BIOGRAPHY

I don't know if being born premature is a sign to explain the person's nature to love traveling and exploration. But if it's the case, one should have told me before my 25 years old, age at which I really got caught by the traveling' syndrome. Before that, my holidays were rather resting at the beach with my parents or the boy scouts camps. Boy scouts was the only activity to put me into contact with nature until the end of my studies.

The trigger happened in several steps. I just reached my quarter of a century when my boss proposed me a project in Singapore. I wasn't able to put this country on a map. A colleague who just came back from it advised me to take scuba diving lessons, what I did when I arrived in the cosmopolitan city. I was exited and charmed by the unknowns of the underwater world. 6 months later I was divemaster and I had dived into 4 different countries. When traveling around is South East Asia for the bests diving spots, I became aware of the backpackers' way of traveling, these young people traveling for long periods hopping from one country to another with a round the world ticket. I wanted to do the same one day...

I left Europe to Oceania during mid 2004 carrying all my scuba gear to dive as most as possible. A few weeks before departure, I went to Ireland to visit a friend who told me to bring my hiking boots to hike the Wiclow Mountains near Dublin. I never had these shoes and it was the sales so I took the opportunity to buy some hiking equipment. I knew I would need it in New Zealand, the country where I could see the landscapes of "the Lord of the Rings" by foot. I bought a hiking guide upon arrival in Australia and I started walking. I enjoyed being doing efforts for hours and to see new stunning countryside without seeing signs of civilization. I quickly realized I had to how all my photos in an exhibition back home as it was so different from my home country. I motivated myself during 1 year and I didn't take a single break as I felt working 12 hours per day. My first contact with adventure movie was "Alone across Australia" from famous Australian adventurer Jon Muir. I was inspired by the beauty of the challenge and realized it is extremely rewarding to do something uncommon in harmony with nature while finding your own survival limits.

After a year of traveling, I set up an exhibition in France. I met professionals from "exploration du monde" (group of independent traveling film makers doing conferences and showing there movies all over the French speaking countries) who were quite impressed by my achievements. They invited me to attend film projections and to meet speakers-directors. After meeting Sylvain Tesson, French writer adventurer, I started to think my dreams could become realizable projects. I started to enjoy learning about the new adventurers-explorers and set up my own projects.

Back in Australia in 2006-2007, I realized my first 3 adventures-expeditions. You can discover the future on this site
 
INFLUENCES
This part describes people, texts, quotes, events, films etc. that had an influence on me.
The fear of risky and extreme sports
There are 2 kinds of fears: the one paralyzing and the one warning from danger. The first often prevents the majority of the people to surpass themselves. The second opens the door to unknown emotions to the majority. Moments V. Renard, mountain guide, defines as intense moments of pleasure that one only can feel after being put in a position of mortal risk. The quest of sensations, would it be the only driving force behind these extraordinary sportsmen? Don't they have dreams of glory or appetite for rapidly gained fortunes?
Article extract of the VIF l'EXPRESS, Belgian magazine
"The reason why I love the sea I cannot explain. It's physical. When you dive, you begin to feel like you're an angel."
Commandant Jacques-Yves Cousteau
The Dogme95 charter and its 3 first Danish films: Festen, Idioterne, Mifunes Sidste Sang.
The charter describes the rules shoot real films without special effects where emotions prevail. These films are respectively from Thomas Vinterberg, Lars Von trier and Søren Kragh-Jacobsen
The film Touching the Void
True story about English mountaineers Joe Simpson & Simon Yates during the ascent and descent of the Siula Grande in 1985 in Peru. One of the best mountain rescue story
Weezer (Blue), Green Day (Dookie), The Rentals (7 more minutes, The Return), K's Choice (Paradise in me), Tears for Fears (Greatests Hits)
Albums I listened to over a 100 times, providing me with courage for my exams
Jon Robert Muir, Australian adventurer
Nowadays, probably the most complete adventurer. The Everest, the North and South Pole and the first ever unassisted crossing of Australia. 128 days from Port Augusta to Burketown
« If ones want, every dream can become a project. Then, one can cut the project in smaller ones, and take them one by one, like you climb the mountain into steps. Too many people think they're imprisoned of their lifes. They're wrong. We can all be free, especially us Europeans, really privileged. It only depends on us to go out off the beaten track »
Extract of page 77 of le VIF/L’EXPRESS N°2802 of 18/2/2005
Quote of Maud Fontenoy, who rowed from Lima in Peru to Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands. She also rowed across the Atlantic Ocean.
 
I AM INTERESTED IN THE FOLLOWING TOPICS OR SUBJECTS :

The stories of fellow travellers, adventurers, and challenges of normal people to famous explorers. I think going to the summit of the Everest is not important but to do the maximum with what we have is. And this while respecting thelocal culture and nature. I respect records and challenges having a cultural or educational purpose and that are made without harming other lifes or the environment.

The preservation of our environment, long term thinking on our human development and trying to minimise our energy consumption (water, electricity, waste). We have to reduce it before it's too late !!! Visit my links to know how you can help. We must find alternative solutions to the car and maybe encourage a new form of nomadism, this freedom busy people lost.

Music is my stress removal with chocolate. I do not play any instruments. I listen rather to punk-pop-rock or good techno. I can whistle or blow in a harmonica but be careful of your ears.

I don't watch much television, only really interesting shows, the news or documentaries. Some movies, no sport but I like watching the worldcup. I prefer doing sport even if I don't do any since 1994 but I keep myself fit and I don't rust.

I don't read much, only magazines and some articles. I like to create, my main hobby is to convert an idea or dream into a project and to realize it. . I started reading adventure books, they inspire me, make me travel even more and I am aware men will never stop exploring.

I am interested in cinema. I'd like to shoot small reportages or stories I woud have written.

I love to be in harmony with the surrounding nature. Solo trekking in Oceania allowed me to surpass me, to see stunning landscapes and to observe wild animals in their habitat.

Scubadiving is my recent passion. This fear of being confronted to the unknowns life under water fascinates me. We are not meant to be there in this liquid but it's worth the risk to be there. Respecting this world and the diving rules are important to come back on the surface with no incident. Nowadays, more and more people become certified divers. I hope we're not changing the behavior of fish towards us. We come from the oceans, it's time humanity understands this and do something to preserve the orgin of life on earth.

I like art in and especially modern or contemporary art. I often visit museums and art galleries.