FIVE STAR BASE CAMP 2020
COMBE MAUDITE – MONT-BLANC – 2020
The world's greatest mountaineers and climbers, gathered in the Samaya Family, meet in the Mont-Blanc massif for an extraordinary experience with French chef Jean Sulpice, who holds two Michelin stars and was named 2018 Chef of the Year by Gault & Millau.
Embark on the Samaya FIVE STAR BASE CAMP.
At the Col du Géant, at the exit of the Helbronner cable car, a dozen mountaineers, all members of the Samaya Family, are busy around a large blue trunk. Loaded as if for a Himalayan expedition, they try to secure as many bulky bags as possible onto this imposing chest and a narrow pulk. Tied down with meters of rope, the two vessels wobble, drift, and sometimes tip over, escaping the trail at the first opportunity. Little by little, a swarm of ropes and mountaineers organizes itself to hold, pull, and push the two crude sleds as best they can.
But where are these mountaineers going and what are they planning to do with so many people and so much gear?
This is the question that appears in the eyes of those they cross paths with, but which few actually dare to ask them. Some recognize them and know that these climbers are more accustomed to alpine style, light and fast ascents with 40-liter backpacks than to sarcophagi with enigmatic contents... especially in the Mont-Blanc massif!
The purpose of this burst of energy stems from a slightly crazy inspiration: to recreate in the Combe Maudite a true high-altitude base camp with Himalayan colors, with the best French and international mountaineers gathered around the Samaya brand, itself at the origin of the project.
It would have been possible to request the help of a helicopter to carry the hundreds of kilos of equipment and food necessary for such a feat. But the value of the journey, the effort, and the camaraderie required to reach the goal also contribute largely to the success of the whole endeavor. That of a "by fair means" approach, so dear to Samaya, in which the end does not justify the means. As the cable car had already largely covered the mechanical part of an intentionally grueling adventure, it was time for some perspiration.
A micro-community emerges to bring life to a monochrome landscape.
Heaving and hauling, the caravan of mountaineers passes in front of some of the most beautiful monoliths in the massif. These rock sentinels that watch over the tranquility of the Combe Maudite are both attractive and frightening. The members of the Samaya Family have sparkling eyes. Used to summits three times the height of the surrounding peaks, it is not anxiety that we see appearing on their faces, but rather enthusiasm. Planted on gums of ice, sharpened like stone canines, they draw the eye and command respect.
It is in this setting, both close and accessible, as well as exotic and wild, that the location of the base camp is determined. The scenery must be breathtaking, the surface flat, and the crevasses discreet to limit risks and ensure the safety of all participants. At the center of the glacial tongue of this coombe—cursed for some, blessed for others—a probe is planted. After a few pricks on the frozen epidermis of the glacier dispensed by a sharpened probe, the signal is given. The terrain seems free of sneaky traps.
In a few minutes, an ephemeral micro-community emerges from the ground. Born from a blank page, its layout is left to the discretion of its creators. On the surface of an ice sea hundreds of meters deep, the Samaya BASECAMP from the 8K range comes to life to serve as a "mess tent." It will be the heart of this small, burgeoning society. All around, domes, as if magically tinted with the colors of Samaya's ALPINE, 8K, and ULTRA ranges, bloom on the snow, illuminating and enlivening a landscape with monochrome colors in the process.
Luxury is not always where you expect it.
For Samaya, this gathering is a celebration, one for the mountaineers and Himalayan climbers who associate their advice and image with a company of enthusiasts. Accustomed to carrying their own tents and settling for freeze-dried meals, few of them suspect the surprise that awaits them at the base camp. This time, and in an environment that is nevertheless familiar to them, Samaya has thought of everything so that they only keep a five-star memory of this bivouac! Like them, Samaya is convinced that luxury is not always where you expect it and that nature, especially in high mountains, can offer priceless experiences.
For this exceptional event, taking place in an exceptional setting at 3,400 meters altitude and designed for exceptional guests, Samaya invited chef Jean Sulpice to join the Samaya Family. Twice awarded by the Michelin guide and elected best chef by Gault & Millau in 2018, he shares the passion for the mountains with all members of the Samaya Family and honored all the guests with his presence and his performance at the summit!
In this improvised gourmet restaurant, where the ground has been extensively dug out, snow benches have been set up and covered with insulating mats. All around this famous blue trunk, which empties to the rhythm of the tasting, sit comfortably the mountaineers and Himalayan climbers of the Samaya Family who have come from the four corners of Europe and even from across the Atlantic, and for whom Chamonix often becomes their main residence. Everyone is exchanging stories about their latest or future expeditions. Side by side, Hélias Millerioux, Symon Welfringer, Lise Billon, Matteo Della Bordella, and Jordi Noguere are on the same wavelength.
Ambitious yet modest, they are among those who do very serious things without really taking themselves seriously. Most work as guides to survive and self-finance their projects. No star shines brighter than the others, but the constellation formed by this joyful team is impressive.
Magnum corks pop at the same time as the first delicious pâté en croûte appears, majestically followed by rabbit ravioli al plin with capers and lemon, long-aged cheeses, and finally sweets and other mignardises, the memory of which is still vivid today. This base camp meal is like a hallucination. Biodynamic wines fuel the mood and do not help with clarity. Tasting such nectars in stemmed glasses with the south face of Mont Blanc as a backdrop is a unique experience that leaves a lasting impression. Accentuated by the contrast of the heights, it is the dinner of all superlatives. The smile that lights up the weather-beaten faces of each of the guests is the same as at the summit of a significant ascent: unshakeable. For dessert, American Colin Haley and Englishman Tom Livingstone emerge by surprise. With hands still full of chalk, they arrive from the Grand Capucin, which they have just climbed. Neither of them expected such a welcome, nor such a feast!
A powerful act that durably nourishes the camaraderie of the Samaya Family.
If the evenings are lively, the days are even more so. Through new rope teams, formed for the occasion, several ascents are made on the stone obelisks that line the glacier. For the "nervous lions" that the Samaya tent fabrics can no longer contain, the Combe Maudite is a profusion of granite delights. Choices have to be made: they won't be able to taste everything. Some, in the same day, treat themselves to ridge runs at dawn, big routes for lunch, and even a third ascent for a snack. Some climbing times are cut in half or even tripled, and only the arrival of the storm puts an end to the climbing. From the top of the routes, each of the rope teams nonetheless takes the time to contemplate the mandala formed by each of the ten tents which, together, contribute to a harmonious design. The rock in this corner of the massif, a compact red protogine with perfect fissures, is one of the most beautiful on the vertical planet. The accessibility of the place, the beauty of the setting, and the quality of the lines offered make it an essential destination.
This high-altitude base camp is also the perfect opportunity for Samaya to present its new finalized models to its athletes, following the reflections and tests carried out in close collaboration with them on the prototyped versions. Full-scale tests that are no longer just tests when the elements unleash themselves and lightning and thunder get involved. A nocturnal sound and light show in the form of a grand finale animates the last night and closes an event that will definitely never be compared to any other.
This type of event could, like mountaineering itself, raise questions. What is the point of all this energy expenditure dedicated to activities that some would call useless? The vision carried by Samaya is that gathering, with special attention, exceptional human beings in the flesh in order to celebrate the relationship with the mountain at altitude is a powerful act that durably nourishes the camaraderie of the Samaya Family. It is this proximity that allows us to push the excellence of Samaya and its products even further, and thereby the intensity of each of the experiences associated with them.
Long live these types of celebrations, whose ingredients are now known, but for which Samaya will keep the secret of the proportions for a little while longer!
