MILLET FANZINE WINTER 08/09 by mrossi

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Innovation flows from experience Providing the most technical solutions to the challenges of modern mountaineering, ski touring and freeride skiing is a real profession – and demands real expertise! Without the experience acquired over 50-plus years on all of the world’s mountains, Millet’s products would not have attained their current level of technical prowess. On the shoulders, backs and feet of mythical alpinists, these products have marked milestones in the history of mountain sports: ’50s: equipped with Millet packs, Lachenal and Herzog scale the first of the 14 summits over 8,000 metres: Annapurna. ’70s: Desmaison cuts the steps for ”Le Linceul” (The Shroud) at Les Grandes Jorasses, reporting daily on the radio. ’60s: first winter ascent of Cervin by Walter Bonatti. ’80s: With Millet packs and jackets, Messner notches up first after first, becoming the first mountaineer to climb all 14 of the 8,000m-plus peaks; Profit and Escoffier race to conclude the CervinEiger-Grandes Jorasses trilogy with the first Gore-Tex® suits; Edlinger climbs the vertical wall “bare-handed” in the Gorge du Verdon. ’90s: Jean-Christophe Lafaille applies a “solo” ethic to his climbing, thus enhancing the beauty of his projects and showcasing the technical capability of Millet’s products. 2000s: Marco Siffredi snowboards down the Norton Couloir on Everest; Daniel Du Lac wins the Bouldering World Cup; The Trommsdorff-Grazziani-Wagnon (TGW) party creates a collection of stunning routes in pure Alpine style on the world’s highest faces…

Mountaineers of yesteryear, sportspeople of today, and adventurers of the future... their experiences forge our own, day after day. Winter 2008: the story continues, more compellingly than ever! Supported by Millet, other men and women have conceived other projects. Discover them in this fanzine. They include: François Damilano, the renowned ice climber at the summit of his art, Philippe Batoux, an exceptional mountaineer following in Shackleton’s footsteps, Jean Annequin, expert guide, ski raiding in Norway, And our fearless freeriders, Cédric Pugin and Marion Parizet.

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Innovation drives development Because creative evolution is only relevant if it increases performance and safety, we have listened before devising and delivering new solutions. Each development is a functional response that incorporates all our terrain experience in the design – and with ever-greater levels of accomplishment. Once again this winter, at Millet’s Research and Development office, we are satisfying the most committed requirements: As embodied by our protective Grand Mixte™ Jacket in GORE-TEX® Pro Shell™ Stretch fabric, and our Radikal™ mountaineering boots, winner of the Outdoor 2008 innovation award, we are taking our innovation a notch higher. And so, supported by the latest manufacturing technologies and sure of our products’ durability, we confidently declare: The Millet brothers - 1965

Experience is our strength – it’s our source of innovation!

On the cover : GMHM - Expedition Groenland 2008

44° 46' 50.N 6° 33' 12 E

January 2008: the Ice Climbing Écrins event: The conditions are right – and the climbers are ready! More than 500 glacier specialists from around the world have gathered for a four-day meet at the foot of the icefalls. The atmosphere is matey and convivial, but don’t be fooled – ice is serious stuff! Despite the excellence safety levels of today’s gear, it’s a committed activity set in C

an adventure playground. In icefall climbing, there is no such thing as zero risk. A

humble attitude is the first prerequisite. But ultimately, experience, technique and

class make all the difference. CM

Which is why François Damilano has made his mark on ice-climbing over the past 30 years. Taking an avant-gardist approach to extreme difficulty, François has

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earned respect for his style. His long list of achievements is matched only by the

tremendous spectacle he provides when climbing: mentally serene, flawlessly fluid and aesthetic moves, and solid and technical anchoring. Let’s revisit “Double Scotch” (III/5+): François had previously tried to be the first person ever to climb it, but there was a 2.5 m gap at the start of the stalactite…He finally managed the ascent at this year’s Ice Climbing Écrins. Eighty metres high and presenting a sheer, technical challenge, this free-standing pillar is aesthetically perfect in shape. François in action, negotiating one of the route’s cruxes. Totally focused, he works out his passage: cross hands, hook the left-hand blade into the lunula, foot on the “jellyfish”…

RADIKAL Concept Experience and Innovation

Our technical advisers’ exceedingly exacting standards and our mountain experience fuse superbly in this new-generation mountaineering boot. Totally innovative in design, it caters perfectly to evolving practices and climatic conditions. It uses a natural insulant – air – to achieve isothermal and technical performance gains and weight reduction. Isothermy : -12° / -15° Weight : 810 g

Innovation devoted to performance More information at www.millet.fr

GRAND MIXTE GTX Jacket

GRAND MIXTE GTX Pant

W3 PRO Jacket

PURE LITE 30

RADIKAL

ALPINE LITE 7.9

Gore-Tex® 3L protective jacket, 100% waterproof and breathable for technical mountaineering. Stretch construction. Ergonomic cut. All seams heat-sealed.

Gore-Tex® 3L protective pant, 100% waterproof and breathable. Stretch construction. Double side zip vents, preformed and articulated knees. 768 g

The benchmark among mountaineering backpacks. Strong and ultra-light, with Ergo Lite™ back system and FPP™ ice axe carrying system. Ideal for day-long, technically demanding outings.

A new-generation mountaineering boot. Precise, warm and light, thanks to its exclusive Honey Comb™ construction and its air-trapping Double Wall™ concept.

790 g

Soft shell action jacket, resistant to adverse weather and abrasion. No-frills, ergonomic construction for total ease of movement. Windstopper® for breathability andwindproofing.

Ultra-light double rope for technical mountaineering in snow, ice or mixed conditions. Exceptionally fluid and comfortable. Cable construction and Hydrophobic® treated.

810 g / Isothermie -12 / -15 °C

41g / m

547 g

1090 g

AWARD

Honey comb structure Double wall construction

Carbon heel cup

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MOR MILLGAN S ET E AUE XPE RWA RT T LD EAM

FANZINE H0809 MIV3694 0946

Studio de creation Bliss

100% recycled paper

MILLET FRANCE 21, rue du Pré Faucon, PAE Les Glaisins 74943 ANNECY LE VIEUX cedex FRANCE Tel : +33 (4) 50 69 59 59 Fax : +33 (4) 50 69 59 60 - www.millet.fr