Marc Batard
Marc Batard (born November 22, 1951 in Villeneuve-sur-Lot) is a mountaineer, speaker, French painter and photographer. He is especially known for having made the first ascent of Everest alone and without oxygen within 24 hours.
Youth
At 18, he discovered mountaineering. He began climbing in the Pyrenees, Luchon. Despite his small size (1.67 m for 55 kg), he has a physical ability which ranks above the average of other great climbers. With only two years of climbing behind him, he is ranked 22nd class of the 45 places available for the 200 candidates to contest for aspiring guide. His technical skill and strong endurance allow him this performance.
Records
At 23, Batard was the youngest climber to climb without oxygen, an 8000 m: Gasherbrum II (8035 m). He became guide and began a series of exploits, especially in the Himalayas. He is famous for having opened many ways, made of firsts in terms of speed, as April 27, 1988 where he rose through the southwest pillar of Makalu (8,481 metres (27,825 ft)) alone and in 18 hours, Cho Oyu (8200 m) in 19 hours.
Since September 26, 1988, he holds the record for the solo ascent of Everest without oxygen in 22 hours and 29 minutes from the base camp on the south face. It is indicated as such in the Guinness Book as the first mountaineer to climb Everest in less than 24 hours. He is nicknamed the sprinter of Everest. He climbed four peaks over a period of nine months in 1988. He climbed four peaks over 8000 m without oxygen and produces Dhaulagiri (8167 m) in winter.
Retirement and introspection
At 43, he retired from the mountain of challenges "engaged". He finally abandoned climbing to devote himself to his children and grandchildren. Then he pursued the first of his childhood passions: painting. Currently he writes and works as a speaker addressing the themes of prevention and safety, team spirit and self-transcendence.
He animates public and school conferences since 1975. In 1989, in Washington, he delivered his first lecture abroad, followed by other conferences in Italy, Spain, Belgium, Canada, Portugal. Since 1990 he is involved in the corporate world on topics such as prevention and safety, how to have a vision ahead, the courage or the exemplary leader, etc.
With his friend trumpeter Maurice André, he created in 1995 the association "Going through the mountain," the association enables young people and adults who are in a difficult situation, social exclusion, school failure, illness or disability, to find, by the mountain, a motivation to overcome this situation.
See also
Publications
- Le Sprinter de l'Everest, Denoel, 1989.
- L'Envers des Cimes, Denoel, 1992.
- La Sortie des cimes (autobiographie), Glénat, septembre 2003.
- La Fièvre des sommets (premier roman), Glénat, 2008.
Sources
- L’homme qui revient de haut, film réalisé par Gilles Perret en 2004 sur Marc Batard.[1]
- Christine De Colombel, Everest, l'impossible exploit: Expédition de Marc Batard 1990, Denoel, 1990.
- Notices d'autorité : Fichier d'autorité international virtuel • International Standard Name Identifier • Bibliothèque nationale de France