 |
||||
 |
 |
|||
| - Philosophy - Past expéditions - Awards - Short CV |
|||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||
|
Christian Clot new expedition is in preparation for 2009.
|
|||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||
|
Last Books |
|||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||
|
Last documentary |
|||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||
|
Christian Clot
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
« Nowadays when following someone’s trail seems inevitable, I seek to trace new tracks ! » |
||||||||||||||||||||
| Unlike many modern adventurers or explorers never spent his childhood and teenage years dreaming in front of maps or reading adventure stories. Exploring the woods is more likely what developed his taste for discovery and his passion for nature. He spends his childhood years in Switzerland. First in Fontainemelon in the Ruz valley (Neuchâtel district) then at the Charbonnières in the Joux valley (Vaud district). Both times, the forest edges the family property. A perfect opportunity for a child to go on wonderful « exploration » adventures. On foot and with his bicycle he spent many hours exploring the surrounding mountains, developing thus a real pleasure for sport and the physical aspect of discovery. Doing athletics, in particular decathlon competitions, he believes then to have found a way to answer his underlying need to go beyond oneself physically. |
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
| Reaching national level however and discovering that to some competing also meant taking chemical boosts, he quits athletics altogether and turns himself to sports more in tune with his idea of a challenge. He develops a passion for mountain climbing, canyon rafting (with a bit of speleology) and parachuting. These sports combine to make him discover large horizons and a new approach to adapting to potentially hostile environments. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Through these he also starts questioning the fact that Man has explored it all and knows all, as suggested by his teachers at school. School is stifling for Christian and his lack of interest for studies and the future it could open to him, make him an average student. On the side though he concentrates on learning what seems more appropriate to him in terms of opening oneself to new horizons: Astronomy and anything linked to space for example. His need to seek « elsewhere » and a deep curiosity for the surrounding world developed while exploring forests drive him more and more away from his school books. This very same curiosity pushes him to enrol in the extra curriculum theatre course that opens at school. He only has a vague idea of what acting means and this move will be a revelation to him. He found entering a new role to he similar to exploring a new location. Starting from very little, building an image around, learn as much as possible about it then interpret as best as you can to bring to life to what was originally a mere idea or desire. After several years in amateur theatrical he enters the Swiss conservatory, then moves to Paris to work for several years as actor. Quickly he allies his taste for athletics to acting and becomes a stunt artist (specialising in theatrical stunt plays) he will then follow to direct such plays. |
||||||||||||||||||||
| Although set to the side, his taste for travels never leaves him. Swiss-French mountains are soon not enough for him and although aspiring to new horizons his acting career leaves little room for it. Everything turns over though in the spring of 1999. As he is planning to do to Nepal with the painter Karine Meuzard, they both suddenly realise that going so far to do exactly the same thing as they would in the Alps, which is to climb to the top of a mountain, to come down and to go back home, seems pointless. More so as while studying the terrain to find a summit that has not yet been climbed they realise that Nepal is known for only three to four areas. The rest of the country is practically unknown. They decide to change their plans and to use the same budget to stay five months and make a round trip of the country which is 800 km long by 200 km large and takes your from subtropical forests (the Teraï) to the highest summit in the world. | ||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
They will do as planned during the winter of 1999-2000 and it will be a revelation. In a country supposedly well known, they will meet men who had never seen white people before, find areas unregistered on maps and hundreds of unclaimed summits. A profound change of mind as regards to the nature of discovery and what man truly knows about the Earth ensues. Crossing territories they did not know also gives them a foretaste or what it could be to explore tropical forest zones, deserts or seas. In other words a vast array of rich environments to discover. |
|||||||||||||||||||
| From then on, Christian Clot’s life is spent working on the stage and going on expeditions until in 2004 he decides to solely concentrate on exploration. Crossing South America, exploring mountains, Greenland, refining his sailing skills… he learns about and gets a feel of all the possible different environments the Earth has to offer. In 2006 he becomes the first man to have ever entered in solo and come back from the centre of the Cordillera Darwin in the Tierra del Fuego and the first French man in forty years to receive the honour of naming two summits in Chile. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| His taste for creation and communication push him to share his adventures as well as those of other explorers through books, films and conferences. He also helps science by performing experiments and gathering samples and helps physiologic research on the capacity of man to adapt to extreme conditions. Christian’s expeditions have won him many awards through his books and films. He is a member of the Society of French Explorers, of the Geographic Society and of the American Explorer‘s Club. Today, still intent on discovering the world, he is preparing new adventures with the same intent to tell, opening thus a door for others to dream about away from the difficult times we must share now. |
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
| Christian Clot is member of the Société des Exlorateurs Français, of the Société de Géographie and of the Explorer’s Club. Medals for Geography (Thomas Allix Award) The Angles Grand Prix The René Caillé Award Antoine de Caune Award |
||||||||||||||||||||
| May 25, 1972: Born in Neuchâtel (Switzerland). 1992: Leaves the Acting Conservatory – Goes to Canada then to France. 1990-1999: Climbs several summits in the Alps, opens canyons, and obtains his Parachute licence. 1999-2000: First expedition, round trip of Nepal on foot. 2002-2003: Expedition in South America, first understanding of solitude in extreme territories. 2004: Publication of Amérique du Sud (ABM-Ultimaterra). December 2004: First expedition at the Cordillera Darwin, at the core of tempests. 2005: Film Au cœur des tempêtes. January-February 2006: Second expedition at the Cordillera Darwin with scientists. October-December 2006: Third and final expedition at the Cordillera Darwin in solo. June 2007: Publication of Ultima Cordillera, la dernière terre inconnue (Arthaud). November 2007: Publication of 100 ans d'explorations (Glénat). 2008: Dive Master licence – Location spotting in Costa Rica and at the Spitsberg. 2007-2008: Co-Expedition Manager for the Antinea Foundation to set up and organize their ocean expedition (expedition to leave Summer of 2009) |
||||||||||||||||||||