Erwan Legrand, 16, who in 2022 at age 14 climbed a 5.14c barefoot – story right here – has made the primary ascent of a longstanding challenge at Gorges du Tarn, France, known as Les Loges do la Fuite. Legrand is the son of legendary French climber and coach Francois Legrand.
About his ship, he mentioned on 8a.nu, “After an extended relaxation, I made two different makes an attempt however fell on the first crux. It was irritating after being so shut on my first attempt, however I gave it one other attempt. I managed the primary boulder with a number of margins, then climbed fairly simply as much as the ultimate crux. I felt fairly contemporary and decided, so I gave the whole lot I had and eventually made that final transfer. I used to be actually blissful about that ship particularly as a result of it was actually sudden. Concerning the grade, it positively didn’t really feel like a 9a [5.14d] as I used to be in a position to ship it in solely two days however the subsequent one will inform. The route is superb with very stunning holds in an ideal wall, and I actually cherished it, I hope extra folks will attempt it.”
Son of a mountain information, Francois Legrand left house in 1988, aged 18, and lived in a collapse Buoux. He then began to compete on the nationwide degree and lived in a condominium with Japanese climber Yuji Hirayama. By 2003, Legrand received 5 Lead Climbing World Cups (1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997), three consecutive Lead Climbing World Championships (1991, 1993, 1995) and 4 Rock Masters.
When Francois was 16, like his son is now, he suffered a damaged again in a climbing fall. Learn an excerpt from a 2011 interview in United Athletes Journal the place he particulars the accident beneath.
Legrand Interview 2011
Thomas: At 16 years previous, you had a 20 meter fall. Are you able to inform me the place this accident occurred?
François: After I was an adolescent, I began to climb so much alone or with my faculty pals. I used to be 16 and we had been mountaineering the second we had time, which means in the course of the faculty holidays. I feel it was Thanksgiving in 1986. We went to Buoux (France), one of the vital recognized cliffs, at the moment and I knew it fairly nicely already. We camped on the base of the cliff.
On a morning the place I used to be not fully awake, I went on the nice and cozy up route of a 7a citation. From the bottom, we didn’t see the highest of the route! It turned out to be longer then what we anticipated and I had a too brief rope. I didn’t even take into consideration that and we didn’t do a knot on the finish. Sadly once I was happening the stopper didn’t see the top and I fell. It was an abrupt cease. I had extreme accidents and I needed to be hospitalized for a very long time. I had been advised that I’d by no means rock climb once more or have the ability to do any sports activities. It was a troublesome interval, nevertheless it had a big influence on me as a climber and for my profession.
We have now the impression that the trail of a champion is straightforward due to his good outcomes. Nevertheless, there are intervals of doubts and counter-performances that are typically fairly tough to reside. It’s a must to be robust to return again every time.
Thomas: What had been the results of this fall?
François: I had three vertebras damaged. Luckily, I used to be younger and I didn’t want an operation. However, there was calcification and I used to be nonetheless rising up. That was a very powerful fracture… the spine; it might have been very critical. Additionally, I broke my wrists.
Thomas (exclaims): Each!
François: Sure, on the best facet, the results had been lengthy as a result of it was fairly unhealthy. Hmm! I used to be fairly bothered for six months as a result of I used to be in an entire standstill. After, I did one other six months of rehabilitation earlier than I might appropriately climb once more.
Thomas: Regardless of this fall, you got here again to mountaineering. What pushed you?
François: I take into consideration a number of issues. I’ve been advised that I couldn’t do anymore what I favored or any form of sports activities. You may perceive that these phrases can harm so much. So, I lived a day at a time with out figuring out what I’ll do after. From the second I began rehabilitation and that my scenario was enhancing, I wished to see how far I might recuperate. I didn’t have an goal, however the want to climb once more was there.
Once you undergo a 20 meter fall, there’s a sure apprehension. I felt scared once I began to climb once more and it was not straightforward. My first brief attempt was in Grenoble. The one means I noticed to transcend my worry was to return to the place the place I injured myself. I went again to Buoux and I climbed for 2 weeks whereas taking further precautions and on the finish of my keep I spotted the trail the place I fell. I made an incredible step towards this apprehension and afterwards issues had been simpler.
Thomas: Certainly, one 12 months later in 1988, you arrived at your first French championship the place you confronted the good actors of that point: Jacky Godoffe, Alex Duboc, Jean-Baptiste (Jibé) Tribout, Didier Raboutou and Patrick Edlinger. It was a formidable development. To compete towards the most effective ones, did it inspire you?
François (tells with pleasure): No, it was probably not the case. Issues occurred so rapidly once I got here again. After a number of months, I regained the extent I had earlier than as a result of on the technical side, I didn’t lose that a lot. It was extra a query of bodily coaching.
Earlier than, I used to be mountaineering with out doing bodily conditioning. After the accident, I began to do some as a result of I misplaced a number of muscle which disappeared beneath a plaster corset. I did a number of workout routines with weights and likewise for my belly muscle tissues. I gained again muscle tissues and on the identical time energy. At the moment, no one was coaching usually apart from doing push-ups and pull-ups. So, I began to mix mountaineering and coaching. Actually rapidly, I made some spectacular progress.
In 1988, it was the primary 12 months of French youth mountaineering championship. It was my first competitors; I went there and I received. From that second, I wished to take part in different competitions however there have been few of them. I used my title of France champion to ask the group of the senior French championship if they may invite me. They accepted and I went there with out having an goal apart from the truth that it was a further competitors for me and I might meet the athletes that I admired. Furthermore, I took most of my time to look at them in seclusion or after they had been climbing.
One factor led to a different, I reached the finals and I used to be actually blissful. I climbed naturally… in actual fact, there’s something attention-grabbing regarding this. Competitions had been on sight like they nonetheless normally are which implies that every climber reads the route earlier than climbing. We had two minutes to look at and ten minutes to climb. Ultimately, we had twelve minutes to look and to climb. Regarding my technique, I used to be the primary to investigate the route for 5 to 6 minutes and consequently I had solely six minutes left to climb. The individuals who had been there didn’t perceive my method. Nevertheless, I used to be studying nicely the route, I used to be understanding it after which hop I climbed up! This fashion, I used to be going actually rapidly. It allowed me on the French championship to climb to my full capacities. The strongest guys at the moment who had been Edlinger, Tribout, Raboutou, Cortijo, Godoffe didn’t understood the route as a result of they solely stayed two minutes on the base and so they climbed whereas looking out their means. This allowed me to nearly win the competitors even when I used to be at a a lot inferior degree than the others. I completed second behind Jacky Godoffe.
