SAMAYA x MARIUS SIMON
14x2000 DES BAUGES
Marius Simon's project, which began in August 2023, is to climb 14 peaks over 2000 meters in altitude in the Bauges region, like the iconic 14x8000-meter Himalayan peaks. Marius tells us what inspired him to undertake this project, and what drives him on each ascent.
Marius Simon: The "14 summits of the Bauges" project is first and foremost a photographic project, not a sporting one. I'm not looking for performance, or to set a speed record. It goes against the grain of current achievements, where the aim is to go faster and faster. I'm putting time, wonder and contemplation back into the equation, in favor of a new imagination: that of traveling close to home, in a responsible way. Since August, I've been climbing the 14 peaks over 2000 metres high in the Bauges massif, to capture all their beauty through photography.
MS: My return to Annecy after a long 7-month trip to New Zealand opened my eyes to the beauty of our mountains. How lucky we are to have such unspoilt parks so close to home! I wanted to pay tribute to them by walking the trails, to get to know them better, to talk about them better and to warn people about the fragility of these areas and the absolute necessity of taking care of them.
MS: At this stage, I've climbed 3 summits out of 14: Dent de Cons, Mont Trélod and Mont Colombier. I start with isolated summits that don't give access to others. I share each ascent with one or more different people. This gives me plenty of time to show them the beauty of the massif, get to know each other better, talk about photography and adventure, and remake the world together! It's a great way to get away from it all, and it gives the project a very human dimension. For these first ascents, I try to set off in the middle of the day to catch the late afternoon light at the summit or on the way back down.
MS: Knowing that bivouacking is forbidden in a large part of the park for protection and preservation reasons, I'm going for a day trip. So I need a bag that's big enough to carry all the equipment needed for this type of day: water, food, fleece, goretex, accessories... but also all the photo equipment. A bag between 35 and 50L is therefore perfect. The big plus is having ultralight outdoor gear to compensate for the weight of the photo equipment. So I'm always on the lookout for high-performance, compact and lightweight gear. My night in the tent was sublime! A magnificent sunset, pleasant temperatures at night, and above all breathtaking scenery all around us. It was the perfect opportunity to try out this INSPIRE2 tent, and thank you again for that! I always think of bivouacs as timeless moments when you're in total connection with nature. They're the perfect break in our busy, fast-paced lives.
MS: Now that I'm halfway through the project, I have to admit that the last climb left a particularly strong impression on me. When I embarked on the adventure, the Dauphiné Libéré wrote an article about this 14x2000 project in the Bauges. This was an opportunity for 82-year-old René to contact me and tell me that he was doing the same project with his 73-year-old brother-in-law Pierre. Naturally, we planned to climb together to encourage a meeting. The three of us met at the Sambuy resort to climb the 2198-meter summit of the same name. This day with them was a highlight, as their stories resonated with me and confirmed my choice to live multiple adventures in the great outdoors. Together, they have spent over 50 years climbing mountains, cycling over hundreds of passes and taking on challenges of all kinds. Photographer, painter, actor, mountaineer, cyclist, writer, poet - these are people with a thousand and one lives who have inspired me greatly. Before we parted, as we were talking about electric bikes, 82-year-old René said to me: "I'll switch to electric bikes when I'm old. It makes my grandchildren laugh. But it's true, when are we categorized as old?" That sentence still makes me think a lot today.
