The UM at the summit of Mont Blanc

[Article] - Published on February 20, 2019 in Environmental Issues and Social Responsibility, Enriching Your Education, Sports

Taking Montpellier University to the top of Europe was the goal of a project carried out by students and teachers from SUAPS. Their climb up Mont Blanc took place from September 10 to 16. Here's their story.

"Climbing Mont Blanc requires not only incredible physical effort but also real mental strength. For me, the end of the climb turned into a real psychological challenge!" recalls Camille.

Intensive course

Last year, the sixth-year medical student took part in an intensive hiking course in the mountains organized by SUAPS, the university's physical education and sports department. Three days and two nights at the Font Romeu altitude training center with a single motto: pushing oneself beyond one's limits in the face of cold, stress, lack of sleep, and the physical and mental fatigue inherent in endurance efforts in the mountains. "During this trip, we wanted to identify the profiles best suited to the project, which was then in its infancy, of bringing together students from different parts of the university who had never practiced mountaineering before around a common goal: climbing Mont Blanc, " SUAPS told us.

Unforgettable climb

At the beginning of September, Noémie, a student atthe Montpellier-Sète University Institute of Technology, Pablo, a doctoral student, and Justine and Benjamin, students atthe Staps Faculty, met up with Camille at the foot of the Alpine peaks. After two days of acclimatization at an altitude of 2,700 meters and a crash course in glacier walking, the five students began their ascent of Europe's highest peak on September 14. The two-day climb was supervised by three SUAPS teachers and two experienced mountain guides. "On the edge of the Crête des Bosses, we sometimes had only 20 cm of width to walk on, with a precipice on either side! " recalls Noémie, both nostalgic and moved as she recalls the immense joy, laughter, tears, and general euphoria at the team's perilous arrival at an altitude of 4,808 meters.

Sustainability?

"Meeting people from different backgrounds, learning to live together, supporting each other through tough times... The benefits of this incredible human adventure will undoubtedly serve us well in the future. During our internships, at the end of our studies, and then in our respective professional lives," says the young woman, who, nearly six months after the climb, seems to have already forgotten the pain of frostbite, cramps, and blisters, altitude sickness, and the gradual lack of oxygen during the effort, retaining only the best of her experience. "Provided that new teachers get involved, this project could be continued in the future," explains the SUAPS management today, as if in response to the massive enthusiasm of students from all departments for this sporting project, which is both unifying and rich in emotion and humanity.

The climb up Mont Blanc by Camille, Noémie, Benjamin, Pablo, and Justine was financially supported by the Student Initiative Solidarity and Development Fund (FSDIE).

Keywords: Students, Sport, University