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Four experienced mountaineers climb the three floors of the Eiffel Tower through the pillars of the building. A police officer, overwhelmed by the events, does not succeed in arresting the intrepid who reach the summit with agility under the stunned eyes of tourists. They then abseil and happily throw themselves into the Seine to celebrate the feat.
Reel Rock 16 contains the best documentaries of the year: BRIDGE BOYS: Tom Randall, a horizontal big-wall adventure on the longest, hardest, and most ridiculous crack climb ever attempted. (28 min) BAREFOOT CHARLES: An opera-singing Charles Albert, cave-dwelling, animal-skinning minimalist tackles futuristic boulder problems in the Fontainebleau forest. (28 min) BIG THINGS TO COME: Elite climber Alex Johnson's struggle with a boulder problem propels her on a decade-long journey of self-discovery. (21 min) CUDDLE: Experience Alex Honnold, Tommy Caldwell, and Adam Stack in a massive, remote link-up of 17 alpine summits that pushes the world's best climbers to the brink - and into each other's shivering arms. (34 min)
L'Appel Des Cimes, directed by Alain Pol, is a documentary commissioned by the CAF and the various French ministries on the practice of post-war mountaineering. In 1946, climbers trained at the Fontainebleau Climbing School. Guy Poulet and Jacques Poincenot try to climb the Aiguilles de Chamonix but fail during the climbing phase. After a night in a refuge with Denise Rouzeau and the guide Pierre Allain, the mountaineers make a new attempt. Successful demonstration for those who continued the approach walk then the passage of the seracs of the glacier. On the rock, the roped party crosses a chimney and a crack to reach the summit and abseil down. Led by high mountain scouts, Guy and Jacques rediscover the glaciers and needles of the Mont-Blanc massif during the next lesson.
Account of the first French expedition to the Himalayas, which attempted to climb the hidden peak (Gasherbrum I) in 1936, from the preparations for the trip to the end of the ascent. After a long approach walk through quasi-desert regions, then on a huge glacier, the caravan of 700 porters arrives at the foot of Hidden Peak. The expedition was led by Henry de Ségogne, with Jean Charignon, Pierre Allain, Raymond Leininger, Jean Carle, Jean Deudon, Louis Neltner, Jacques Azémar, doctor Jeand Arlaud and director Marcel Ichac. Weather conditions, logistical problems and a strike among Sherpas forced the team to retire at 6900m on the south face. The film received the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1938.
Discreet legend of Fontainebleau, Charles Albert, nicknamed Mowgli, continues to push the limits with his barefoot block creations. Climbing without slippers forces him to find original methods, to compensate with the strength of his arms and fingers. "Climbing is not just about a grade", he explains, "We have the possibility of doing what we want, climbing blindfolded, barefoot... All while seeking fluidity in our movements. The only limit to creating new challenges is your imagination.” He very rarely appears in the specialized media, has not made the Olympics or even major international competitions. Yet he is one of the best bouldering climbers in the world. For the record, in January 2019, he was the second in the world to offer a 9a rating for his long-standing project "No Kpotes Only". A year later, his boulder will be downgraded to 8c/+, still remaining one of the most extreme passages on the planet.
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Pierre Allain
Pierre Allain, born January 7, 1904 in Mirebeau (Vienne) and died December 19, 2000 in Saint-Martin-d'Uriage (Isère), was a French mountaineer and climber. He is also an inventor of technical innovations in mountaineering. According to the minister and mountaineer Pierre Mazeaud, Pierre Allain is the “first French mountaineer”. Pierre Allain, raised in Paris, discovered mountaineering on vacation in the Alps in the 1920s. In 1930, his friend Robert Latour introduced him to climbing in the forests of Fontainebleau and Chamarande. He therefore joined the Bleau Group (including Marcel Ichac, Pierre Chevalier, Jean Deudon, Raymond Gaché, Alain Le Ray, Jacques Boell, etc.). In 1930, he made his first real mountaineering season in the Alps with Robert Latour. Like the other Parisian mountaineers, he therefore spent the summer season in the Alps and climbed the rest of the year in Fontainebleau. Among his notable ascents: In 1933: first of the south-west ridge of the Aiguille du Fou with Robert Latour. In 1934: first on the south-west ridge of Pic Sans Nom with Jean Vernet and Jean Charignon and first on the south face of La Meije to Glacier Carré with Jean Vernet and Jean Leininger. In 1935: first ascent of the north face of the Petit Dru with Raymond Leininger, then opening of a "directissime" on the south face of La Meije from the Glacier Carré, with Raymond Leininger (end of the route opened in 1934). Also first on the east face of the Dent du Caïman with Raymond Leininger. In 1936: first French expedition to the Himalayas (Karakoram) with his comrades Jean Leininger, Marcel Ichac, Jean Charignon, etc. The assault rope led by Pierre Allain reached 6,850 meters then gave up due to the monsoon storm, 3 weeks ahead of schedule. In 1937: first on the east ridge of the Dent du Crocodile with the brothers Jean Leininger and Raymond Leininger and first on the north-east ridge of the Grands Charmoz with Yves Feutren. In 1938: premiere (without throwing a rope) of Le Doigt de l’Etala at the Petits Charmoz with Jean Leininger. Attempt at the Walker spur at the Grandes Jorasses with Raymond Leininger who will be defeated a few days later by the Italians led by Riccardo Cassin. In 1944 he participated in the Liberation of the Arve Valley from German occupation. Other alpine exploits followed: In 1945: crossing of the Aiguilles de Chamonix from Plan to Grands Charmoz with Guy Poulet. 1946: third ascent of the Walker spur (of the Grandes Jorasses) with Guy Poulet, René Ferlet and Jacques Poincenot. 1947: premiere of the south-west face of the Cardinal with F. Aubert, Auguste Fix and J. Rousseau. Premiere of the west face of Blaitière with Auguste Fix. In 1950: First of the northwest ridge of the Grands Charmoz with Marcel Schatz. A modest man, above all a craftsman, Pierre Allain refuses the presidency of the High Mountain Group (GHM), which brings together the elite of French and even world mountaineering. 1963: Pierre Allain leaves Paris to settle permanently in the Alps, in Uriage in the Dauphiné. He devotes his time to his workshop which manufactures light carabiners, caving ladders, etc. 1984: at the age of 80, he climbs the Boell route at La Dibona, with his son Paul.
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