For the presentation of “The Days” and the premiere of the first Bulgarian edition of “Golden Pikes - The Oscars of Mountaineering” David Chambre, who together with Claude Gardien created this encyclopedic work - one of the most respected in the field of mountaineering literature.
We will see him on the festival stage at the Lumiere cinema on 6 December, and on 4 December at the French Institute he will be one of the guests of honour for the presentation of the book, which everyone attending will be able to get personally autographed by the author.
David Chambre is a passionate climber, member of the Groupe de Haute Montagne. After discovering climbing on the cliffs of Fontainebleau, he set off on the great alpine routes of Mont Blanc (first free traverse of the Tour Bonati on the Grand Capucen) while studying geography at the Sorbonne.
In the 1980s was part of the first wave of becoming professional climbers within the Bande des Parisiens. His strength was free and solo climbing, while travelling the world.He moved to live in Provence to be closer to the crags.
He shares his passion by writing historical articles for most mountaineering and climbing magazines and books including „Le 9e degré, toute l’histoire de l’escalade“, and co-authored “Haute montagne”, “Le huitieme degree”, „Ëscalade, debuter et progresser en toute securite”, “Piolets d’or”, „Ïl etait une fois l’escalade” comix.
On the occasion of the event, we sent some preliminary questions to David Shambr from Lubomir Popjordanov, founder of the Days of Challenges festival.
1. Was there a book or event that sparked your interest in climbing/mountains?
At the age of 15 I lived north of Paris in an area without any mountains. One day I accidentally picked up a book by Chris Bonington from the municipal library about the first ascent of the southwest face of Everest in 1975 by the English. The same year (1978) covered the first French ascent of Everest. This fascinated me and made me want to discover mountaineering and then climbing in the forest of Fontainebleau.
2. Your personal achievement on your way in climbing and mountains. And in what respect is it special for you?
The first full solo of La Volière, Buoux's route in 1987. The key passage of the last rope is in overhang 7b just before going to the top of the cliff, 80 metres from the ground. At the time it felt like complete madness, it was the only time in the free solo when I felt I was pushing the game to its psychological limits. Nobody repeated that route solo to this day...
3. Who are your preferred Golden Pickel Career Award winners?
Messner and Bonatti, because they really are the legends of the 20th century having been at the heart of inventing new ways and imposing a vision, to some extent alone against everyone. Catherine Destivelle because she was the first to push the boundaries of women's mountaineering. Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting Yasushi Yamanoi, whose path in the mountains I did not know well. His humility and his way of life make him exceptional.
4. Do you find that there are any new trends in these last years, especially regarding the spirit and vision of the Golden Pikes in terms of the evaluation of achievements in mountaineering?
There is a general tendency to seek to achieve climbs with minimal technical means, in line with the ethics and the Charter of the Golden Pikes: more eco-friendly approaches, reduced carbon footprint, small teams, less technological support, all to rediscover and highlight more of the adventurous spirit of mountaineering pioneers. We also notice that climbers have raised their level a lot on rock, on ice and on tours involving mixed technique through a variety of training, climbing on and artificial walls. The equipment is getting lighter and more efficient. More than ever, the climbers of tomorrow need to be high-level athletes.
I am also particularly sensitive to the need for climbers to provide honest factual evidence of their achievements because there have been abuses in the past...
5. Mountaineering and the mountains of tomorrow, what will they look like?
They will continue to look for both the large still pristine faces of the largest Himalayan peaks (because there are still some next to the normal routes), which combine technical difficulties and very high altitude. And also the exploration of new mountains, not necessarily very high, in the least accessible massifs of the planet: the Antarctic, the Arctic, unexplored Patagonia, Tibet... Achievements always with economy of means, but consistent with a high technical difficulty and a strong commitment.