Clarisse Héaulme, 25 and Emeric Bayart, 28 have fulfilled a dream with the logistical support of Lafuma: to live in Central America for 6 months to meet people involved in sustainable development, a subject which is very close of their hearts.

“We chose Central America because we speak Spanish which would allow us to communicate with the locals. The concentration of several small countries in Central America also results in a lot of cultural diversity” explained the 2 young adventurers who left Lille in January 2010 by bike to travel to Charles de Gaulle airport. They took a flight to Mexico and returned via Caracas 6 months later.
“We covered more than 5,600 kilometres by tandem bicycle through 9 countries: Mexico, Guatemala, Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Venezuela.”

On their journey, they discovered what they had come to see; completely original projects linked to sustainable development, like a school in Guatemala built entirely out of plastic bottles or the initiative of Nature Air in Costa Rica, the first airline to compensate for 100% of its carbon emissions from flight operations through a compensation programme.

“ In total, we saw a dozen initiatives. After each meeting, we published an article and a video on our website www.appeldair.org. We are going to put together a compilation of these reports for an exhibition on our return”.

The fourteen young people taking part in this project have undertaken several climbs during their stay in Chamonix. A wonderfully sporting and human initiative accomplished with the support of Lafuma

Even though, finally, they didn’t attempt to climb the Mont Blanc due to stormy weather. However, the fourteen young people involved in the “climbing with confidence”, a project devised by the youth workers of the Saint Roch site of the Auteuil Foundation at Durfort-Laclapette (in the Tarm and Garonne department), did not fail to experience excitement-filled moments during their final stage in Chamonix at the end of June/beginning of July.

During their stay, these amateur mountaineers, aged between twelve and thirteen years on average and equipped by Lafuma, managed to climb “Tete Blanche” (3,500 m), then the Arêtes des Cosmiques (3842 m) or the Pointes Lachenal (3,613m) before, for the most hardened climbers, forging a trail in the Elena walls in Italy or, for the others, improving their climbing techniques.

During their last night in the refuge at Bonatti, each of them was awarded a symbolic diploma stating their involvement and courage during this initiative supervised, among others, by the mountain-climber and high-mountain guide, Christophe Dumarest who is also technical advisor for Lafuma.
“What is interesting is that we have kept this initiative alive all year” points out Benoit, one of the youth workers, “It required long-term motivation, and, during the climb, moments of strong complicity between the young people and ourselves because we were facing the same difficulties. There was a healthy competitiveness and a real proximity. It has been a great success. The mountain support is generally very well adapted to the majority of young people we take care of”.

The aim of the “climbing with confidence” project is to help the participants to discover mountain-climbing while familiarising themselves with the mountain spirit and taking part in a collective, personal and sporting performance without forgetting to enjoy themselves! A film is currently being made about this wonderful adventure and will be presented in the autumn.

Lafuma has given backpacks to one hundred children who are on holidays in La Drôme with this association for social inclusion.

This July, 100 children from “Sport dans la Ville”, young Brazilians from the “Fondation Gol de Letra” and Indians from “Tomorrow’s Foundation” will all take part in two adventure holidays in Drôme Provençale.
Under the supervision of teams from this organisation established in 1998, they will enjoy a wide range of sporting activities (football, basketball, canoeing, river hiking, treetop adventures, horse riding) and artistic activities (pottery, music appreciation, cultural visits, arts and crafts) and they will each be kitted out with a Lafuma backpack.

This trip will allow them to escape from it all for 2 weeks in a warm and friendly atmosphere and to benefit from a real cultural exchange.

“Sport dans la Ville’s” goal is the social and professional inclusion of young people from disadvantaged areas through sport. They now have two thousand members between the ages of 7 to 20 in their eighteen centres in the Rhône-Alpes region.

more information: www.sportdanslaville.com

Since 1998, Lafuma has been supporting the association which helps people in difficult situations find the motivation to overcome them thanks to the mountains.

The association “En passant par la Montagne” (“Through the Mountains”), created by Marc Batard, will celebrate its 15th anniversary this weekend in Chamonix.
Born out of the observation that mountain activities are an excellent tool that is not used enough in social work, it helps professional social organisations throughout France (specialist prevention services, Youth Legal Protection services, secondary schools and sixth form colleges in priority education zones, remand centres) to set up projects that coincide with their educational programs.
It was in 1998 that Lafuma became involved with the association with whom it shares the same values of cohesion, solidarity and social integration through mountaineering, a taste for hard work and surpassing oneself, for discovering and respecting the environment. It provides the EPPM with financial support but also equipment such as clothing (jackets, trousers etc) for young people to equip themselves at a low cost.
In addition, for the past 2 years, EPPM has also worked alongside the group's employees on the Mer de Glace clean-up operation last September.
The association is based in Servoz, in the Haute-Savoie region, and has about 150 members and three paid members of staff.

For more information, go to: www.montagne.org/

“It’s hugely gratifying” acknowledged the explorer, who landed in Siberia on the morning of April 10th.

After a flight lasting 121 hrs 30 minutes over a distance of 3130 km covered since Spitzberg, Jean-Louis Etienne touched down at 7.40 am on Saturday, in a completely deserted zone.

He shared his delight at having achieved the first solo crossing of the North Pole by hot air balloon, as well as his relief, via satellite phone. “It was time to stop to be able to enjoy this long and difficult but also exhilarating flight” acknowledged the doctor-adventurer who only wanted one thing: To sleep!

He was joined by his team from the Generali Arctic Observer on Sunday. Once the balloon had been completely deflated, the men and equipment left aboard a large Russian MI-8 helicopter headed towards Yakutsk before its return to France which is scheduled for the beginning of the week.

Jean-Louis Etienne and his team were equipped from head to toe by Lafuma.

See more:

www.jeanlouisetienne.com/generali_arctic_observer/EN