Romain Desgranges is one of those competitors who is almost always very close to top. Always reaching the final, sometimes the podium, but with one brilliant exception*, never victorious.
*Romain became European Champion in his home town Chamonix, France in 2013. The whole town partied all through the night. Legendary stuff.
© Jaouad Jordan
To strengthen his head, defeat his old demons and reach the next level, he tried something different.
Last December I set myself a goal, a mental challenge.
My demons that hinder my climb atop the podium have lead me to the beautiful scenery of Joshua Tree, California.
This is where I found the challenges that allowed me to push my limits. 10 High Ball, 10 boulder between 7 and 12m high, these latter are symbols of beauty, difficulty and danger.
The mental and physical engament must be controlled perfectly to combat these demons that affect my concentration...
At what point will I wake up those fears, how will I overcome them in this environment where success will no longer be an option, but the only solution?
This adventure was realized and turned into SO HIGH!
SO HIGH, will premiere on Friday, June 26 at the Cinema Vox in Chamonix.
Whether this is the best recipe to gain mental strength remains to be seen, but his physical shape is certainly better than ever.
Recently, after working Chilam balam, ~9b, for three days, he fell twice(!) within five moves from the top. Remember this route is 400 moves long and takes 50-55 min to climb. To make things even worse, it finishes with a delicate slab section.
Heart breaking to say the least...
Here is the trailer:
Romain Desgranges is sponsored by: adidas, Beal, La SportivaCrosscall, Expression Holds and Snap
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