“The wonderful things in life are the things you do, not the things you have.”
Reinhold Messner
Posts tagged mountain
28
Jan 14
Jan 14
Le Grand-Bornand
Le Grand-Bornand, France 45º56’45″N 6º25’48″E
08
Mar 12
Mar 12
FROZEN
Le Grand-Bornand, Haute-Savoie, France 45º57’28″N 6º25’38″E
With this series we temporarily set aside the speed of carbon fiber man-made machines and the indecision of the rough seas, turning our focus to the serene and still natural beauty found in the winter landscape of snow and ice. Here we see the white blanket of the season enveloping Le Grand-Bornand commune in Haute-Savoie, France, it’s cold layers providing a wealth of frozen visuals from both sides of the lens. The temperate chill in this gallery gives us a beautiful organic illustration of high contrast, as the comfort and familiar warmth of color is all but covered, transforming our surroundings into a quick study of monochromatic scenes and textures. The ability to capture moving water in it’s state of suspended animation is always exciting and intriguing… a special little gift from nature given for the pleasure of every photographer. As if frozen in time, these images evoke a silent and unique emotion all their own where each stolen moment is paused and immortalized.
Words: Fred Eagle
02
Feb 12
Feb 12
When snow meets water
Saint Gervais les Bains, Haute-Savoie, France 45º53’31″N 6º42’87″E
What happens when 16 sailors meet 16 mountaineers? They talk about adventures, sailing, mountains, girls, weather, the Earth, elements, technology…
That’s what happenend last week in St Gervais, France during the 21st Mer Montagne Trophy, a traditional meeting between sailors and mountaineers. This amical event was created 20 years ago by former maxi-multihull and Whitbread skipper, Eric Loizeau. After three round the world races and numerous transats culminating in his skippers the maxi-cat Roger & Gallet, Loizeau turned his back on the sea and became a mountain man. He went to the top of the world, scaling Mount Everest. Then he wanted these worlds of water, ice and salt, to share their passions and hence the Trophy Mer Montagne was born.
Over four days the competitors enjoy several sporting challenges; ski touring (where you have to get to the top of the mountain using only your muscles and your sweat), biathlon (shooting & skiing), slalom, transtation and a ski race (ski touring by night). A torchlight ski session also happened, but for the rest, what happens in St. Gervais stays in St Gervais!
Some of the best sailors were there, including ORMA skipper Yvan Bourgnon recently returned from rounding Cap Horn in a beach multihull, Fred Le Peutrec who just finished completed the Jules Verne Trophy on Banque Populaire, MACIF IMOCA 60 skipper François Gabart the young gun competing in the next Vendée Globe and Steve Ravussin who is preparing for a big season on his MOD 70 Race For Water.
If some sailors are good skiers, other are rookies. But the goal is not solely to win this amical event but also to make friends with the mountain men and women, to discover and share their passion as often mountaineers invite sailors to discover their world and vice et versa. Like Aurélien Ducros (2 times FreeRide World Champion) who competed in the last Mini-Transat, or some Mountain Guides who invited sailors to share a ride to the top of the Mont Blanc, the tallest peak in Europe.
All of these stars also enjoyed a conference from Race for Water, a foundation who are trying to explain to the human race the fragility of our water resources and how to preserve them. Salt water and ice, everybody is concerned.
Christopher Pratt wins the 21st Mer Montagne Trophy.
Words: Gilles Morelle http://www.adonnante.com/
28
Feb 08
Feb 08
Hobart
Tasmania, Australia 42º52’85″S 147º19’73″E
Enfin me voila de retour a Sydney, oh que c’est bon, j’aime tellement cette ville surtout en ces derniers jours d’été.
Donc une bonne chose de faite dans ma vie, le tour de la Tasmanie, après la plus longue Sydney Hobart jamais effectué, il est vrai je n’étais pas vraiment dans la course…
A la suite de ces dix jours d’escale a Hobart dans ce petit port de pêche du bout du monde entre neige et soleil, Les gens ici disent, si tu n’aimes pas le temps a Hobart attends cinq minutes… Nous sommes repartis pour la fin de notre tour Tasmanien, passage Sud Est, la cote Est et enfin le reste de la partie Nord, navigation entre contraste météo et un formidable mélange géographique, entre aridité, plage immaculée et brutalité rocheuse la tournée se déroule sans aucun problème, puis enfin destination plein Nord, re-passage du Detroit de Bass, adieu les quarantièmes rugissants et bonjour températures clémentes ainsi que sont flot de lumières estivales, Après une bonne provision d’air pur et d’embruns et les vertus stimulantes des épreuves océanes maintenant La croisière se repose.
Aaaaah!! Sydney.
