Interview Mathieu Bouyoud

Interview: Mathieu Bouyoud

Interview by Laurent Zoutte, translation French to English by Marie Sunde.

You're coming back from a stay at the Gorges de la Dourbie. What made you want to go climbing there?
Last summer I met Pierre Soulé who encouraged me to come to his playgroud. I didn't dispose of more than one week and I didn't want to lose time for transports. The Valley of la Dourbie is superb, a new topo (Boffi and Cantobre) was edited, I don't regret the choice of this destination. 

It isn't common that a demoiselle advises a strong male climber on his beta! How did you experience it? Would you maybe have preferred it had been the contrary?
At the club «Chambéry escalade», we often train together, girls and guys united, on plastic and on rock. This allowed me to see that there's not only one way to get across a climbing move: less by strength and more flexibility for the girls, more muscling for the others. I already met Charlotte at Rodellar, she seemed to me very strong in on-sight climbing; Charlotte has her very own method, capable of staying very long in a continuity route. I wish for her to link the full of «the Milky way» at the Balme de Yenne; it's a route that's made for her, I hope she'll call on me for beta.

What does it give you to climb with Charlotte rather than with a guy?
I think I gain a lot of time listening to the advices of a person, girl or guy, who knows well the site we're climbing on. A very motivated person on rock may communicate his enthusiasm, that's the case with Charlotte.

The person you share your day with, does he have an effect on your way of climbing and your motivation to succeed a route?
It's certain that the fact of being two on the same project allows one to motivate oneself mutually and to progress faster in a route. To change teammate also allows me to change style of routes (long and continuous or short and more resitant).

What is your preferred feeling among those brought to you by climbing?
I like the moments where I have the feeling that I dominate the route that I'm climbing, and that nothing may happen to me.

How do you see the next season: rather rock or rather competition?
And what motivates you the most in the middle or the long term?
The next season will be rock and competition with the same investment. In the long term I obviously wish to increase my level on rock. I also still have equipment projects: in the high part of the Balme de Yenne there are opening possibilities left, at Mount Peney I have started a difficult route of several pitches... briefly, to be the first to go through a new line motivates me enormously.
In competition the objective is simple: to give the best of me to be selected for the international encounters.

Do you dispose of an «adapted» planning of your schedule? And what time do you devote to climbing?
I don't have the advantage of any organized schedule. Every week I train two times with the club «Chambéry escalade» on plastic, in the weekends I also climb on rock every time the weather forecast is mild. When it comes to content every year it's about the same thing: volume routes in autumn, bouldering in winter, then volume and quality routes for the two following seasons.

I think you're in last year in high school. After you had your diploma, do you picture going abroad to live other experiences and climb in other contexts?
I'm in last year and I picture continuing my studies (maybe a school of commerce), hoping to still have the time to climb. I still didn't find the solution to devote myself only to climbing.

Paul Robinson has drawn up a list of boulders that he pictures doing in 2008. Do you have the same kind of approach or do you climb intuitively, according to the desires and opportunities of the moment?
I don't draw up any precise list but I have a multitude of difficult routes left to do near my house. Other than that I still go climbing intuitively, the new projects will certainly be born with new encounters and new crags.

We hear a lot about strong climbers your age who do extraordinary things, if it is on rock or in bouldering. You're about the same age as Daniel Woods who's currently spending a year in Europe. How do you situate yourself compared to them?
I never met Daniel Woods, but I got the chance to see Adam Ondra climbing last year at Santa Linya. He's very young, his level is astounding, he's from another planet: two 8c+'s in one day, I stayed on my ass and I could mesure all the work that's left for me to arrive at his level. It's a pity, the lack of time and the language barrier didn't allow me any exchange with him.

What do you lack to really break through in climbing?
I obviously wish to pull it off and succeed in climbing but nowadays I don't have enough time to train.

Don't you think the young French climbers lay too much in competing to gain ground in climbing?
To be strong in competition, you also have to be very strong on rock; it's just to take a look at the present performances of the Spanish Ramon and Patxi to be convinced.

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The sponsors who support you, will they be ready to follow you to give you the means to succeed hard routes elsewhere than by your front door?
The brand MILLET as well as the enterprises CILAO and Jegrimpe.com currently have confidence in me; the first of these brands assured me of its support for a travel project connected to climbing. Unable to leave within the immediate future because of exams, I hope to profit from it the next years.

In the ranking proposed by 8a, you're currently #4 in France (just behind Charlotte), and #21 in the world ranking. Which importance do you give this ranking?
I don't pay very much attention to the ranking proposed by 8a.nu, but it would be lying to say that I don't feel any satisfaction by being in a good place. I watch very attentively the list of routes done by such-and-such great French or foreign climber. Being back from a weekend I know for instance if my trainer David Laurent has succeeded the last route he equipped, it often becomes one of my new projects.

Which significance do you give the ranking established by the FFME?
As many knows the federal rankings are effected mathematically through competitions on artificial walls. You have to be in shape the day of the comp, be capable of managing your stress, do your max on-sight… Difficult conditions to unite on the same day, this represents a challenge every time.
On rock it's certainly different: if one is not in shape one day, it's enough to leave the try for later or simply let the route «mature».
The 8a.nu ranking is based on the sincerity of each and everyone and the performances are made in a natural environment; one finds the best competitors in the best places, it's not random.

What are your main qualities in climbing?
Continuity is my main quality, which is not always an advantage to me in competition.

Your main weakness?
Strength.

And in life?
My parents blame me for not being very talkative, but other than that I think I'm tolerable.