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Interviewer: Anna
Piunova, Mountain.RU
Instead of epitaph... Jean-Christophe Lafaille. Jean-Christophe Lafaille was born in
Gap (France) on 31st March 1965. Since 1990 - he's been a high
mountain guide (independent), since 1993 - a teacher at the National School
of skiing and mountaineering (ENSA- Ecole Nationale Ski et Alpinisme)
in Chamonix. Ascents 2004
2003 2002 2001 2000 1999
1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1980-89
Jean-Christophe Lafaille (L.): After getting a lycee-leaving certificate I was engaged exclusively in rock-climbing. In 1986 for the first time I took part in competitions, but, however, without any success. I found myself at the crossroads of my life when got to service in GMHM in Chamonix in 1987. After that I thought that it would be quite good to become a guide, but thus I continued to give a priority to sports rock-climbing training basically on rocks in Ceuse. After a while I entered ENSA and received the guide diploma. And now I'm teaching at this school. But my work as the teacher in ENSA takes only a few part of my time. Just as, however, and a work as a guide. I can tell that I am engaged in mountaineering professionally last five years or about that. Mountain.RU (M.RU): What is about your work in ENSA? L.: It takes three summer months June, July, August, and then I have a time-out till the winter when I work as a guide, basically, on ice-falls. To tell the truth, from time to time, I have to make allowances for the usual routine. When I was training for Annapurna expedition all my "working" winter practically went wrong. Preparation for an ascent always takes a lot of time, but it's the main thing for me at the present time. M.RU: the Frenchmen like to talk about principles and ethics of ascents. What does it mean for you? L.: Principles… A beautiful route line, if possible a direct line. To remain polyvalent. There are different rules in different disciplines. For example, in rock-climbing, dry tooling or big wall climbing the rules will never be identical. As to ethics … I try to choose "engagement", I like to find and try a beautiful line, a technical line. That means it is identically hard and engaged. I try to adhere to the European ethics of sports ascents. Rock-climbing training is very important for me. I train very much to do my ascents maximum "clean". (Mountain.RU comment: Jean-Christophe's best on-sight - 8b) I know that there are climbers who give much less attention to their trainings, but they are engaged in other routes. It seems a very strange thing that in Russia minimum rock-climbers climb real walls. Salavat Rakhmetov, Evgeny Ovchinnikov are very strong rock-climbers, but Russian alpinists still prefer to aid-climb. Free climbing is not popular in Russia as far as I know. M.RU: Is Annapurna your eighth "8-thousand"? Tell us about your nearest plans? L.: Yes, Annapurna became my eighth "8-thousand" mountain. Next year if the political environment in Pakistan allows I plan to try Nanga Parbat and Broad Peak. They are the last two Pakistan "8-thousand" mountains I am off now. I love Pakistan very much. And I think to make a first ascent there, and I hope, solo. Jean-Claude Marmier, then-president of the French climbing organization the Groupe de Haute Montagne: "The thing that seems to me very important in ascents which are done by Jean-Christophe is that he always tries to choose an enough hard route , and more often it is a new line. Against the other members of "Fourteen eight-thousand" club, that choose more simple ascents on classical routes. " I have soloed four eight-thousand summits from eight ones opening three new lines. (Shisha Pangma, Gasherbrum I Northeast face and Manaslu). Actually, in the Himalayas I try to adhere to the same ethics of climbing, as in the Alps: searching for difficult routes, whenever possible, new ones; beautiful mountain; challenge wall… It is difficult enough to realize in practice and cause a huge quantity of problems: to find money for expedition, to receive a permit on first ascent… For example I did not have a permit for Gasherbrum II… M.RU: This year you have received your next "Crystal" by the FFME, the third or the fourth? L.: The third. But I'm pleased to say that these are completely different "Crystals": one for a new route in Alps and two Himalaya ones. M.RU: Well, It seems to be easy to receive "Crystal" for climbs in the Himalayas: you are almost a unique Frenchman visiting the area. L.: Generally, it is so. M.RU: And nevertheless you always strictly follow your "ethics", or sometimes you have to split the difference? L.: Certainly, I have problems of ethical character. I prefer ascents in Alpine style, but, for example, I organized a big expedition on Lhotse and climbed it on the classical route with setting camps and fixing the ropes… Really in mountains you do not always follow your inclinations. Last year the situation was a little bit better: I and two persons took part in the expedition, we got a permit. After we acclimatized together I could open some new routes. Usually, I choose a classical route for acclimatization. And as far as I know everybody acts ditto. Then I always have a lot of ideas to climb something new in Alpine style. I did not manage to do that on Ê2 because the weather stood just intolerable, but something from these ideas I could realize this year on Annapurna: ascent not on "classics" and descent on the South face (M.RU Comment: descent via Bonnington route). It was really very hard; weather was not the best if not to say the very bad. Such mixture of my ideas turned out. I would tell that it is not problems of ethical character but more likely a pyramid of the own experience, skill to survive on the mountain, frustrations and ambitions. I like to be in absolute privacy in mountains, all alone as on Gasherbrum I, for example. On Gasherbrum II there were a lot of people, on Ê2 at the end of the ascent - too. It was a little strange to see people with supplementary oxygen climbing up to the top… Certainly, I would prefer to be only two there, I and Hans Kammerlander face to face with the Mountain. M.RU: You did not use oxygen during all your ascents in "high mountains". Is this one of your rules, style? L.: Yes, absolutely. It's the rule ¹1 for me. It is possible to agree to compromise in a question of fixing the rope, as, for example, on Annapurna. We climbed in Alpine style, but for safety, nevertheless had fixed the ropes. In some cases the rope can play a role of Ariadne's clew. It is more a direct contact than just a technical aspect. On descent - without variants - there was not there any place where it was possible "simply to descend" … That rope means a ranging point we accepted to gain time. Using of oxygen is considerably other case. Oxygen artificially reduces height, at least, on one kilometer, i.e. to ascend a 8000er with oxygen is equivalent to ascend a 7000er oxygen-free. This art is rough and mutilated. I have never welcomed that idea and have not practiced it. M.RU: In recent years you have given attention to "high-altitude climbs and much smaller time - to ascents in technical class… Finally defined priorities? L.: I like not high-altitude technical ascents very much, but unfortunately I don't have enough time for everything. Expeditions are challenging job… I really like big wall climbs, such routes on Petit Dru, Trango Tower … It is a real dream for any climber. Ascents on such walls will always remain hyper attractive… And I always keep them in my head on a string. Now in France and in Alps in general there are not so many unexplored areas left, and I would like to discover and open new ones. But for example in Tibet there are a lot of interesting and unclimbed routes, probably, they are not so hard technically, but in my opinion in plan view of research, engagement it is necessary to search new routes in removed places. M.RU: What your routes would you put first? L.: There are a lot of them. Everyone evokes emotions and memoirs, good or bad. I like my "technical" routes in Alps, my last route on Dru, perhaps, it is the most complex line and one of the most beautiful I have ever climbed in Alps. And I want to mention my repeatedly scarified solo on Grandes Jorasses North Face when I spent 8 days on the wall. It was also technically very hard route. I agree that the trilogy Eiger, Matterhorn, Grandes Jorasses, is not the most technically complex climb, but I've had the thrill of a lifetime climbing them. And the first solo ascent of "Divine Providence" on Mont Blanc's Angle Pillar... It was quite good, was it? Winter solo - ascents … Every year I did some things very important for me, as for a climber, I progressed both technically and physically. Petit Dru … It was a great pleasure, a real relish because the line was magic, almost ideal, I was dreaming about it for several years… My big wall climbs in America - the most complicated walls. And later I used my American big wall experience on Alpine walls: hard long routes, uneasy surface, spending the night in a portaledge, hauling a rucksack, - like Russians in Pamir. I applied everything I had learned in California in Winter Alps. And Dru… means the difficulty, engagement, technique, endurance, check and training of my physical and psychological shapes. These nine days on the route gave me very much indeed and it was really super climb. |
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