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NEWS: VIDEO: Of the rock I asked for the moon

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 UKC News 27 Feb 2015
Stéphanie Bodet on Octogénèse, 300m, 8a+, Aiguilles de Bavella, Corsica, 3 kbStéphanie Bodet and Arnaud Petit climbs Octogénèse a 300 m, 8a+, slab at Aiguilles de Bavella on Corsica.
Stéphanie's take on climbing is a tad more poetic than say "If you don't let go, you can't fall off!" or "Height has nothing to do with it, it is your strength that counts.", but then again,...

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=69541
 tmawer 27 Feb 2015
In reply to UKC News:

Really interesting video and a different, more mindful approach to climbing....no "crush it's" in this one. I will be talking to my toes, and trying to create holds (turn them from a possibility to a reality) following this. Thanks.
 Jimbo C 27 Feb 2015
In reply to UKC News:

Beautiful
 TonyM 27 Feb 2015
In reply to UKC News:

Lovely. Beautiful location. Really well filmed. And a Dawesque instructional vid on slab climbing to boot.
 Hillseeker 27 Feb 2015
In reply to UKC News:

Really nice vid and the commentary drew me in.
 Mick Ward 27 Feb 2015
In reply to UKC News:

'As we grow older, climbing becomes more thoughtful... it's a subtle balance.'

So much wisdom. This is a woman who has lived, who has not wasted her time on this planet.

Mick
 Fishmate 28 Feb 2015
In reply to UKC News:

Delightful, a master class in Quantum Reality. Also a video that will be referred to again and what a location?

Is she single per chance?
 TobyA 28 Feb 2015
In reply to Fishmate:

> Is she single per chance?

The ever delightful Mme Bodet has kept her own surname but M. Petit, the gentleman climbing with her, is -unfortunately for all of us fanboys- her husband of quite a few years now I think!

Does anyone else remember from years and years back a picture of her I think that was a Climber front cover, in the Verdon - miles out above the last bolt on a totally blank looking wall white vertical wall? It might well have been a Simon Carter picture? Stéphanie was just the picture of the utterly composed, mega climber - looking just focused and determined, not utterly terrified as any normal person would be in such a position. I've had a total crush on her ever since! With the poetry, she is just now becoming ever more the stereotype of the elegant erudite Frenchwoman that make us Brits all feel ugly and uncultured in comparison.
 Robert Durran 28 Feb 2015
In reply to UKC News:

Am I alone in feeling that it occasionally stepped ever so slightly over the line into pretentiousness? Nice film though.
1
 TobyA 28 Feb 2015
In reply to Robert Durran:

> Am I alone in feeling that it occasionally stepped ever so slightly over the line into pretentiousness?

But she's French innit? That's 'ow they speak an all.

I do note Mme Bodet gets away with it, while the German chap with ice video got roundly slammed by the UKC massive. Maybe something to do with him being a pony-tailed teutonic chap who looks like he escaped from a late 80s Whitesnake video, while Stephanie is lovely and french?
 Robert Durran 28 Feb 2015
In reply to TobyA:
> (In reply to Robert Durran)
>
> I do note Mme Bodet gets away with it, while the German chap with ice video got roundly slammed by the UKC massive. Maybe something to do with him being a pony-tailed teutonic chap who looks like he escaped from a late 80s Whitesnake video, while Stephanie is lovely and french?

You're right. Pony tails are for girls; especially ones who climb like a dream.

 lezec 01 Mar 2015
In reply to UKC News:

Scenic video, nice rock, good climb, fairy tale climbing couple, poetic thoughts, some even sticking to the point.

On the other hand it does not show clearly why it is a high delicate difficulty 8a+ smearing climb, only one fall?
Too many, closely placed bolts, at least for some other climbing cultures, stealing off an edge of boldness of living soul searching experience.

Above said, only my biased subjective opinion from afar both the Icele and Hugxagon
 Chris_Mellor 02 Mar 2015
In reply to lezec: to laconic piss-taking Brits the voice over comes across as pretentious, pompous, narcisstic self-important twaddle. Zen and the art of slab climbing maybe. The great rockover/step up on one foot with no handholds move was talked about early but then not shown - unless I missed it.

She did explain the U.S. usage of "send" though and she is a brilliant climber and it looks a great route. Guess I'll crawl back into my hole now

1
tupta 03 Mar 2015
In reply to Chris_Mellor:

> ....voice over comes across as pretentious, pompous, narcisstic self-important twaddle.

Could not agree more!!!
It must be the worst climbing movie I have ever tried to watch.
She is a great climber but just couldn't stand her narrative....

In reply to Chris_Mellor: Oh good! Someone else who sees this nonsense for what it is. There was barely a sentence of meaningful "commentary". She must have been on some epic mushroom trip to have come up with this twaddle. I enjoy thoughtful and insightful climbing commentary and reflection, but this? Toe-curlingly dreadful.

So she fell three feet onto one of the many very closely placed bolts - I doubt that opens up new realities to anyone, apart from self absorbed poseurs with too much time on their hands.

My definition of meaningful: Ed Ward-Drummond in "The Long Hope" reflecting on his life on the rock and the route itself. He didn't say anywhere near as much as this woman, but he said far more, if you get my drift.

 jsmcfarland 03 Mar 2015
In reply to Frank the Husky:

To me your reply pretty much sums up as http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ButtHurt&defid=2949073

 Jon Stewart 04 Mar 2015
In reply to UKC News:

Is it a choice between "crush it, dude!" and this? Surely, there must be a happy medium?

To be fair there is, and it's stuff like that great vid a bit back of McClure and Mawson getting lost in the Verdon. I couldn't get through the verbose twaddle on this one, although the rock and scenery were lovely.
Removed User 04 Mar 2015
In reply to Frank the Husky:

I agree - can you imagine this being attempted by an Anglaise?! However truth be known, I can forgive Ms Bodet almost anything.

My favourite Ward-Drummond moment is the cold fart on North America Wall.
 Jon Stewart 04 Mar 2015
In reply to TobyA:

> But she's French innit? That's 'ow they speak an all.

> ...Stephanie is lovely and french?

Yes, like Sandrine here:

http://yourlisten.com/jonstew/bin-juice
 Robert Durran 04 Mar 2015
In reply to Robert Durran:
> (In reply to UKC News)
>
> Am I alone in feeling that it occasionally stepped ever so slightly over the line into pretentiousness?

Now that it seems I'm far from alone, I think I'll rephrase that: it was utter pretentious bollocks from start to finish.

In reply to jsmcfarland: It's frightfully kind of you to go to such lengths to criticize me. I'd call it an articulate response to some meaningless & pretentious rubbish.

 Doug 04 Mar 2015
In reply to UKC News:

The French version doesn't seem so pretentious,
https://vagabondsdelaverticale.wordpress.com/2013/12/22/jai-demande-la-lune...
 JJL 04 Mar 2015
In reply to Frank the Husky:

> My definition of meaningful: Ed Ward-Drummond in "The Long Hope" reflecting on his life on the rock and the route itself. He didn't say anywhere near as much as this woman, but he said far more, if you get my drift.

You were doing so well.

Mr Drummond is himself a master of pretentious affectation (or, as most people call it, spouting shit). Look no further than his name. A Will-I-am level of narcissism.

In reply to Doug:

I agree that the French version has a completely different feel to it, I think partly due to the English version being something nearing a semantic translation.

Interview with Stéphanie to follow shortly...
 Robert Durran 04 Mar 2015
In reply to Frank the Husky:

> So she fell three feet onto one of the many very closely placed bolts - I doubt that opens up new realities to anyone.

And there does seem to me to be something desecratory about the arbitrary bolting of such an aesthetic bit of pristine granite which jars with the poetic commentary. Give me poetry about climbing a beautiful natural line on natural gear or "crush it/send" stuff about a shoddy bit of steep limestone but don't mix the two.
1
 MischaHY 04 Mar 2015
In reply to Robert Durran:

Go on, go and free that route on gear. Please. I want you too.

Have a little soul, people. Are you really so frustrated by a bit of poetic license?
 Robert Durran 04 Mar 2015
In reply to MischaHY:
> Go on, go and free that route on gear. Please. I want you too.

You must be joking! If I managed to get much off the ground, I'd fall off and probably die!

> Have a little soul, people.

The route hasn't.
Post edited at 16:33
 jwi 04 Mar 2015
In reply to UKC News:

Don't know anything about this route, but it was opened by Arnaud Petit, who's put up bolder routes than anyone on this thread have climbed...
 Chris Craggs Global Crag Moderator 04 Mar 2015
In reply to JJL:

> Mr Drummond is himself a master of pretentious affectation (or, as most people call it, spouting shit). Look no further than his name. A Will-I-am level of narcissism.

Edwin Ward-Drummond? Do you think he changed it to that by deed-pole?

Chris
 JJL 04 Mar 2015
In reply to Chris Craggs:

Wasn't he born plain Drummond?

If not, apologies.

Still spouts shit either way though.
 Chris Craggs Global Crag Moderator 04 Mar 2015
In reply to JJL:

To be honest I don't know but he has been EWD as long as as I have been aware of him (late 1960s) - I assumed it was his given name. Anyway who am I to talk?


Chris

I don't think the narrator's accent is right to dub the words of a French poet: for the proper effect they should have gone with the full-on Inspector Clouseau.

Have said that I thought the film was excellent and a nice change from the usual strength and danger based climbing videos.
Post edited at 10:34
 MischaHY 05 Mar 2015
In reply to Robert Durran:

> You must be joking! If I managed to get much off the ground, I'd fall off and probably die!

Precisely why the route was climbed in the style chosen by the first ascensionist.
 Robert Durran 05 Mar 2015
In reply to MischaHY:

> Precisely why the route was climbed in the style chosen by the first ascensionist.

But they could have walked away and left it for someone in future up to the job (and therefore worthy of all the poetry).

 BruceM 05 Mar 2015
In reply to UKC News:

The pretentious comments on here led me to watch this. I'm glad I did. Brilliant! And great narrative. It's obviously written prose being read. which gives it that style. Even translated it's pretty nice. Speaking of which -- what a nice person.
 Jon Read 05 Mar 2015
In reply to Robert Durran:

If it was in the UK or North America (or a few other places), I may agree with you. But this is France (ok, Corsica) and they have their own ethical landscape which I'm sure you know is different to the UK. I think it's insensitive, unsympathetic and somewhat rude to judgmentally project your own set of entirely arbitrary values onto a different culture.

Would you look at a similar video of Czechs climbing with knotted slings and slam them for not using cams?

A route can have beauty and aesthetic qualities that are independent of whether it is bolted.
 Robert Durran 05 Mar 2015
In reply to Jon Read:

> This is France and they have their own ethical landscape which I'm sure you know is different to the UK. I think it's insensitive, unsympathetic and somewhat rude to judgmentally project your own set of entirely arbitrary values onto a different culture.

All I'm saying is that from my own cultural perspective I simply can't take the poetic stuff seriously.

> A route can have beauty and aesthetic qualities that are independent of whether it is bolted.

Undoubtedly true, but, I would have thought, only if the bolting adds more than it takes away, and the more there is in the first place, the less likely this is. So to wax lyrical about a pristine piece of granite and then bolt it (and it looked somewhat arbitrarily so) does grate somewhat.

 Franco Cookson 05 Mar 2015
In reply to UKC News:
Looks like one fine line.
 Chris Craggs Global Crag Moderator 05 Mar 2015
In reply to UKC News:

All a bit fluffy for sure but great video and F8a+ slab climbing - what's not to like?

Chris

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