During the CMF, well known French Himalayist Bernard Muller is taking a group of young boys and girls from Paris to climb the Dome de Miages. His shop, Montagnes Expeditions, opposite the Midi lift station, is also helping provide equipment to the “Jerry’s insulin challenge” team, which is taking place during the festival too.
“I am a mountain guide and I’ve climbed many mountains in the Himalayas- 6 x 8000 m peaks and of course Everest,” says Bernard. “It was my last and probably the easiest. My shop specialises in renting equipment for Mont Blanc and other climbing here, but also in the Himalaya and the North Pole, Greenland, Antartica and Iceland. We specialise in down jackets, sleeping bags etc.”
“We will be taking young boys and girls, aged around 14-16yrs to the Dome du Miage above St Gervais to discover the mountain and we will do this during the festival. These boys and girls are from the Paris area and really it will be a big discovery for them to come here,” he explains. “I like this kind of thing as you really are able to bring something to these boys and girls . I hope it will be emotional for them to come here and climb some mountains and maybe they will come back. It’s very important and its quite difficult for young people to discover the mountains, so we are making the maximum effort to make it accessible.”
Bernard is also helping the insulin dependent team attempting to climb Mont Blanc with Alpinist Jerry Gore during the festival. Jerry himself is also insulin dependent. “We will loan them shoes, ice axe s and crampons necessary to climb Mont Blanc,” says Bernard, “and clothes as its quite cold you need good equipment for that, which you can find all this in my shop.”