THE 7 SUMMITS
THE PROJECT BEGINNINGS
Both being from southwest France, Jeff and David met in 1994, around a pool, during their certification as sports educators. This was the beginning of a meaningful friendship and a profound sporting bond, complemented by a very similar lifestyle.
It was in April 2017, during lunch with friends casually discussing the ascent of the legendary summit Mont Blanc, that Jeff turned to David and said: “What if we took up this challenge?”
A month and a half later, on June 6, 2017, they climbed their 1st 4000 «le Grand Paradis» (4,061 m), then on June 9 of the same year, the Mont-Blanc (4,809 m). For both of them, this was a great test, both human and sporting, and a deeply meaningful accomplishment.
Three months later, the idea of taking on a new challenge in the high mountains was soon back on their minds. With their experience and taste for trials, they achieved a couple of ascents in the following years: Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) and Toubkal (Morocco) in 2018 and GR20 (Corsica) in 2019.
After their last trek in Corsica, Jeff and David craved even more adventures in the high mountains. This is how the challenge of the 7 Summits was born.
THE 7 SUMMITS
A renowned term in modern mountaineering. This challenge, imagined 30 years ago by American mountaineers Dick Bass and Franck Wells, consists of completing the ascent of the highest summit on each of the seven continents.
The exact list differs depending on whether one takes into account the approach of Dick Bass or that of Reinhold Messner. The controversy revolves around whether one ought to consider the continents' geographical, geological or geopolitical limits. What is the highest summit in Europe? Le Mont Blanc (France,4809 m) or Elbrouz (Russia, 5642 m)? And in Oceania, is it Kosciuszko (Australia, 2228 m) or Puncak Jaya (Indonesia, 4884 m)?
To reconcile these two lists, we chose to climb nine summits: Mont Blanc and Elbrouz, Denali, Aconcagua, Everest, Kilimanjaro, Vinson, Kosciuszko, and Puncak Jaya.
And for this feat, we gave ourselves a 10-year period.