Jean-Marc Boivin
Encyclopedia
Jean-Marc Boivin was a French mountaineer
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...

, extreme skier
Extreme skiing
Extreme skiing is skiing performed on long, steep slopes in dangerous terrain. The sport is performed off-piste.The French coined the term 'Le Ski Extreme' in the 1970s...

, hang glider
Hang gliding
Hang gliding is an air sport in which a pilot flies a light and unmotorized foot-launchable aircraft called a hang glider ....

 and paraglider
Paragliding
Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure...

 pilot, speleologist
Speleology
Speleology is the scientific study of caves and other karst features, their make-up, structure, physical properties, history, life forms, and the processes by which they form and change over time...

, BASE jumper
BASE jumping
BASE jumping, also sometimes written as B.A.S.E jumping, is an activity that employs an initially packed parachute to jump from fixed objects...

, award-winning film maker
Filmmaking
Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...

, and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...

. The holder of several altitude records for hang gliding and paragliding, the creator of numerous first ascent
First ascent
In climbing, a first ascent is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route...

s and first ski descents in the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....

, a member of the team that broke the record for a sub-glacial dive
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...

 and the first person to paraglide from the summit of Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...

, Boivin was a pioneer of extreme sports. He died from injuries incurred after BASE jumping off Angel Falls in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

, the highest waterfall in the world.

Early life

Boivin was born in Dijon
Dijon
Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....

 in 1951. He went to secondary school in Dijon, Belfort
Belfort
Belfort is a commune in the Territoire de Belfort department in Franche-Comté in northeastern France and is the prefecture of the department. It is located on the Savoureuse, on the strategically important natural route between the Rhine and the Rhône – the Belfort Gap or Burgundian Gate .-...

 and Tournus
Tournus
Tournus is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.-Geography:Tournus is located on the right bank of the Saône, 20 km. northeast of Mâcon on the Paris-Lyon railway.-Sights:...

, and gained his Baccalauréat de technicien in 1971. Between 1972–73 he studied mechanical manufacturing in Sens. It was while working at the Peugeot
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...

 factory in Dijon that he decided to live "in" and "for" the mountains. Coming to both climbing and skiing quite late in his childhood at the age of 14, he climbed on the cliffs of Cormot
Cormot-le-Grand
Cormot-le-Grand is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.-Population:-References:*...

, in the cirque du Bout du Monde
Cirque du Bout du Monde
The Cirque du Bout du Monde is a steephead valley in Burgundy, in the département of Côte-d'Or near the vineyards of Beaune....

 near Nolay
Nolay, Côte-d'Or
Nolay is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.- Geography :Nolay is located in the heart of the Cozanne Valley. The town marks the transition between the forests and plains to the north and west and the hillside vineyards of the wealthy Burgundian wine regions surrounding Beaune...

, as well as in Brochon
Brochon
Brochon is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.-Population:-Wine:Some of the vineyards in Brochon are part of the appellation d'origine contrôlée Gevrey-Chambertin, and some are part of Fixin appellation. Most are however only entitled to the Côte de Nuits-Villages appellation....

, Fixin
Fixin
Fixin is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in the Bourgogne region on the Grand Crus route in eastern France.-Administration:- Population :-Sights:...

 and Saffres
Saffres
Saffres is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.-Population:-References:*...

, and skied in the Jura
Jura mountains
The Jura Mountains are a small mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of the watershed of each...

 mountains. By 1972 he was sufficiently proficient at skiing to come fourth in the Série Nationale. He gained his aspirant guide diploma from l'Ecole Nationale de Ski et d'Alpinisme de Chamonix in 1973, the same year that he completed his military service with the 159th Regiment of Alpine Infantry in Briançon
Briançon
Briançon a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department....

, section Eclaireurs en Montagne. From this point, Boivin dedicated himself to being what he called "an all-round professional adventurer".

Alpinism

Boivin was one of the leading alpinists of his era, making solo ascents
Solo climbing
Solo climbing or soloing is a style of climbing in which the climber climbs alone, without somebody belaying him. There are three ways to climb solo:* Roped solo climbing:**lead climbing with a self-locking device which is used to arrest a fall...

 of some of the hardest routes in the Alps during the 1970s: the Albinoni-Gabarrou
Patrick Gabarrou
Patrick Gabarrou is a French mountaineer and mountain guide who is credited with more than 250 first ascents, most of them in the Mont Blanc massif....

 goulotte on Mont Blanc du Tacul
Mont Blanc du Tacul
Mont Blanc du Tacul is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif of the French Alps situated midway between the Aiguille du Midi and Mont Blanc....

 in 1972, the Lagarde-Ségogne on the Aiguille du Plan
Aiguille du Plan
The Aiguille du Plan is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps. Its needle-like summit lies in the centre of the Chamonix Aiguilles when viewed from Chamonix.- External links :*...

 in 1976 and the Bonatti
Walter Bonatti
Walter Bonatti was an Italian mountain climber. He is noted for a solo climb of a new route on the south-west pillar of the Aiguille du Dru in August 1955 and the first solo winter ascent of the Matterhorn north face in 1965.-Life and career:Bonatti was born in Bergamo...

-Zapelli on the Grand Pilier d'Angle
Grand Pilier d'Angle
The Grand Pilier d'Angle is a buttress on the southern side of Mont Blanc in the Mont Blanc massif in the Val d'Aosta, Italy.The first ascent from the valley was by James Eccles with guides Michel Payot and Alphonse Payot on 30 July 1877 during an ascent of the Peuterey ridge, although the summit...

 in 1978. In 1975, Boivin and Gabarrou made first ascents of the direct north faces of Les Droites
Les Droites
Les Droites is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps and is the lowest of the 4000-metre peaks in the Alps. The mountain has two summits:* West summit , first ascent by W. A. B...

 and the Aiguille Verte
Aiguille Verte
The Aiguille Verte is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps.It was first climbed on 29 June 1865 by Edward Whymper, Christian Almer and Franz Biner, a fortnight before the fateful first ascent of the Matterhorn. Whymper was unable to climb with his usual guide, Michel Croz, who...

, followed by the Supercouloir on Mont Blanc du Tacul, and came to be seen as "the young new wave of the moment". On 31 July 1983 Boivin soloed the north face
Great north faces of the Alps
In mountaineering, the six great north faces of the Alps are known for their difficulty and great height. They are:*Cima Grande di Lavaredo*Eiger*Grandes Jorasses*Matterhorn*Petit Dru*Piz Badile...

 of the Eiger
Eiger
The Eiger is a mountain in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends across the Mönch to the Jungfrau at 4,158 m...

 in 7 1/2 hours, finishing the climb via the Harlin
John Harlin (mountaineer)
John Elvis Harlin II was an American mountaineer and US Air Force pilot who was killed while making an ascent of the north face of the Eiger...

 Direttissima.

He is well known for being one of the leading practitioners of the concept of enchaînement
Enchainment
Enchainment is a mountaineering term that denotes climbing two or more mountains – or routes on a mountain – in one outing . Rock climbing two or more routes in this manner is called a "link up" in the US...

, in which several difficult climbs are undertaken in one outing (with descents often being made by hang glider, paraglider or ski). On 14 August 1981, together with Patrick Berhault, he climbed the south face of the Aiguille du Fou and the American Direct on the Aiguille du Dru
Aiguille du Dru
The Aiguille du Dru is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps, lying to the east of the village of Les Praz in the Chamonix valley.The mountain has two summits:...

, flying to the Dru from the summit of the Aiguille de Blaitière
Aiguille de Blaitière
The Aiguille de Blaitière is a mountain in the Mont Blanc Massif in Haute-Savoie, France....

 by hang glider. On 20 February 1985 he made the first winter solo ascent of the Bettembourg-Thivierge on the Aiguille Verte, descending the Whymper
Edward Whymper
Edward Whymper , was an English illustrator, climber and explorer best known for the first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865. On the descent four members of the party were killed.-Early life:...

 Couloir by ski. On 14 March 1985 he climbed the Albinoni-Gabarrou on Mont Blanc du Tacul, then made the first ski descent of the south face of Mont Blanc du Tacul, then climbed the Kuffner
Moriz von Kuffner
Moriz von Kuffner was a Jewish-Austrian industrialist, art collector, mountaineer and philanthropist. From the 1880s to the early 1910s he made a fortune in the brewery business, and became a significant sponsor of Vienna's social and cultural life as well as a mentor of astronomy...

 arėte on Mont Maudit
Mont Maudit
Mont Maudit is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in France and Italy. Until the end of the 18th century, Mont Blanc and its satellite peaks were collectively known in French as the Montagne Maudite....

 and made the first ski descent of the Kuffner, returning to Italy via the Androsace couloir. On 17 March 1986, using skis, paraglider and hang glider, he linked up ascents of the north faces ("les 4 Glorieuses") of the Aiguille Verte (first winter solo of the Grassi route), Les Droites (via the Corneau-Davaille, ending via the Boivin-Gabarrou), Les Courtes (Swiss route) and the Grandes Jorasses
Grandes Jorasses
The Grandes Jorasses is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif.The first ascent of the highest peak of the mountain was by Horace Walker with guides Melchior Anderegg, Johann Jaun and Julien Grange on 30 June 1868...

 (The Shroud), flying 15 km (9.3 mi) back to the Chamonix
Chamonix
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix is a commune in the Haute-Savoie département in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics, the first Winter Olympics...

 valley after his final ascent and arriving at 0:30 am.

Extreme skiing

Boivin made the first ski descents of the following mountains and faces, amongst others: the Frendo Spur on the Aiguille du Midi
Aiguille du Midi
The Aiguille du Midi is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps.The cable car to the summit, the Téléphérique de l'Aiguille du Midi, was built in 1955 and held the title of the world's highest cable car for about two decades. It still holds the record as the highest vertical ascent...

 on 2 July 1977; the south face of Huascarán
Huascarán
Huascarán or Nevado Huascarán is a mountain in the Peruvian province of Yungay, situated in the Cordillera Blanca range of the Western Andes. The highest southern summit of Huascarán is the highest point in Peru, and all the Earth's Tropics...

 and the north faces of Pisco
Nevado Pisco
Nevado Pisco is a mountain in Peru, located in the Cordillera Blanca about 60 km north of Huaraz. Nevado Pisco was first climbed on July 12, 1951 by C. Kojan, G.Kojan, R.Leininger and M. Lenoir....

 and Quitaraju (all in the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...

) in 1978; the east face of the Matterhorn
Matterhorn
The Matterhorn , Monte Cervino or Mont Cervin , is a mountain in the Pennine Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Its summit is 4,478 metres high, making it one of the highest peaks in the Alps. The four steep faces, rising above the surrounding glaciers, face the four compass points...

, on which he skied slopes of more than 60 degrees (from the Shoulder, after which he soloed the Schmid route on the north face in 4 hours 10 minutes) on 6 June 1980; Y-shaped Gully on the Aiguille Verte on 26 February 1985; Nant Blanc face of the Aiguille Verte on 12 June 1989. On 17 April 1987 he made a ski enchaînement of five descents: south-east face of the Aiguille du Moine (1st descent); south face of the Aiguille du Dru (1st descent); Whymper Couloir on the Aiguille Verte; north-east face of Les Courtes; finishing off with a descent of the Grandes Jorasses.
Boivin made a number of films of his ski descents, stunning people who had never seen such extreme descents before. One person who saw footage of Boivin at the Telluride Film Festival
Telluride Film Festival
The Telluride Film Festival was started in 1974 by Bill and Stella Pence, Tom Luddy and Jim Card in the town of Telluride, Colorado, United States. It is operated by the National Film Preserve....

 said:

Hang gliding and paragliding

In 1979 Boivin set an altitude record for a hang glider, launching from Camp IV on K2
K2
K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest...

 at an altitude of 7600 m (24,934.4 ft) after making an ascent of the peak. Two years later, in 1981, he set an altitude record together with Dominique Marchal for a two-man hang glider by launching from the summit of Aconcagua
Aconcagua
Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the Americas at . It is located in the Andes mountain range, in the Argentine province of Mendoza and it lies west by north of its capital, the city of Mendoza. The summit is also located about 5 kilometres from San Juan Province and 15 kilometres from the...

 (7021 m (23,034.8 ft)).

On 14 July 1985 Boivin again broke the altitude record for a hang glider by launching from the summit of Gasherbrum II
Gasherbrum II
Gasherbrum II , also known as K4, is the 13th highest mountain on Earth, located on the border of Gilgit-Baltistan province, Pakistan and Xinjiang, China...

 (he had reached the 8035 m (26,361.5 ft) summit the week before, on 8 July, and reclimbed the mountain to make his jump). On 26 September 1988, having climbed the mountain via the south-east ridge, Boivin made the first paraglider descent of Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...

, in the process creating the record for the fastest descent of the mountain and the highest paraglider flight. Boivin said: "I was tired when I reached the top because I had broken much of the trail, and to run at this altitude was quite hard." Boivin ran 60 ft (18.3 m) from below the summit on 40-degree slopes to launch his paraglider, reaching Camp II at 19400 ft (5,913.1 m) in 12 minutes (some sources say 11 minutes).

On 14 April 1988 he broke the record for distance travelled by paraglider, flying 31.5 km (19.6 mi) from Mont Maudit in the Mont Blanc massif, arriving at Orsière having flown over the Aiguille Verte, the Aiguille du Tour
Aiguille du Tour
The Aiguille du Tour is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif on the Swiss-French border. The voie normale mountain is graded F and can be climbed from either the Albert Premier Hut on the French side or the Cabane d'Orny on the Swiss side....

 and Pointe d'Orny.

Speleology

On 6–7 November 1986, together with a team of speleologists
Speleology
Speleology is the scientific study of caves and other karst features, their make-up, structure, physical properties, history, life forms, and the processes by which they form and change over time...

, Boivin set a world record for a subglacial dive
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...

. They dived to a depth of 117 m under the Mer de Glace
Mer de Glace
The Mer de Glace is a glacier located on the northern slopes of the Mont Blanc massif, in the Alps. At long and deep, it is the longest glacier in France.-Geography:...

 in their exploration of the Grand Moulin de la Mer de Glace.

Death

On 16 February 1990, while being filmed by a TV crew for the French programme Ushuaïa, le magazine de l'extrême, Boivin made a c. 1000 m (3,280.8 ft) BASE jump down Angel Falls in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

, the highest waterfall in the world. This was the first jump from the highest point of the falls. The following day he decided to repeat the jump. Just before he leapt off, a woman named "Catherine" jumped and was injured at the foot of the falls. Boivin decided to make his jump immediately afterwards, carrying help for the injured woman. According to one account, on his descent he hit a tree and was seriously injured with multiple fractures. He told the helicopter team that came to rescue him to attend to the injured woman first. Another account, by a witness, maintains that Boivin hit the cliff and landed in the tree-tops, and that the helicopter team thought that his waving was a sign that he was not injured, rather than an attempt to summon help. Both accounts agree that when the team returned for him, he had died from internal injuries and blood loss.

By Boivin

  • Glace Extrême, 1977, 36 min (director and producer). Award: Mario Belo prize at the Trento International Mountain Film Festival
  • Au Vent des Cimes, 1978, 36 min (director and producer)
  • Aventure au Cervin, 1980, 56 min (director). Produced by the Société Française de Production and Antenne 2
    France 2
    France 2 is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4, France 5 and France Ô...

    . Awards: Grand Prix at the Trento International Mountain Film Festival, the San Sebastián International Mountain Film Festival, the Cortina d'Ampezzo International Mountain Film Festival (all in 1981); "Prix du Meilleur Film de Montagne" at the Tourcoing Festival, 1983
  • Aventure à l'Aconcagua, 1981, 56 min (co-director). Produced by the Société Française de Production and Antenne 2
  • Aratitiyopé, 1984, 26 min (co-director). Produced by Antenne 2 and Riviera Films. Award: Prix Feuille de Hêtre at the San Sebastian International Mountain Film Festival, 1985
  • L'Oiseau Rare, 1985, 26 min (co-writer). Produced by Antenne 2 and MC4
  • Descente, 1987, 26 min (co-writer with Jean Afanasieff). Produced by FR3 Rhône-Alpes
    France 3
    France 3 is the second largest French public television channel and part of the France Télévisions group, which also includes France 2, France 4, France 5, and France Ô....

     and MC4
  • Vents Contraires, 1988 (writer and director). Produced by TF1
    TF1
    TF1 is a national French TV channel, controlled by TF1 Group, whose major share-holder is Bouygues. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network...

    , FR3 Rhône-Alpes and MC4

About Boivin

  • Everest 88, 1988 (directed by Jean Afanasieff). Produced by FR3
  • Inlandsis, 1989, 26 min. Award: Prix "Ville de Paris" at the Festival de l'Aventure de Paris, 1990
  • Jean-Marc Boivin: Extrêmement vôtre, 2007, 52 min (directed by Gilles Chappaz). Produced by FR3 Bourgogne Franche-Comté

Books by Boivin

  • Trois défis au Cervin (with Guy Geoffroy), Editions Glénat/Aventures Extraordinaires, 1981
  • L'abominable homme des glaces, Editions Flammarion, 1983
  • L'Aventure jusqu'au bout (with F. Boivin and J. M. Parte), Meylan, 1991

Awards

  • International Award for Valour in Sport, London, 5 February 1980 (awarded for Boivin's hang glider flight from a height of 7600 m (24,934.4 ft) off K2)

Commemoration

  • Lycée Jean-Marc Boivin in Chevigny-Saint-Sauveur
    Chevigny-Saint-Sauveur
    Chevigny-Saint-Sauveur is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.-Population:-References:*...

    , opened on 5 October 1990
  • Complexe Sportif Jean-Marc Boivin in Nolay
    Nolay, Côte-d'Or
    Nolay is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.- Geography :Nolay is located in the heart of the Cozanne Valley. The town marks the transition between the forests and plains to the north and west and the hillside vineyards of the wealthy Burgundian wine regions surrounding Beaune...

  • Salle Jean-Marc Boivin in the Club alpin français
    Club alpin français
    The Club alpin français, usually referred to as the CAF, is a federation of club promoting mountain sports. It offers multiple training and courses to help people understand mountains....

    building in Dijon
  • Jean-Marc Boivin footpath in Nolay (45 km (28 mi) long with 1500 m (4,921.3 ft) of ascent and descent)
  • Jean-Marc Boivin award at the Dijon International Adventure Film Festival. This annual award is given "for the authenticity of an adventure".

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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