I guess that Charlotte Durif could make the cover on Sport Illustrated
How, why and when did you start climbing?
When I was nine years old, in a club, after my brother and father had taken me mountaineering a few times. My first climbs were in the high mountains: many routes and "bivouac's" on ice walls. Then I started to practiced harder sport climbs.
Who is your trainer? Do you have a training program?
My father is my trainer. I have never had a specific training or weight lifting training program. My experience is from completing many significant climbs, enough to effectively develop skills necessary and effective at getting me to the level I am at today. In my training, I learn to judge the effort that the climb requires while always increasing the difficulty and complexity of the climbs. I practice on some of the best European climbs. I often varie the type of rock I climb on (sandstone, limestone, granite...) and the types of climbs (steep, pockets, small holds, overhanging, flat..).I climb as regularely as possible. Two times during the week and on the weekend. I can adapt my resources to meet the medium I am climbing. However, I keep track, by my training-log, my cycle of progression from the fall to the following summer.
How would you describe your climbing style?
I am able to supervise a route. I am more like in a never ending corrider. The routes that I enjoy the most are long routes, 40 to 70 meters in length. They are journey's without end. They give me a chance to balance my rhythm, to enjoy the climb and to recover my strength. I have always climbed near or at my level and I prefer "Onsights". They require more experience and are choices that I give much more priority to then climbing at my maximum level. Having to work a climb, requires little creativity. A cliff isn't a block. They aren't a simple technical exercise with "rules". Each section, each route is a discovery. I love to trying to solve a climb and imagine its solution. I am also a victime of my sport. There are areas that I feel I am "the king of my kingdom" or near that: Tarn, Geuse, La Balme. Yet, I regret that I have grown out of these areas.
With my 160 cm, I can finally allow myself, yet with serious difficulty still, to climb routes that men of larger size can do. It is my second year climbing "8" and now I am trying more strenuous climbs 20 to 25 m in length. I appreciate less these short climbs, however I still tackle them. I hate routes requiring only muscle strength...as if the value of the grade is purely dependant on your muscular stature. I deplore this collective illusion.
Mentally, I try not to analyze my climbing too much. My analysis' correspond mostly at my form and nothing else. I am only able to climb at certain moments. It is a result of a collective exertion, and sometimes I think it is simply a result of a few audacious moves and movements of luck than the former. High level climbers should try a few times in a row successful climbs to test my hypothesis... Onsight's are not my only goal when I climb, I want to also enjoy and conserve my enthusiasm to try the climb again, hard or not.
I haven't yet climbed routes of very hard difficulty and I don't know what I can achieve on 8c/9a's; but, if I don't hurt myself, I tell myself that one day I will get there and never turn back. In effect, this is the scenario that occurred with other grades I have now surpassed. Actually, my curiosity and pleasure aren't yet in line with the physical requirements of this level. I prefer climbing 8a/a+ OS in perfect max in various climbing areas.
My goal of climbing 8b OS is enough of an objective for the moment. Often I'm missing only one movement "of size", like in "Putain-putain 8b+", where I was succeeding at OS since 2004. One year later, and 10 cm taller have made a bit more of a difference. This summer 2005, even after my first visit, I was climbing "Jete".
The harder the climb, the greater young climbers have difficulty solving the climb, both due to their limited experience, and their size. Sometimes it comes down to "a one move wonder", difficult for people of small frame. Then again, there are so many intermediate climbs that it would be a shame to ignore them and not appreciate them for the joy they give us. I will see. I would like to grow a little more before trying harder climbs and continue to stay as motivated as my senior peer group.
What is it about climbing that passions you?
Climbing is a very creative sport. I enjoy the challenges. It is a crazy activity, always new and where the know-how cannot be aquired. Regardless of the level of the climb, the performance is not a question of gender, male or female. It isn't also a question of age, but of experience.
What is you favorite memory?
- Being in a bivouac on the rock in a hamac in "croix des tetes" or on the ice in "Oisans" (with my father and brother) highlights the ambience and thrill of such an environment.
- Meeting Lynn in Cantobre freed me of the handicap of my small frame.
- Chris in Biography allowed me to put a dimension to sport climbing.
- Exploring areas as crazy as "Kalymnos, Rodellar, Monstant or the Tarn" makes me love nature with deep emotion.
- Evolving on climbs as classy, rich and challencing as " Putain-putain, Cannibale, Feerie, Priapos, Akkelare" and many others...allow me to have 9 lives.
-My victory in Edimburgh (world 2004) allowed me to discover my competative spirit.
What is your goal?
Presently, I would like to more often discover pleasurable climbs, hard or not, but very technical that require a varied composition of movement. "8a.nu" should create a new category, "exceptional routes by quality" (technical diversity, beauty of movements, sustained grade, quality of contact to the rock, adaptability of equipment, no 'morphological' situations...) In the future there will be climbing routes with many lengths in one sustained grade.
Who is your goal?
I don't have an idol. Instead I want to survive as many climbing experiences as my older peers: Lynn Hill, Martina Cufar, Cathy Wagner...and maybe one day acquire a climbing style similar to Philippe Massato. I think this climber is a solo...visionary. He opens and climbs many pitches in the 8 range. I envy his experiences.
I appreciate allot the more fluid style of female climbers...and what I find even more astonishing is to see guy's climb with the same fluidity, flexibility and static style of female climbers. I have met three of these climbers in the past four years, also at a good climbing level.
The "double jointed" style of Dave Graham is a circus show. He is so generous and sincere. With my daring eyes, Chris appeared to me incredibly powerful and still very simple upon our return to planet earth following Biographie, where I had the opportunity to participate in it's creation.
I really enjoy evolving from the perspective of a young generation. Cheers and thank you to all the men and woman that allowed me to live, through my journeys and I'd like to wish everyone "happy climbing" while in their company.
Vertical-Life