Eider friends : Dream_Team
Lionel Daudet
The explorer of vertical horizons
Lionel Daudet, called the “Dod”, is a free mountaineer who never stops climbing…
He’s a real spiderman and does a lot of openings in the most inaccessible regions of the world, from Amazonia to the far North.
He is a mix between an adventurer and a philosopher, while keeping an extraordinary sense of ethics: no use of assistance or radio. For him, mountaineering is a fantastic way to overrun and know oneself.
Born in 1968 in Maine-et-Loire (France), Lionel was attracted to the mountain very young. In 1992, he decided to commit himself to extreme mountaineering. Since then, he successfully manages all of his projects and realisations.
He lives now in Argentière la Bessée (Hautes Alpes, France)), as a professional mountaineer, photographer, writer, and lecturer.
Thanks to his mountain guide skills, he also likes to bring beginners “at the top”. “Because climbing is not just about climbing a mountain”.
The explorer of vertical horizons
2006:
- November-December: TELROSS expedition to the Kerguelen Islands (telemedicine and advanced mountaineering). With Manu Cauchy, Seb Foissac, Philippe Pellet and Véro Daudet. Several openings including the extraordinary “Traversée de la Lune ” – a high altitude crossing between Little and Big Ross (a thirty-hour ascent).
- March: opening of “Little big men” (in memory of Damien Charignon and Jean-Christophe Lafaille) with Philippe Batoux, on the eastern face of les Grandes Jorasses. A fantastic eight-day alpine voyage.
2005:
- Winter: opening (over 9 days) of “Dimension fractale” on the northern face of Gramusat, with Sébastien Foissac, Anthony Lamiche, Philippe Pellet.
- Climbing trip to Bolivia, unearthing of some new bouldering spots with Anthony Lamiche, Isabelle Carrier, Stephan Denys.
- New attempt at “La trilogie des directissimes”, aborted after three days in the Eiger.
2004:
- ‘Jeunesse et Sports’ gold medal.
- Skyline: “L’aventure à sa porte”: 250 km of ridges in l’Oisans covered in just under two months, more than 30 bivouacs… With Philippe Pellet. The new face of alpine mountaineering.
- Bolivian trip to the more isolated areas.
- Publication in November of “La montagne intérieure” (published by Grasset).
2003:
- Patagonian trip including the Falklands Islands.
- Himalayan trip.
- Named ambassador of ‘Le Pays des Ecrins'.
2002:
- “Directissimes” trilogy – January: 1st solo winter ascent of ‘Eldorado’, ED+, 14 days spent on the north face of ‘Les Grandes Jorasses’.
- FFME Crystal.
- Chamonix-Zermatt traverse with no motorized means (ski trekking, MTB).
- February: attempt to repeat ‘Aux amis disparus’ on the northern face of ‘Le Cervin’. 9 days of “combat” before retreating with severe frostbite: march: 8 toes amputated, beginning of a long convalescence…
2001:
- Leaves base camp (ie his house) before heading off to the Nepalese Himalayas (with Seb Foissac and François Lombard). Expedition fails due to unformed gullys and lack of time.
- Autumn opening of “Ils ont tué Massoud” in ‘les Cerces’ – an extremely difficult free climb (with in particular one 70m pitch graded at least 8a) in the company of Philippe Pellet.
2000:
- Takes out the 2000 ‘Piolet d’Or’ (Golden ice axe) for the 1999 Alaska expedition “Burkett Needle”.
- FFME Crystal in 2000 at Chamonix for the 1999 Alaska expedition “Burkett Needle”.
- Nominated by Le Point magazine as one of the year 2000’s personalities of the year.
- First dry tooling ascent of “Quartier Nord” at ‘Fressinières’, M10.
- Trip to Peru in the Andes Cordillera.
- Opening of “Pasta religion” at ‘Puscanturpa Norte’ in the Peruvian Andes, 7a+, 16 days of climbing including 8 on the cliff face. With François Lombard and Xavier Baudry.
- Nominated for the FFME Crystal.
1999:
- Opening over 25 days of “Voyage des clochards célestes” at ‘Burkett Needle’, Alaska. 7a+, A3+, 1200m. 41 days without outside assistance. With Sébastien Foissac.
- Becomes accredited alpine guide with the ENSA Chamonix.
1998:
- Attempted opening of ‘Mont Combattant’ in British Columbia, Canada, after a 3-week approach trek. “Combattants” included Lionel and Damien Daudet, Georges Jouzeaux, Jean-Michel Zweiacker.
1996-97:
- “Odyssée Verticale” (Vertical Odyssey): a series of massive climbs completed with a climbing party stretching from Greenland to Patagonia and across the Americas: opening in Greenland of “L’Inespéré” at ‘Suikarsuak’ with Benoît Robert, 1000m, 7b, A4+, 13-day climb (nominated for the Piolet d’Or and FFME Crystal).
- Big wall climbing in the United States with Damien Daudet, including a repeat of the little known Dragon Route (700m, A3) at the Gunnison River Black Canyon (Colorado) over 4 days.
- 3rd ascent of Streaked Wall at Zion (Utah), a route originally rated A5.
- Mexico: speed climbing of the “Girafe Route” at ‘Gran Trono Blanco' (500m, A3+).
- Trips to Venezuela, Canada, Patagonia …
- ENSA Chamonix: aspiring alpine guide.
- Laureate of the Marcel Bleustein Blanchet Foundation.
- Member of the American Alpine Club.
1994-95:
- World climbing tour of extremely difficult cliffs and summits. 12 solitary climbs over twelve months including: 2 routes on Mount Kenya (including “Diamond Couloir” in two hours), the 2nd ascent and 1st solo climb of the north-eastern ridge of ‘Savoia peak’ (Ruwenzori), the 1st solo of the eastern face of ‘Po ï’, 2 solos and opening of “Shantidas” on the ‘Savandurga’ domes, opening of “Offrandes de pierres” (untouched summit of Zanskar, Indian Himalayas), opening of “Histories d’amitiés” with Georges Jouzeau and Nicolas Vigneron, followed by a solo repetition of this same climb, openings in Patagonia of “Qui se souvient des hommes?” and “La femme de ma vie”, and to finish off: the 2nd ascent and 1 st solo of “Petit prince” at ‘St-Exupéry Peak’.
- Crowned adventurer of the year by Borne IGN, category ‘Terre’.
- FFME Crystal.
- ‘Huit d’or’ awarded by the Club Alpin Français.
- Nomination for the 1995 Piolet d’Or.
- Member of the Groupe de Haute Montagne.
1993:
- First solitary and winter climb of the north-eastern face of ‘L’Olan’ (Bouilloux-Wilmar route) ED.
- Opening in the Pamir-Alai massif (Kyrgyzstan) of “Paradis artificiel” ABO.
- 1st repetition of “Bon, la brute et le truand” on the southern face of ‘Le Fou’ in the Chamonix massif. ABO. (7a and A4). With Philippe Batoux and Benoît Robert.
- Piolet d’Or (the world’s supreme climbing award).
- Nomination in 1993 for the FFME Cystal (the highest French climbing award).
1992:
- Selected for the 2nd time for the ‘Equipes Jeunes’ (the only climber of his 1st year group to achieve this).
- Becomes a professional climber and mountaineer.
- 1st climbs in the French Alps and in the Pyrenees.
- Ice climbing: “Le goûter des généraux”, rated 6 in solo.
- Opening of “Aux amis disparus” at ‘Le Cervin’ with Patrick Gabarrou.
1991:
- Selected for the French FFME elite youth squad (Equipe Jeunes Alpinistes Haut Niveau) and for the Haut niveau CAF GHM.
