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Patrick Edlinger, born June 15, 1960 in Dax and died November 16, 2012 in La Palud-sur-Verdon, was a French climber and mountaineer. Renowned for his full solo ascents, he is one of the pioneers of high-level free climbing and was, in the 1980s, one of the first media figures in the discipline. Introduced to climbing at the age of nine, Patrick Edlinger practiced regularly at fourteen to devote himself fully to it at eighteen. Spending his days on the cliff, it happens to him, for lack of finding partners to belay him, to climb solo. With his friend Patrick Berhault, he distinguished himself by difficult achievements for the time, prefiguring another way of climbing, where the physical dimension takes precedence as much as the state of mind. In 1982, Patrick Edlinger introduced rock climbing to the general public thanks to documentaries by Jean-Paul Janssen broadcast around the world: "Life At Your Fingertips" and ""Opéra Vertical". There is free climbing and, partly, full solo, routes from the famous sites of Buoux (Luberon) and the Gorges du Verdon. Edlinger exposes a philosophy of climbing where hedonism, respect and love of nature, self-transcendence and a taste for risk are combined. This way of life combined with his youthful physique will mark the public in a profound way. At the origin of the climbing craze, Patrick Edlinger, "Le Blond", is not just a media figure, he is a high-level climber, who performs solos in routes rated 8a and also opens routes of extreme difficulty for the time up to 8b+/8c. A true international star, Patrick Edlinger was, in the 1980s, the favorite personality of the French according to a survey by Paris Match magazine, which relayed his exploits. When the Manifesto of the 19 decrying the competition was written in 1985, he did not sign it. In 1986, he won the first international climbing competitions in Bardonechia, then in 1988 in Snowbird in Utah. At that time, he launched his own line of clothing which he held with a few friends. In 1988, an advertisement was broadcast featuring him to promote Grany cereal bars; it was resumed in 1998 and then in 2004. In July 1994, he took part in two official UIAA competitions: the L'Argentière master's where he finished 34th and the Serre Chevalier master's where he placed 17th. In 1995, Patrick Edlinger suffered a serious accident while climbing a cliff. While training in the creeks of Marseille on a 7b route and he jumped several insurance points, a hold breaks and he falls eighteen meters. In cardiac arrest, he was resuscitated by a doctor present on the spot and finally got away with only a few muscle tears. He then retired from high level climbing, but continued to climb in the 8th degree for fun. From 1997 to 2000, he was editor-in-chief of the rock climbing magazine Roc'n Wall, which was eventually absorbed by the magazine Vertical. He stopped practicing solo when his daughter was born in 2002 and from 2009, he ran a gîte with his wife in the Verdon. In 2011, he began writing his biography with the collaboration of his friend for 25 years, Jean-Michel Asselin. He died accidentally on November 16, 2012 at his home in La Palud-sur-Verdon, at the age of 52.

In the 1980s, Patrick Edlinger, nicknamed "Le Blond", painted with the grace of a poet the first chapter in the world history of free climbing. In his hands, marginal exercise has become a real lifestyle, carrying a message of freedom. His famous solos, beyond the proven feat they represent, bear witness to this. Life at Your Fingertips, the first internationally known climbing film, touched and inspired by generations of climbers; Edlinger was one of the meteors that shone light on the cliffs of the world by following the trajectory of a single idea: to be free to live only by "climbing". Yet the man capable of concessions in the face of the necessities of life (competitions, advertisements) and pressure from the media, his public and the desires he aroused.


Georges Livanos, nicknamed the Greek but pure child of Marseille, amateur mountaineer, opened more than 500 routes in the Calanques, 40 in the Dolomites, and repeated many of the greatest routes in the Alps in the company of the best climbers of his time, d friends, and especially his wife Sonia. He is also the author of the classic "Beyond the vertical". This report follows for a day the legend, still 71 years old, of his apartment in the Marseille city in the Calanques. As a true Provençal, he speaks without filter of the exploits that made him famous, gives his opinion on modern climbing and on life in general: the portrait of a great climber and above all of a fascinating character with a sense of humor sharp.

Life By The Fingertips is a documentary film by Jean-Paul Janssen released in 1982, directing Patrick Edlinger totally living his passion, climbing, which he practices here solo ("with bare hands"), it that is, without a rope or any kind of insurance. The film begins with a session of solo sea crossings on the Piade site near Toulon. In the second part, Patrick Edlinger trains in Buoux before carving a solo route in this now famous climbing site. This mythical film in more than one way is considered the first climbing film, that is to say where climbing is an activity in itself and not a means of preparing for mountaineering. His media success was such that he propelled Patrick Edlinger to the rank of world star, and above all he made climbing known to the general public, and was even nominated for the César for best documentary short film.


“The Conquerors of the Impossible: Group Portrait” is a documentary on free climbing which takes place in the Verdon Gorges and Toulon. It was directed by Bernard Dumont in 1986 and produced by Les Films du Soleil. It is part of the series The Conquerors of the Impossible (3-3). There we find Patrick Berhault, Patrick Edlinger, Eric Escoffier, Christophe Profit, Laurent Chevallier, Jean-Paul Janssen and other pioneers of free climbing.


Oversand is one of the first films about free climbing, the third film in a series of three with "Overdon" and "Over-Ice". Directed by Jean-Paul Janssen, the film was shot in 35mm in Algeria, in the Sahara Desert, in the Tamanrasset region, on the walls of the majestic peaks of the Atakor massif, central sub-region of Hoggar, mountainous heart of Hoggar, a volcanic plateau of almost circular shape, whose average altitude is 2000 meters, and which culminates at Mount Tahat (2918m), the highest point in Algeria. The Atakor is distinguished by its spectacular volcanic peaks, its needles, and its rugged landscapes, resulting from the erosion of ancient volcanic chimneys, which make it the most emblematic summits of the Hoggar, such as the Assekrem, the Ilamane, or the Tizouyag, where climbers Patrick Edlinger, Patrick Bérhault, Bernard Gorgeon, Hugues Jaillet, Jacques Perrier, Stéphane Troussier and Odette Schoënleb evolve under the watchful eye of the Tuareg caravans.


First film in a series of three with Over-Ice and Oversand and one of the first films on free climbing shot in the cliffs of the Gorges du Verdon in several parishes. We meet a certain Patrick Edlinger, Patrick Bérhault, but also Jean-Marc Troussier, Jacques Perrier, Stéphane Troussier, Hugues Jaillet, Gilbert Thomann, Odette Schoënleb, Bernard Gorgeon, Christian Guyomar. Thanks to the program Les Carnets de l'aventure, then broadcast on Antenne 2, and its producer Pierre-François Degeorges, this film was made. The chain gave its production agreement during the day, while the climbing was very confidential, no one knew Patrick Edlinger and the project itself contained only a few lines on a sheet



