JAMMIN’ IN SA JAMA The air is thin in Sajama village (4,250 metres), but it’s crisp. The vast, high-altitude plateau of Sajama National Park, a Bolivian geographical and cultural treasure, has adventure around every corner. On a clear day, it’s easy to lose track of the hours just gazing up at the surrounding volcanoes covered by a dollop of pure, white snow. Antonin Cecchini, a French paraglider and climber, trekked here with his friends and a cameraman – Adrien Mouchet, Louis Salzmann and Thomas Moren. The team arrived with the goal of climbing three volcanoes in five days, and each time paragliding off the summits. The volcanoes originally enticed paragliders with their topography: 360-degree views and opportunities to take off in any direction. “I was a bit apprehensive about the winds,” says Antonin. “It’s crucial in ‘paralpinism’ to be cautious.”
A LIFETIME OF EXPERIENCE All kids dream of flying, but Antonin Cecchini has been paragliding for real since he was just 3 years old. “I made my first solo flight when I was 14,” he says. “During that period I also started rock climbing and alpinism. I was living in Lyon and it was not that easy to fly during the weekends, so I focused on climbing competitions.” Antonin, now 22 years old, performs in multiple competitions for stunt flying and ice climbing. He trains 15 hours a week during the fall and winter for the ice-climbing World Cup Circuit. During the spring and summer, he focuses more on paragliding and rock climbing. He dreams of one day becoming a high-altitude mountain guide. “I do not see myself as a professional athlete yet,” he says. “I still have a lot of things to learn and achieve in the
» THIS PROJECT WAS ALL ABOUT SHARING THIS GREAT BIG MOMENT TOGETHER «
different sports I practice. The most important thing for me is to enjoy what I do whenever I am in the mountains, in the air or taking part in a competition.”
A GENUINE EXPERIENCE The definition of any adventure is that the unexpected happens and, sure enough, this trip held plenty of unexpected twists and turns for the four paralpinists. Simply reaching Sajama involved troubles at gas stations, run-ins with the police and altitude sickness that began on day one in La Paz, which, at more than 4,000 metres, is the highest capital in the world. Over three and a half weeks in May, the team waited out unpredictable weather forecasts and 100-kilometre-perhour winds whipping right off the Pacific Ocean and blasting Sajama National Park. Ultimately, the paralpinists managed ascents of two summits, one not originally planned. Regardless of the objectives achieved, the greater experience was what the team had come for. “It was a genuine experience of life,” says Antonin’s teammate Louis Salzmann, 27. “We had to draw on our own intellectual, physical and moral resources. Every single day.” “What’s interesting is that after sharing moments in the mountains together over the years, we now know each other’s strengths and differences. This project was all about sharing this great big moment together,” says Antonin Cecchini.
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