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SAMAYA X SNOWLEADER

AFTERWORK WITH CHRISTOPHE DUMAREST

  

 
Samaya and Snowleader joined forces for an intimate evening at the Annecy store. Some thirty guests were able to take part in a discussion with Christophe Dumarest, a seasoned mountaineer and guide, before leaving with a Samaya product to try out for a weekend. Adrien Guillon, Product Manager at Samaya, asked Christophe about his habits, practices and vision of the high mountains.

Adrien Guillon: Can you introduce yourself? Who are you and what do you do?
 
Christophe Dumarest: I'm from Annecy, so I know the mountains around the store well. I started out in the mountains at a very young age, forced into it by a tyrannical family! But it was great to take up skiing at the age of two, and eventually to make it my profession, heading for the top level and becoming a guide.

 
AG You were there at the very beginning of Samaya, what links you to us?
 
CD I really experienced the birth of the company. We've come a long way since then, and it's quite amazing, the evolution from little chrysalis to butterfly, which is great, and I was able to take part in the design of the Samaya ULTRA35.
 
AG Exactly. How did you get involved in designing Samaya 's first backpack?
 
CD : There's a real listening, expectations, needs, feelings and ultimately a demand that will be heard and materialized. We end up being able to make the product we need and the product of our dreams, even if there are compromises. It's not easy to arbitrate between the wishes of athletes, which can take the brand into stratospheres that are not necessarily commercially appropriate. When we test products, we have to wipe off a few plasters, to obtain quality products. When you go on an expedition, you pack your entire life insurance policy in a 35 or 40-liter bag. So we have to ensure reliability. Even in the approach phase, if something breaks, it's complicated. Your mind is completely focused on a terrifying objective, so you have to be completely at peace with your equipment. We put the gear to the test, and that's what you're asking us to do: see how far we can push lightness, robustness and waterproofing. What the market lacked today was lightness. With the ULTRA35, we've got a super-light bag that can almost be used for expeditions: it's tough and waterproof. In the midst of a huge range of backpacks, we have this added value, which makes sense.

 
AG : Absolutely, that's the whole point of athletes testing our products, sometimes in extreme conditions, even if the equipment is also used for less strenuous outings. What's your view on this?
 
CD : I'd say that the beauty of the guiding profession is the diversity of the outings. You can take groups canyoning, do introductory ski touring, glacier walking, trekking, trail walking, mid-mountain itinerancy and rock climbing. And it's great. I don't see any hierarchy between a himalayist and a modest hiker. You only have to go to Everest base camp to see what a kermesse it is. On the other hand, in the massifs that are closer to us, with extremely reasonable carbon footprints, it's possible to have hyper-powerful experiences by reinterpreting a map, by showing a little originality, by getting off the beaten track. What I also find beautiful today is the revolution in equipment that allows you to go beyond what was possible before. I'm fragile and small, so I've been able to do a few things in the mountains. Before, if you weren't a force of nature, the mountains weren't for you.

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