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Sagarmatha - journey of
the soul: So many books have been written, so many stories told and
movies made to present us with the detailed description of the various
ascents of Everest, that one is tempted to conclude that everything that
could have been said on the subject has already been said!
We could never be more
wrong! This story continues to fascinate, to touch, climbers and
non-climbers alike. I spent almost 20 years of my life climbing
mountains, driven by a force I did not understood for a long time. Even
then, I had to gather bits of understanding, I had to read piles of
books in order to grasp my own motivations, to know myself a little
better. Climbing mountains is much more than a display of will and
strength. It forces us to go beyond our limitations. It gives the chance
to face Nature without the artifacts of civilized life, and in doing so,
to find our rightful place in a powerful yet benevolent Nature. But, on
top of it all, it let us experience a feeling of self-accomplishment
that words can hardly describe!
Sagarmatha is the Nepalese
name of Everest. It is also a vivid presentation of the adventure as
well as an intimate interpretation of the journey within. You will hear
both he Goddess of the Mountain and the little Voice of Intuition
helping the climber as he toils through hardships, doubt and fear, snow
storms and high altitude respiratory ailments. He will need all the help
he can get... in order to stand a mere 45 minutes on the summit. Then,
it is back down again, to life in the valley. Life goes on with a
renewed sense of consciousness; a totally new sense of achievement.
Because there are many Everests in life. And they are not all made out
of rock and ice!
Using both metaphor and
narrative, this presentation invites everyone to seek their own path of
adventure. "You will remember this presentation, it is a promise!" "It
is a long route indeed, hardships are countless. This is perhaps why
Yves LaForest successfully achieved a profound journey within himself."
excerpt from an article written by Bruno Lévesque
Résumé: Yves LaForest,
alpinist,engineer, motivational speaker, author and educator. Born in
Montreal, Quebec, March 26, 1956
Academics: B. Sc. A. Mechanical Engineering, Sherbrooke University, 1979
Member of the Board of Directors of I.D.E.A.L. Society (Institute of
Development in Education, Arts & Leisure)since 1997. Responsible namely
of the administratioon and planning of the Society, the technical
aspects and construction of buildings and of the mountain climbing
outings!
Alpinist:
1996 South Face of
Aconcagua (6965m), the highest peak of the Americas.
1991 May 15, became the 6th Canadian and the 1st Quebecer to summit
Mount Everest (8848m)
As part of an American team, The New England Everest Expedition, this
well organized, low budget, low profile expedition succeeded in putting
four of its eight members on the top. An excellent success rate
considering that, during the same season, six out of eight teams failed
in their attempts on the Nepalese side of Everest. This first-rate
outcome is due in part to good planning and leadership, clever member
selection, but is largely the result of excellent team-work.
1990 Reconnaissance trip to Nepal: base camp of Everest (5400m)
1985 Mountain guide for two expeditions in the Peruvian Andes
1983-84 Leader of two expeditions in the Peruvian Andes:
Successes on :
- Taulliraju (5830m) difficult new route on the South Face
- Alpamayo (597m) South-West face
- Piramide de Garcilaso (5885m) first sola ascent, SW face
- Huascaran South (6768m): - west buttress, solo
- Shield route, solo, bivvy on top
Motivational speaker and public figure
Since September 1991, hundreds of lectures and slide-shows in companies,
large and small, schools of all grades, public librairies, civic
centers, and so on, both in French and English, mianly in the Province
of Quebec, but also elsewhere in Canada and in the U.S.
Amongst others, the following:
Companies: Alcan, Bell Canada, Cell Tech (California), Coca-Cola,
Federal Bank of Development, Gaz Metropolitain, Groupe Everest,
Medtronic, Natrel, Orange and Rockland Utilities (NY), Unitel, and so
onŠ
Public halls: in Montreal, Quebec city, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières,
St-Jean-sur-RichelieuŠ
Numerous appearances in the media: television, radio, newspapers,
magazines, mostly in French, and also in English. It is interesting to
realize that for the first time, mountain climbing have been diffused
into the public at large in the province of Quebec: thanks to Everest!
It wasmade possible, of course, by the interest Everest always, and
still, has on everyone. It also helped Mr. LaForest to become a
professional speaker, although he didn¹t have much experience in
communication prior to this event! The message he brings is therefore
clear and simple, easily understood and useful.
He also received many
awards and decorations from governments, sports institutions,
municipalities alikeŠ
- Athlete of the Year 1991, La Presse
- Maurice Richard Prize 1991, Société St-Jean-Baptiste
- Athlete of the Year, Claude Raymond Foundation
- Special Award, Mérite Sportif Quebec 1991
- Outdoor and Environmental Award 1991, South Shore Association
- Personality of the Year 1991, Montérégie region
- Athete of excellence, June 1991, Gold Medal Club
Author: Wrote L¹Everest m¹a conquis (Everest has Conquered my Heart) in
French, published by Les Éditions Internationales Stanké in 1994.
Received a warm welcome from both the public and the critics. All 5000
copies have been sold. A second edition and the publication in English
awaits an editorŠ
The presentation: An evening with Yves LaForest is divided in three
sections:
1- Everest is 50 years old! (Slides and live commentary) A short
historical review of the conquest of Everest. I am trying to remind
people of what it might have been to climb Everest 50 years ago, before
the satellite phones, the web site, even before tv! Do you remember?
2- The Next Generation: (video) Youth will replace Experience. The
mountain community will not avoid this universal phenomena. Much to the
contrary, one day you see new faces, younger and stronger individuals
coming. It is time to pass to the next! One must realize that our
knowledge, experience, successes are of course a result of our own
dedication and efforts, but are also in great part due to our
forebearers. This production tries to bridge the gap between generation,
to help the young climbers of the future to learn from their past, and
more importantly, to survive their apprenticeship.
You will see some of these young hotshots doing their stunts, you will
see experienced climbers interviews. (Lynn Hill, Greg Child...)
3- Sagarmatha - journey of the soul - A 52 minutes video, complete
with video footage, slides, three different people doing the narration
(the Goddess of the Mountain, the Little Voice of Intuition), original
music written, arranged and played under the direction of the composer
Gilles Hainault (including the title song - Sagarmatha: interpreted by a
group of female singers)

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