous lui demandions souvent? – Cette question est maintenant Patrick, cela importait-il ?
Chez Valandré nous voulons remercier Patrick Edlinger pour sa véritable implication et son apport à la communauté depuis le début des années 80.
South Korea has more to offer than Hyundai cars and Samsung smartphones – actually they have a wild unbridled culture, where style is key.
JB KIM
JB KIM works in the marketing department of Black Yak in Seoul. JB graduated from law school at the University of Seoul, but his attachment to mountaineering drove him to develop what he calls: The NOMAD STYLE.
Korean NOMAD STYLE is a mixture of engaged high altitude climbing mixed with Rock & Roll and sex. NOMADE STYLE people naturally attend funerals of climbing friends in a suit….but it does not necessarily need to be clean.
JB KIM is a creative NOMAD STYLE climber, and besides working at Black Yak, JB fiddles around with videos. In the video above you can meet JB KIM in the role of “the diver” in the SINCITY video.
Mount Kailash is a 6,638 m (21,778 ft) peak situated in today’s Tibet. It raises up into the sky, in the center area of the source of Asia’s 3 major rivers: Indus river, Brahmanputra river and the Ganges river.
“All mountains are sacred”… quote Mrs Oh Eun Sun, disputed first woman on the 14 8000, the Kailash is by far the most sacred mountain in Asia, to Hindus it’s considered to be the eternal home to the Lord Shiva, and Tantric Buddhist believe that Mount Kailash is the home to the Buddah Demchok.
Every year, thousands make a pilgrimage to Kailash, following a tradition going back thousands of years. Pilgrims of several religions believe that circumambulating Mount Kailash on foot is a holy ritual that will bring good fortune. The peregrination is made in a clockwise direction by Hindus and Buddhists. Followers of the Jain and Bönpo religions circumambulate the mountain in a counterclockwise direction. The path around Mount Kailash is 52 km (32 mi) long.
Climbing the Kailash is not advisable, and it has never been done, as it’s told that it will put a curse upon the climbers, who will start to grow old very fast. Prospected in 1926 by Hugh Ruttledge and later by Herbert Tichy who was in the area in 1936, attempting to climb Gurla Mandhata. When he asked one of the Garpons of Ngari whether Kailash was climbable, the Garpon replied, “Only a man entirely free of sin could climb Kailas. And he wouldn’t have to actually scale the sheer walls of ice to do it – he’d just turn himself into a bird and fly to the summit.”
Reinhold Messner was given the opportunity by the Chinese government to climb the mountain in the 1980s but he declined. In 2001 the Chinese gave permission for a Spanish team led by Jesus Martinez Novas to climb the peak, but in the face of international disapproval the Chinese decided to ban all attempts to climb the mountain. Messner, referring to the Spanish plans, said, “If we conquer this mountain, then we conquer something in people’s souls … I would suggest they go and climb something a little harder. Kailas is not so high and not so hard“
You are right Reinhold….better stay away from this one!
We at Valandre salute all the athletes who made it to the games. The sacrifices made in daily training, and the discipline imposed on all athletes, will for some payoff during the games: Let the competition start and may the best win!
The Olympic champion has to combine several virtues. A disciplined Seoul, drives the body to higher performances on a daily scale, always within the personal maximum (Individual sports), a zen like kind of constant meditation.
Those who the next coming weeks, becomes Olympic Champion in their specialty, represent the summit of their generation.
But the summit of the summit is Mount Olympus, rising up to 2.917m (9.570ft) and the highest mountain in Greece. House to the twelve Olympian gods, this mountain is the mother of all SPORTS. And to the Olympian gods, those who summit are: Olympian sports men…..in other words Alpinists!
The EuropeeanOutDoor show runs from the 12 to 15 July, and Valandre will exhibit in Hall 7 booth A7-307.
From August 2th to 5, the second round is off in Salt Lake City with the Outdoor Retailer show. We will exhibit at and with Liberty Mountain at booth # 10007.
So what will be new? As usual, not a lot…….but what we have tends always to hit the center, and this time it will as well!
