COPIAPO | FILM COMPLET, en VTT à 6000 m

COPIAPO | FILM COMPLET, en VTT à 6000 m

I’m going to… I’m going to… It’s here… It’s here! The Copiapo! The Copiapo… I’m not going to make it!… Come on! Come on, let’s not give up! Come on! – Are you okay, Fanny?
– No. Do you think you can climb to the top? Yes? “Les mains libres production and Pics prod Visuals” – I didn’t hear what he said.
– He said yes. “present…” “a film by Alexis Righetti” “Haute Garonne, France” Hello, Dimitri? Yeah! I’m calling you because
I have a special plan to propose to you. Yeah? I’m planning on taking a bike to the highest peaks you can ride on the planet. Peaks over 6,000 meters high. Are you up for it? I’m always up for it! I’ve never let you down! On the other hand,
it’s going to be more difficult than usual… Because we usually joke ? I know it’s going to be serious with you. But I’m in good shape, don’t worry! I’m doing a 120 km ride, I’ve been training for weeks. You’re the one who’s going to suffer! Dimitri, in terms of physical fitness,
he’s a machine! For example, a 1500 meter portage ride is already a big outing for me… And he counts it as a recovery ride compared to his road bike training. It’s a mountain bike expedition, but we’re going to need to do approaches in pickup trucks, on rough terrain. And we need someone who really knows how to fix cars, good at mechanics. And you’re the best mechanic I know. We’ve given it our all! You give me the dates and I’ll see what I can do. Okay, I’ll let you organize yourself, we’ll call back soon. “Pyrenees, France” Pierre, he’s an outdoor sports whiz! He’s always amazed me! He’s naturally good. As soon as he starts a new sport, a month later, he’s reached the top level in that sport. He’s just not afraid of anything. That’s not a given for him. Whoa, there’s a lifeline… Okay… You mustn’t fall… Of course, that can be a problem. Do you trust me, Alex? You know! But on the other hand, when it comes to learning speed, there’s nothing better! “In front of the Pic du Midi, Pyrenees” Yeah, Alex! When there’s something at stake,
when there are real risks, I’m blunt with my teammates. In fact, I never try to convince them. On the contrary, I paint the situation from the most negative angle possible. That way, we’re ready to handle anything that can go wrong. It’s simple: at 6,000 meters, there’s 50% less oxygen. So, we’re going to struggle, that’s for sure! I’m 21 years old…
I’ve only been in the mountains for 5 years. And Chile is truly another dimension. “Pic de Salsa, Ubaye, Alps” Triple check! Bravo! It’s a beautiful summit! Yeah, but we’re only at 3,300 meters… We get restricted too quickly in the Alps! Is 3,300 not enough for you?
Don’t you want to sit down for 5 minutes? Above 6,000 meters, you inevitably think of the Himalayas… But those are endless glacial approaches, very steep peaks, so not at all suitable for cycling. The Andes are the only mountain range where you have peaks over 6,000 m accessible by bike. The central part of the Andes is magnificent! They are large high-altitude deserts, exclusively mineral. I know the region a little, because I went there to work and ski on volcanoes. These are mountains that are extremely wild, remote… It’s magnificent, there’s no one there. It’s crazy! You’re at the end of the world! Are we sure we want to go to this area? Are you sure Copiapo is a good choice? Anyway, it’s not on this map. So why did you take this map? Because it’s the only one that exists. And to the south, we don’t have a map? No, there’s Google Maps. And what do you see on Google Maps? There are still contour lines. It really looks great. The other peaks are in groups. This one is really the big isolated peak. And it’s normally done from the north face? The north face corresponds to the south face… We’re in the southern hemisphere… Now, the problem is starting! “Queyras, French Alps” My goal has always been to invent, to imagine new downhill lines in the mountains… And to be able to ride by MTB peaks never before reached by bike. You have to be creative to imagine lines in the mountains, to remove all the unknowns and implement the necessary means to succeed. It’s as much a sporting pleasure as it is a creative one. It’s true that in Chile, there were a lot of unknowns! I’d like them to calculate slope angles. In 1 cm, you have 500 meters. You calculate the tangent, and that’s it! Opposite, adjacent, you don’t have the hypotenuse. It’s an environment that has a completely different scale from what we know in the Alps. There, you don’t count in kilometers, but in tens of kilometers. That’s a kilometer. One kilometer! Do you want to go up there? 30 degrees. 30° is good. Up to 35, it’s fine. But you see, the slightest measurement deviation
makes crazy degrees. The real unknown is mainly the type of rock. Because 30° with small pebbles is easy… Whereas 20° with big rocks, that doesn’t work. It’s not good! But the inclination of these volcanoes seems doable. Yeah. Okay, perfect! Chile combines all the difficulties! First there are the problems related to the high altitude, the lack of oxygen, the extreme temperatures. I’m going to do a test at -15°C. We’ll see what the bike says! It’s completely frozen! What’s the derailleur saying? Fork oil is no good! To that, we must add the problems
related to the desert environment, because we were in the driest area in the world… At least, one of the driest areas in the world. So, there are also the problems related to the lack of water, the sun, the dust… Everything related to the desert. And of course, there’s the isolation. The nearest village is a day’s 4×4 ride away. We had no guide, no driver, no film crew, no technical support. So we had to be organized and rigorous. We couldn’t forget anything. And I was fine with taking care of it, because it’s in my personality. Fanny organized almost everything on her own,
with Pierre’s help. We’ll have to fit everything into the bags. And that’s not all… We’re 100 grams overweight. Fanny cuts all the straps that are no longer needed, inside the bags. We cut everything we can! We’ve already removed all that! And what’s more, since she works at the hospital, she’s kind of become our medical expert… Even if she hates us saying that! I’m not a nurse! But I do have some knowledge, and I’ve updated it. Fanny is preparing the survival kit. What do you put in it? Medication to manage altitude sickness… The body isn’t made to withstand
5,000 or 6,000 meters for long, especially with the efforts we’re going to make. The major risks were pulmonary edema and cerebral edema. So, know how to recognize the signs and react quickly. I have blackouts. I’m afraid of fainting… And do we take the satellite phone? There’s no mountain rescue up there… So we have to rely only on ourselves. We’re not going to bother with that! It weighs at least 250 grams! Anyway, in case of serious injury, up there, it’s: painkiller, something to stop the bleeding and get back down on our own. Can I still cancel? Too late, we’ve bought the tickets! We’re getting the money ready for the car. So I take out 1.8 million pesos. like that we already have a wad of 1.8 It’s not often that you have 1.8 million in hand! “Day 0” What’s better: the machine or the man? On your left, ladies and gentlemen: the Pacific Ocean! “Morale / Physical Fitness / Acclimatization” We stop when we’re exhausted! In fact, we’re already exhausted! Luckily we have Air France blanket! Thank you! We can’t say it enough… This is what we’re going to use the most in the expedition! But wait, don’t you have your Air France blanket? I won’t lend you my Air France blanket! And especially since I had mine stolen! We bought RAB duvets for €1,000!… And there’s a fight over the Air France blankets! We go into this room… You immediately feel like you’re at an altitude of 6,000 m! We recovered old cardboards to protect the car… Gasoline cans… We use a windshield washer can to put gasoline in the stove. Nice and clean! Limpio! Bastard! Let’s go! “Day 4” Let’s go! I can feel it! The landscape is starting to become inspiring! We just passed a sign that said the next gas station was 440 km away. That’s a lot! 440 km! Decisions about the route we’re taking. How are you, Pierre? Is it better than the Opel Corsa? Actually, we’re going towards the green thing there. We went up this valley. Or… Or that one? No, it’s that one. So we’re somewhere there. You see, the summit is there. I’d say we’re there,
because you see there’s a valley crossroads… It’s far away… First camp! There’s water, it’s crazy! “Valley with no name” I’d say to stay on “start” while it heats up… First truly Chilean meal! Chilean in our own way… “Chilean”, you have to say it quickly. “Day 5” We’re going to attempt a summit over 4000. We’re going to try to ride that summit. The antecime seems pretty good. The summit section… we’ll see… 50 minutes for 280 meters of elevation gain. We’re good! We’re consistent with Fanny’s pulse. 137, 142 on Fanny’s pulse. I’m starting to feel the effects of the altitude, my head a little less lucid. Look at this crazy thing! This is crazy! The transparency! I’m exhausted after last night… If you ever want to be in front of me, it’s today! Stop! He’s doing that, but he’s going to leave me behind! He climbed quietly behind me to save himself… – He’s going to give you a hard time!
– But of course! Look at his face! He’s annoying! Wait… Oh! They really run?! When we first were on a peak over 4,000 meters, we felt like we were the first humans to land on Mars. We were on a summit among thousands around, and everything could be done by bike! You could stay six months,
you wouldn’t have done the tour. We weren’t very high, we didn’t have too many acclimatization problems, we were happy, we had adrenaline, we were good. Let’s go! Let’s see what happens! At that moment, I really had a feeling of serenity… The light was beautiful… The friends… Everything seemed simple. It’s so cool! Oh Didi! It’s so beautiful! Yes! It’s so cool! It’s a habit to get into… At that moment, there was a kind of serenity. We felt strong, we thought we were going to swallow the peaks of Chile. Smiling until then! It’s so cool! And we found this spot so easily! Can you believe it? First ride: a cool thing!… But we didn’t know yet what awaited us… We’re changing camp locations… To go up. We’re going to try to settle in at over 4000 m… With a camp at 4200-4300. The car is starting to have difficulties. We’re not used to using pickup trucks. We were gone for a month. We had planned to do rotations of about 7 days, before returning to civilization. So we had to be self-sufficient for 7 days. This means 4-5 liters of water per person, 7 days, 5 people: 140 liters of water. Look! It’s like a wine cellar! Yeah, like a wine cellar… And you have to add the bikes and the repair equipment… that makes a total of over 300 kg of equipment. The pickup truck was the only viable solution to successfully complete this expedition. However, pickup trucks are not a magic solution! It’s out the window to vomit! Easy! No! More jolts… Shift into third, Fanny! We’re going to finish him off! That involves a lot of risk logistics … Is that a good idea?… We decided to take two vehicles. We wanted to be sure that
if we had a problem with one of the vehicles, we could return to civilization. We’ve come across people who’ve broken down at 4,000 meters,
with exhausted engines, whom we’ve had to tow. At least we had a backup solution. We rented two pickup trucks, two pickup trucks with different characteristics. The gray one has more breath! It was more acclimated to the altitude! They reacted differently to the altitude… As did we! I’m flat out! The engine is really struggling… at 4,000 meters, you lose about 50% on a turbo engine. But now we’ve lost more than 50%! This isn’t right… There’s a problem! I had some experience, I have a pickup truck at home myself, but I use it in the forest, not in the mountains at 5,000 meters in the rocks. The coolant is boiling!
It’s not normal… It’s hot. I don’t understand, the sensor is good in the car. So, we took out the air filter
and turned the heating on full blast. It’s going to quickly become unbearable! Driving a 4×4 can’t be improvised. You can quickly break everything! It’s a habit to get into, trajectories to know, knowing how to use the 4-wheel drive, reduced gearing… it’s learned and everyone quickly got the hang of it. If you feel the engine weakening… A left turn, a turn towards negative and you’ll regain power. You have to react quickly. Okay, it works. Are you going in front? Yes. He’s trying to get into dynamics. This rusty heap is having trouble… It stinks of burnt-out! It stalled! “Day 7” Too bad, he was almost there. It was beautiful! Nice try. They’re going to try a simpler track, which goes behind, over there. Even if we removed the air filter, it’s not enough! Come on, grandpa! Come on, come on, come on! Problem: the temperature indicator has gone up to the max… Did it vulcanize the tire?! Is it the exhaust fumes? It must have heated up! There’s nothing for miles… or even dozens of miles around. “Codocedo Plateau” To acclimatize, we spent 2 weeks climbing higher and higher peaks. Go on, climb. To build up our red blood cell count, and then be able to withstand 6,000 meters… …without suffering too much. “Day 8” It smells like a hassle plan! – Titouan forgot his helmet!
– I’m going to put the hat on… Go! Alexis: 4, Pierre: 2… Wait, he has one worth 2. No, no, the small tire plug is worth 1/2… He only had small tire plugs! “Day 9” I have to hyperventilate… It’s pedaling in the semolina! Soon the altitude of Mont Blanc! “the Pyramid” Raise your arms! Come on 4850! What a pleasure to be here with you! There’s a lack of oxygen above,
we have to be careful! Let’s go! “Day 10” The wind is in our face! “Nameless Peak” We can’t make a single descent without a puncture… It’s really exhausting. – My head hurts…
– The bar is starting to get terrible. “Day 13” The team is exhausted… Didi, how’s the altitude going? I’m fine. Titouan, you? My hands are cold… And Fanny? The body language doesn’t encourage optimism… That’s good! We’re the ones opening the border. “Chile – Argentina Border” “Day 15” No, it’s Didi! That’s not good! Excellent! That’s the definition of… …hell on earth. “Day 17” – We’re almost at 5000!
– Yeah, great! We’ve arrived. 5080 meters. The first of the big peaks! Pastilitos! We’re so small… It’s so cool! It’s so beautiful here! It was very hard to climb but I feel good. But I was very slow… Didi, the altitude? It doesn’t affect you at all. For me, dealing with the altitude is fine, it’s dealing with Pierre playing tarot that’s hard… That bodes well for what’s to come! It’s hard here! These big rocks! This one’s coming towards us! It starts from there, it swirls around and comes back! Damn, there’s a lightning! A lightning just struck!… Right on the hill opposite! Guys, we have to turn around! There are lightnings everywhere! We’re going to get hit by lightning in the 4x4s… If the storm is coming , it’s clear! It’s the only metallic thing on the horizon! We have to hurry! Do you think it’s better
to move the bikes away from the cars? If lightning hits one, the others have a chance! Decision! Do we stay or not? Putting everything in the cars takes fifteen minutes, right? Stop talking, put the bikes in the cars! Pass me that, Fanny! We’re leaving urgently because… …with the rain, we’re not sure
we’ll be able to get the 4x4s out of this valley. So let’s hurry! We mustn’t go too fast, but not too slowly either, because if we get bogged down here… We decided to flee, but the question was: where? The peaks we wanted to reach
were on the other side of the salar (salt flat). And we could see that the further east we went in the range, the worse the conditions were. We had a month to reach 6,000 meters… We were stagnating… we hadn’t climbed in altitude for two weeks, so we weren’t improving our acclimatization. And at one point we thought: too bad, we’ll still cross the salar and attempt higher peaks, even if it felt like walking into the lion’s den. “Day 19” We set off off-road with a half-dead 4×4… We’re gamblers! It’s crazy! We’re setting up camp there! We were driving in first gear the whole time… We stopped because we couldn’t go any further. We almost crashed twice… And then I was at a standstill, I turned around as soon as I could… There, we gave it our all! Anyway, here, it’s perfect for a camp! I would have put it there… To shelter from the storm? “Buttress of the Wheelright” Who chooses the suit? The declarer will take the discard in his game, and will make the discard. And who decides to bet? We’re playing tarot at 4600 m! Currently, it’s the highest tarot in the world. It’s a little threatening, I hope it won’t rain. – Who cut there?
– Dimitri. So tomorrow… … it’s going to be another story! Is it 5400 meters tomorrow? Yes, 5400. At 5100 meters, we weren’t so bad. 300 meters. 300 meters more? I have the feeling we’re going to be tortured tomorrow. If we get caught in a thunderstorm at 5,000 meters,
it won’t be the same as at camp, like last time. We’ll go back down to camp if the weather turns bad… It must be… -10°C… We’ve passed 5,000 meters… There’s still 400 meters of elevation gain to go. But… the peak looks impossible with the hard snow. What altitude are we at? We’re at 5,230 meters. I can’t take it anymore. It’s hard… I’m experiencing altitude sickness… Everyone’s exhausted… We’re on a super steep slope. There are 60 meters left to the summit. I was struggling today, I was lagging behind. So, because of the bad weather, I let them finish the summit. I had less than 100 meters left… Fanny left the bike further down
because it was very technical. We arrive with Titouan… 5,400! We did the final part… in “speed” mode, because the storm is forming. Well done, man! “Wheelright secondary peak” How’s the blood? How’s it going. Here we go? It’s hard! Oh it’s hard! Otherwise, put a foot down, no problem! Rock!… Damn it! There’s no air here?! Wait! Let’s think about the route, How was it? Yeah, it’s better now… So cool! Excellent! You’re the man, Alex! We’re pushing ourselves to the limit! Thanks for waiting for me. The descent was fun! That’s when you think: our atmosphere, how thin it is! Time to get moving. We put away the tarot. It’s worrying. We moved the bikes away, at different distances from the camp. That way, if lightning strikes here, it will only destroy one bike. We doubt it. I wouldn’t say we’re bored in the car, but… Fanny is writing her travel memoirs. Pierre is reading a self-help manual. It’s going to be even worse… Is there any sauce left somewhere? Didn’t we have something sweet to eat? No. That lightning struck the plain, I think, Pierre. Ahead… So we’re leaving tomorrow, but where are we going? What would you do? You’re all alone, you decide. If I were all alone, I’d go back further… Your turn, Fanny. Me, two options. We absolutely have to continue acclimatizing. I don’t know if it’s a good idea, this week, to go further south towards Copiapo, compared to the 4x4s, actually. I don’t know, I trust you on that, Dimitri. Dimitri doesn’t know any better… Yes, but you’re the one who knows… mechanics, me… Oh no, no… The pressure! No! It’s a tough decision. But are you’re trumping hearts.? It’s still snowing. Wait, it’s not over! We’re moving the 4x4s. So they don’t get snowed in. Turn! This way! Do we agree that we’re not staying in this area? We have to leave, yeah. Otherwise we’ll get stuck with the 4x4s in the snow. And the plain… with the snow melting, if it turns to mud… I don’t know if we’ll be able to cross that… Okay, we’ll get through the plain… Once we’re on the road,
we’ll either go to Copiapo or Argentina. After that, we’ll be able to tackle the 6,000. Anyway, here we won’t be able to… Damn it! You don’t want to get back in the 4x4s? Alexis still wants to be in the 4x4s… Dimitri doesn’t care! It’s crazy! I don’t understand… Plus, the grey truck has broken down… We have to be careful! It’s not broken down, it’s sick. We just have to go to the border… And we’ll see what we can do. We go to the border, we’ll see what it’s like… Can’t we ride? The decision isn’t very clear. Can we ride? We’ll see what we can and can’t ride. Unbelievable! We’re at the North Pole! The Vitus is going to be heavy. It’s the brakes that aren’t working anymore. Yes it’s okay… The power of the AXS! Look, we’re clearing the derailleur cassette! We’re packing up camp.
We don’t want to be stuck in a snowstorm and a thunderstorm at the altitude of Mont Blanc. But there’s work to be done. It really seems like… …the mountain doesn’t want us. We set off from Wheelright Peak at 5400, it went averagely. Alexis had his first serious failure, between 5000 and 5200 m. There’s nothing you can do with the snow… It’s not going to melt right away here, and on the summits, forget it! We’ve done all we can. But it’s so beautiful, it feels like the Great North. It’s not necessarily a good idea to go higher right away, but we don’t have much time left. At that point, we headed straight for a 6,000m summit, because we had to take advantage of the weather window. We’re going to attempt our first 6,000! Nevado Tres Cruces Norte! “Day 21” Normally, there should be a track… If we’re not on a track, it’s weird… it smells like freeriding… We need to build up momentum for this hill, because the white one has no power, Didi. Pierre, we’re counting on you! – Are we going up there?
– Is that a good idea? Not great to get stuck in there… I think we can get it to that valley… Maybe… it’ll be close. If you get it to the big rock up there, in my opinion, it’s the end of the world. Have you ever seen me so focused? End of story! Okay. So, we decide to set up camp at 5000. I had a bad feeling because the previous camp was at 4600. We had all already slept badly… Perfect! At 5000, it’s pretty! It’s crazy cold… Everyone is lost! It’ll be better when we’re rested… So now we’re sleeping at 5000 meters. It’s incredible! At your normal breathing rate, you can’t harvest enough oxygen. And when you fall asleep, the breathing rate slows down a little… This calming makes you suffocate as you start to fall asleep. In fact, you spend your time falling asleep… …and waking up from lack of oxygen. So the nights are torture! Horrible night… Impossible to breathe… “Day 22” We didn’t even sleep 2 hours. Not one of us slept properly. We’re all in a funk, but everyone’s excited, it’s the first 6000. This day is an important day. The bikes slept there! Poor things! I’m sure they slept better than us. It’s not wrong… We’re going to have a hard time today. It’s terribly cold. And we’re going to be exposed to the wind, soon. In fact, we really messed up from start to finish. Everyone messed up. It was much colder than expected… I really wasn’t sure… what weather window we were going to catch… or not manage to catch, for that matter! These ice penitents are annoying… It’s impossible to go through! We have to get down! It’s starting to snow… Very quickly, we lose Fanny, who is very cold, who has frostbite. Back to the 4×4 for her… it’s annoying! So already, it’s starting to disperse. We have to go over the pass there… then turn around to go to the summit there. I arrived first at the pass, I was still unsure about the route because there,
we see a real glacial section in front of us. A wall of ice 10 meters high… So there, I tell myself that maybe… we won’t be able to go to the summit… But we see… a line that allows us to climb higher. So we decide to go there. We’re lucky that there’s a dry passage
that seems to go around to the left. I’ve never seen Dimitri like that. The higher we climb, the more I feel myself getting tired. I’d already had this experience a few years ago… Past 5500 meters… …I start to struggle! From the pass, Dimitri is very tired, but he has a fairly regular rhythm, so it doesn’t worry me. I have blackouts… I’m afraid of fainting… Around 5,500 meters… it felt like a blow to the back of my neck. And I couldn’t put one foot in front of the other. Blackouts… I’m unconscious for a split second, I come to, I say to myself: “Hey, I’m standing!” It really scared me. But the problem is that he still wants to continue. So, Pierre and I, who are in a good state… We’re torn… We decide to help him carry his bike. They carried the bike for 50 meters. I can’t take it anymore… I have all the symptoms of altitude sickness.
I want to throw up! But I say to myself: is it a good thing, to continue climbing in his state? I’m carrying Alex’s bike up the slope. And I’m thinking… aren’t we leading him towards cerebral edema, something irreversible? Isn’t it better to go back down rather than help him go up, …even though he keeps saying he wants to continue? Wait! It’s a little better. Maybe I can start again, I don’t know. Right now we’re at 5,800… …70 meters. We’ve just been rowing… It was hell in soft ground. We’re 700 meters away from going. And 100 meters to go to the summit. That’s it, we’ve just passed 5,900 meters. Tres Cruces is a volcano. All the peaks there were volcanoes, but this one was particularly volcano-shaped, with the arc of the ridge around the crater. The maps are completely inaccurate. Tres Cruces is a point on a 100,000 scale map. We took a route that took us
to the middle of this mountain range, and when we got there, we thought we’d reached the summit. So what does that say? Incredible! We reached the secondary peak… and we realized that the summit was completely on the other side of the crater. And there, you first go into denial. You say to yourself: we’re at a high point… Visually, we have the impression
that we’re more or less at the top. Come on, we did it! Little by little, you start to think: “No, you’re not at the top! If you say you did the Tres Crucès by bike… it’s not true! That’s another level of difficulty. You can’t say you did it. We’re waiting for Alexis. Pierre is young, he’s fiery. He’s still very fit physically. He says: “I’m going, by the time Alexis arrives, I’ll do the round trip, at least I’ll have made the summit and I’ll come back!” He leaves, he leaves alone. No repair equipment, no first aid kit, nothing. I really messed up. I set off alone towards the summit. The others didn’t know what I was going to do. I don’t know what he was thinking,
but when I arrived, he was already far up the ridge. It was a small point gone on the ridge. – Thanks guys!
– Well done Alex! “Tres Crucès Norte secondary summit” I have tears in my eyes… …you helped me so much! You’re strong! Is Pierre going to do it alone? Alexis arrives, Titouan says: “I’m fine too!” Come on, I’m going. I tell myself that I have the capacity to go to the summit. I join Pierre. To come back it’s going to be shit… In reality, we were no longer lucid at all with the altitude. In fact, at 6000 meters, you have no more reflection. All you think is an affirmation. I don’t realize that we’re going to reach 6000! Yeah, we’re really not far. Pierre and Titouan have left… to make the real summit. We’re exhausted. We’re going to try to avoid throwing up. I fall asleep for maybe 10 minutes. And I wake up. And then, almost all the symptoms
of altitude sickness have disappeared. I see the summit in front of me again and I say to myself: “I’m going to go!” It’s not possible, I have to go!” I go too. Given Alex’s condition, I said to myself, he’s going to land there, he’s not going to move at any time. And then, it’s total chaos. One leaves, the other goes in the other direction, there’s no team consultation, I’m grumpy. I don’t understand how it’s happening like this, normally we’re together. A surprise for you! Look at that! What does it say? No! “Altitude: 6000 m” That’s it! We’re ready! The four of us were in three different places, knowing that only Dimitri had kept the emergency equipment. We split up without knowing where nor when we were going to meet up. At no point did we consult each other about that. Aren’t we good here, at 6000? You get the impression that life’s worries no longer exist… Absolutely. “summit of Tres Crucès Norte” I had planned to take the ridge, make the summit, and return by the same route to the secondary summit. And I considered that Pierre and Titouan
were going to do that. And that inevitably, I was going to meet them. But that was my vision of things. Pierre and Titouan… …they did something completely different. The problem was that the slope we climbed was impossible to ride. It was really big rock. So, what I noticed was that when I arrived at the edge of the crater, opposite, there was this slope with a magnificent scree for riding that allowed you to ride to the lake in the crater. On the other hand, afterward,
we had to climb 200 meters to get out of the crater. Which was totally illogical to me because it meant they had gone back down much too far and they were thinking they were going to go back up. Which for me was unthinkable in terms of physical effort. Gorgeous! Great moment on the bike. It’s cool! It’s steep! 6,000 meters, man! We’re having a blast! You’re right, man! Make big tracks! It’s not every day we make them here! Obviously, we’re… so happy! Oh, this powder! We forgot to take a rock! We forgot to take a rock! The more time passed, the more I told myself that
I should have already crossed paths with them. Where are the others? At first, I was worried about them. Did something happen to them?
A mechanical problem? And after a while, I was worried about myself. Because I realized I was completely alone. I no longer had any teammates in sight, and no one knew what I was going to do. I don’t know where the others went… At that moment, you start to think… nothing really should happen to you! Oh man! We’re right in the middle of a volcano! Look at that! The whole way we went to the actual summit, we could see the two guys in front of us who were motionless. They were little dots. But so we knew where we had to go back. From the moment we descended into the crater, we started climbing back up,
and then I couldn’t see the two dots anymore. My thought at that moment was: Alexis’s condition had worsened, even though he didn’t feel too bad when he arrived, and they made the decision to go back down. The Nevado Tres Crucès Norte! Didi stayed there, the others went down I don’t know where. We tell ourselves that we still have to go check the point where we left them, and we have to do it quickly, time is running out! Now we have to leave the volcano! I didn’t take the time to sit down
and look at the landscape. Come on… I have to go back to Dimitri as quickly as possible. Before he leaves, because I didn’t know if he was going to wait for me or not. We hadn’t said anything to each other… I didn’t even put on my gloves! We have to get out of here! There are three guys in the high mountains, each wandering around on their own. Knowing that we had to go back down, that Fanny had been down there all along waiting for us, without having any news. I arrive at the place that was the most chaotic,
where we had to go back up. And there, I really felt worse than ever. All the symptoms of altitude sickness came back. At that moment, we joined Dimitri. Dimitri said to us: “But guys, didn’t you see Alex?” “No, we thought you had come back down, we couldn’t see you from the summit.” Dimitri said to me:
“But no, Alex made the round trip to the summit.” “Excuse me?” At that point, I had been at over 6000 for several hours. It had been at least an hour since I had seen anyone. And at one point, I felt like I was going to faint. Except that I told myself that if I fainted there,
I would die. And so, at one point, I put the bike down. I got on all fours in the snow, saying to myself: “Don’t faint, don’t faint, don’t faint.” Finally, I found a surge of strength and mental strength… I got the bike back on my back… And I finished covering the missing section of the ridge. Damn! We were really scared for him at that moment. Alexis was really not lucid, because this is something
he would never have done in the Alps. This shit is horrible! But what horror! He seemed quite relieved to see us. Are you better? No! Why do we have to leave? No, we have to rest! Wait, I’ll go get Didi. He’s sleeping. Oh Didi! I’m really angry, I think this could have ended really badly. We were no longer together, without knowing where his friend was, if he had fallen, if he had disappeared, if he had a problem, if he needed help. We were ultimately very lucky to find ourselves on this flat area, all four of us at roughly the same time. I thought it wasn’t managed well at all, and when they came back, I got really angry. I don’t want to be last. I feel really bad. Is everyone ready there? It’s on the left. Are you okay, Alex? Yeah. Did you pass between the two penitents on the way up? You have to go under the rock you see on the ridge. At that point, our emotions were very mixed. When we arrived at camp, I was torn, really torn because, on the one hand, Pierre and I
had an exceptional moment at the summit with the ride into the crater. As a result, I was frustrated
because I didn’t make it to the summit. Fanny stayed down. And at the same time,
I knew perfectly well that we messed up. We took enormous risks at that point. And it’s a bit as if that invalidated the success of the summit. We’re no longer in the same state of mind, in the group. We feel more like we’ve gotten out
of a tight spot without too much trouble, rather than having had a great mountain ride. We had a good debriefing later in the evening, and it took us a while to realize and especially to accept the mistakes we’d made. I don’t think anyone felt like they’d really succeeded at this summit. At that point, there’s always a clearing in the weather. “Day 24” It seems to be holding. So, we said to ourselves: “We’re going to move on to Copiapo right away. The real objective of the expedition!” It’s right over there. It’s a completely isolated peak. It’s much steeper, more rugged, and more interesting from a climbing and riding point of view. On the other hand, it is also more difficult to climb, because the difference in altitude is much greater, and the end is more “alpine”, more technical, steeper… And this one, we really intended to do it… …properly. “Copiapo Base Camp” Here we leave for two days. We are going to make a bivouac without a tent, right in the middle of the face. Our goal is to leave light on the first day, with the bivouac gear but without the tent. And we’re going to take the bikes up above the bivouac as high as we can… and then on the second day, retrieve them in the middle of the face and finish the summit. We’re not taking any water either, because there’s a bit of snow on the wall. The idea is that we’ll melt the water we’ll need. So we’re taking gas. We’re not taking our mountain bike protection either, because it’s too heavy. The only protective item we’re taking is our helmet. I’m already out of breath at the start,
so I don’t know what it’s going to be like. You’ve got a hole! That’s it, we’re carrying 24 kilos on our backs, bike + bivouac gear. And we’re approaching 5,000. We’re in a chaos of boulders! It wasn’t planned… The couloir we see is 1000 meters long, between 5000 and 6000. Success will depend on the type of rock in it. If it’s fine sand, we’ll never be able to climb with the bikes… If it’s big rocks, we’ll never be able to ride it. Very bad news… We had counted on the snow to get water… And since yesterday, it’s completely melted. We’re going to have to go higher
than halfway down the couloir. It’s going to be complicated for water! We’re at 5300. We have no idea where we’ll be able to set up camp… It’s a real pain… You forget the slope, you’re in a plane. Really! It’s worth the effort! There you go!
We’ve just made a magnificent platform at 5300. And we’re going to bring the bikes up
from the highest point, for tomorrow. I’m telling you, it’s a pile of sand. There are 550 meters left to the summit. Little bike, I’ll leave you here for the night. “Bike drop-off area” We’re off, heading back down. We’re getting water for the second day. “Bivouac on the north face” At that moment… our stove, which had been working for three weeks, broke down. At the worst possible moment. It’s the worst thing that can happen at that moment. Because, for one thing, we can’t heat up food for the evening. So… we’re making freeze-dried meals… …cold! We’ll see… It’s disgusting! But we need to eat. That’s not a big deal, actually… It’s al dente… But the real problem is that we haven’t been able to melt enough snow to replenish our water. At these altitudes, water is really essential. If you don’t have enough to drink, knowing that you consume more than at lower altitudes, you find yourself in a state
of complete exhaustion very quickly. We had time to melt about half the water we needed. Plus, there are storm clouds coming in. – Are you okay, Fanny?
– No… “Day 24” I have no energy left… I want to go home and see my mom! I spent the night gasping for air. No strength, I’m out of steam.. It’s almost hopeless. And now, we don’t have the bikes! I don’t know, I don’t know how we’re going to do… We start climbing slowly, all together, maybe 50 meters. Then, everyone has their own struggle. And then little by little, the group breaks out, two by two, then everyone on their own. When you start climbing and your arms are almost touching the ground, you say to yourself:
“with the bikes, it won’t be possible.” Bikes in sight. Once we got to where we had left the bikes, I decided to leave it there, not to take it any higher because I preferred to make sure I reached 6000 meters, the goal I had set for myself. I decided to leave the bike, I realize that I wouldn’t be able to climb it. Alexis, we know him, stubborn as a mule, if he came with a bike, it’s to take it to the top! I really don’t feel well… I’m going to climb until… …until I can’t anymore… He looks terrible, he climbs his bike notch by notch, meter by meter. We look at him: he’ll never reach the top! It’s over for him! Only 10 more times… Do you think you can go to the top? Yes? – I didn’t hear what he said.
– He said yes. How much elevation gain is left? 450? We had no more water, we had no more food, we had no more energy… In fact, we had nothing left. We really had to climb with nothing. Just with our mental strengths. There were 400 meters left. Didi has a mind! I found myself last again, extremely slow, I was climbing the bike step by step. I got behind him, really right behind him, and I stayed to support him. I don’t really remember what I told him to get there. It was really his goal and I absolutely wanted him to succeed. I asked him, how far are we? He said to me, okay, you’re at 6000, okay, I’m at 6000. I’ll stop there, that was enough for me, I was… I was in such a state of euphoria anyway, 6000 m! It’s really thanks to Fanny that I was able to make the climb. He gave it his all. He’s struggling to climb. And he’s hanging on like crazy. The final slope is “nice”. I don’t know how we’re going to get there… It’s horrible! I’ve never pushed my mind this far. I’m going to get there, damn it! I’m going to… It’s there! It’s there… It’s there! The Copiapo! The Copiapo… We’re all… destroyed! I have no more strength in my legs I have no more… I can’t even stop If I stop, I won’t keep going… I won’t keep going… Come on… I’m not going to make it! Come on! Come on, don’t give up! Come on, there are 5 meters left! Yes! Copiapo!! My god! It’s the result of a month of effort, acclimatization, endurance, mental strength, months of preparation. Copiapo! Copiapo!! It’s huge, man! Come on! Come on, man! Come on, Didi! Come on! Come on, 2 meters! Well done, man! You’re a machine! You’re really a machine! Can you believe that?
They’re carrying my bike? Well done, Alex! That’s great! – Thanks!
– Well done, Alex! I’m so happy it’s bringing tears to my eyes! What is it? What is it? At the top of Copiapo! Write something original! You have to leave me a strip like this, more or less. Are you ready? We’ve been waiting for this ride for a month! This project, the idea of ​​reaching a 6000 summit by bike, the idea of ​​taking a bike as high as possible on the planet… …I’ve had it in mind for 15 years. It’s the ride… …of our lives, guys! The ridge is still super complicated… We have to wait. I completely understand people who tell us… It’s completely stupid, do enduro, it’s simpler, more enjoyable, and they’re not wrong. But there’s another dimension, a nature dimension, a dimension “between friends”, since it’s precisely a small group of people who are capable of doing that, it strengthens the bonds. And we’re ultimately proud to arrive where few people have arrived before, sometimes no one. This expedition was a big slap in the face. It really made me realize something: The mountain, for me, is super important… And I’m going to make it my job. Go on, go! Oh, it’s hard there! Are you okay? Titouan is going to scout out over there, to see if we can get past the cornice. To go down behind it, because normally the scree behind is good. Okay, perfect! It’s okay! I feel like I’m going to slide all the way down! Those rocks are nasty there. A little to the right there, it looks like it’s okay… It’s better to go into the snow. This crazy view! Take the snow strip! Otherwise you’ll be stuck! “Produced by Raphaël Piccin Directed by Alexis Righetti” It’s huge!

Copiapo est le fruit d’un pari fou au cœur de la Cordillère des Andes : monter des vélos le plus haut possible sur la planète !
Durant un mois, Fanny Boissieras, Dimitri Garnier, Pierre Colpin, Titouan Mondet et Alexis Righetti se sont ainsi lancés dans une expédition hors norme. En autonomie complète, sans assistance ni oxygène, sans guide ni équipe de tournage, ils ont affronté des conditions extrêmes, amenant leurs VTT à plus de 6000 mètres d’altitude, là où l’air se raréfie et où chaque mouvement devient une lutte contre les éléments. Cette mission mêle ainsi les problématiques des milieux désertiques à celles de la très haute montagne. Des températures variant de +30°C à -20°C, le manque d’eau, l’isolement total et l’absence de possibilités de secours, un taux d’oxygène inférieur à 50%, des indices UV à plus de 20, des vents violents, des orages à haute altitude, la glace, la neige, les rochers, la poussière… chaque ascension a été un combat avec les éléments. Mais surtout, chaque ascension a été une lutte permanente avec soi-même alors que la force mentale devient la seule source d’énergie disponible.
Et bien sûr, tout cela en ajoutant une difficulté majeure : être capable de monter son VTT et de rider à une altitude où le cerveau perd une grande partie de sa lucidité, ce qui a conduit à de nombreux échecs, abandons et prises de risques.
Mais au-delà de la performance sportive et du dépassement de soi, au-delà des descentes en VTT, Copiapo est un voyage à travers certains des paysages les plus spectaculaires et inaccessibles du monde. Copiapo transmet le goût de l’aventure.

Une production LES MAINS LIBRES PRODUCTION
Coproduit par : PICSPROD & WAKEUP MOUNTAINS
Réalisé par Alexis Righetti
Produit par Raphaël Piccin
Musique originale composée par Fabien Auguy

Magasin d’équipements vélo :
Probikeshop : https://probikeshop.fr/

Vélo d’Alexis Righetti :
Vitus Sommet : https://vitusbikes.com/collections/sommet

Préparateur des suspensions :
LPDV : https://www.lpdvsuspension.com/

Protections VTT :
MET Parachute MCR : https://probikeshop.fr/products/casque-vtt-met-parachute-mcr-mips-noir-mat?_pos=20&_fid=e72ce9a77&_ss=c
Coudières Bluegrass Solid D30 : https://amzn.to/4kTExpc
Genouillères Bluegrass Solid D30 : https://amzn.to/4dRdMQ1

Magasin d’équipements montagne :
Chullanka : https://www.chullanka.com/fr_FR/

Vêtements thermiques :
Brubeck : https://brubeck.fr/fr

MATERIEL DE REPARATION VELO :
Mini couteau Gerber : https://amzn.to/3HgFBF2
Mini clef à cliquet Topeak : https://amzn.to/4mnPYqL
Pompe : https://amzn.to/3H1BbC7
Chambres à air Tubolito : https://amzn.to/44Erm6Q

MATERIEL DE SECURITE :
Tel satellite Garmin : https://amzn.to/3S9FpK8
Frontale Petzl : https://amzn.to/3H1J76f
Sacs étanches Sea to Summit : https://amzn.to/3bWdPtq
Couverture de survie : https://amzn.to/2wtSOpH
Micropur : https://amzn.to/2PbtLhY

MATERIEL VIDEO :
Caméra Sony : https://amzn.to/3z5Umo6
Drone : https://amzn.to/4845CPZ
Gopro : https://amzn.to/3SIC7hX

Important :
Les objets cités ou visibles dans ce film, y compris les serviettes de la compagnie aérienne, sont présentés à des fins purement scénographiques ou narratives. Dans le cadre du tournage, ces serviettes nous ont été laissées à disposition par l’équipage au moment du débarquement suite à demande de l’équipe, sans intention de nuire ou d’enfreindre les règles de la compagnie. Aucun objet, en dehors de ceux fournis par les sponsors officiels du film, n’est utilisé à des fins commerciales ou promotionnelles. Enfin, ce film ne constitue en aucun cas une incitation à détourner des biens ni à reproduire des comportements non conformes aux usages.