FIVE STAR BASE CAMP 2021
COL DE ROCHEFORT – SEPTEMBER 2021
For once, let’s break with tradition: Samaya is back in the high mountains for the second edition of the “Samaya Five Star Base Camp,” once again in the enchanting Mont-Blanc massif, and once again with exceptional guests. Tonight, more than twenty people will gather at 3,385 meters in altitude, marveling at this mystical theater facing the granite spires, the Vallée Blanche, and Mont Blanc itself. The group formed—comprising journalists, athlete-guides, and members of the Samaya team—consists of novices, initiates, and experts alike. At the gates of autumn, an anticyclone will allow them to enter this environment, however hostile it may be, with a touch of gentleness…
Everything begins at the first light of day as part of the Samaya team sets out to prepare this unique event, led by athlete-guides from the Samaya Family who know the glacier like the back of their hand.
Taking the Skyway up from Courmayeur to Pointe Helbronner, the first rope teams reach the Col de Rochefort, situated between the Dent du Géant and the Aiguilles Marbrées. Once on site, Léo Billon probes the terrain to ensure the camp is located outside of any crevassed area. Once everything is secure, the Samaya team sets to work installing the camp under a blazing sun: optimizing the ground, organizing the living tents (mess and kitchen), and crafting snow tables and benches…
From nothing, a comfortable and welcoming living space is created in the middle of the glacier. Wine glasses are set out on one of the snow tables, and the cooks begin to work behind the stoves to prepare an exceptional high-altitude dinner. Now, all that remains is to welcome the guests.
In the distance on the glacier, new rope teams can be seen approaching: ten journalists, accompanied by the athlete-guides and members of the Samaya team, head toward the camp. As they get closer, the guests discover the camp with wonder and gradually familiarize themselves with the site. This type of installation in such a setting rarely leaves anyone indifferent.
Everyone chooses their room with a view, arranges their personal belongings, and settles into their cocoon for the night. Soon it is time to gather around the snow table prepared for the aperitif. The festivities are about to begin!
In the middle of this legendary location, Ghislain Pipers and Arthur Jallas, co-founders of Samaya, kick things off by presenting this extraordinary "Samaya Five Star Base Camp" concept, which allows guests to experience a new vision of luxury according to Samaya. Authenticity is the watchword. The brand's mission takes on its full meaning: "To experience exceptional moments while bivouacking, Samaya reinvents the lightness of your expeditions." Exchanges and product presentations follow. The clinking of glasses officially launches the second edition of the "Samaya Five Star Base Camp."
As the sun disappears behind the peaks, the "Samaya state of mind" takes on its full meaning. The sky has now taken on a rosy hue, and the entire massif is set ablaze: from Mont Blanc to the Dent du Géant, passing through the granite towers of the Tacul, the Aiguille du Midi, the Aiguilles de Chamonix, and the Grépon, the panorama is sumptuous. The oppressive heat of the afternoon gradually gives way to the biting cold that characterizes this environment. These sharp temperature gradients from one minute to the next may surprise those less familiar with high-mountain adventures. The intensity of the moment is palpable. Everyone wraps themselves in their expedition gear. It is time to head to the mess tent to find shelter from the elements and enjoy a gourmet dinner at over 3,000 meters in altitude.
After taking their seats on the benches, the festivities continue as dishes fly from the kitchen tent to the mess tent. Everyone fully savors these moments as the evening reaches its peak. Night has fallen over the camp, and a magnificent starry sky, devoid of any light pollution, puts on a show for our guests. The moon illuminates Mont Blanc and the surrounding peaks like a divine light, revealing a whole new landscape full of mystery, in which we even notice a few beams of light from mountaineers approaching the summit of Mont Blanc. Such images, sometimes accompanied by meteor showers that seem to belong to another world, always leave unforgettable memories, whether you are there for the first or the thousandth time.
While some finish their hot drink before heading to their room, others still have a glass of wine in hand. With the Samaya Family athlete-guides Léo Billon, Michel Lanne, and Hélias Millerioux, anecdotes, expedition tales, and mountain stories never cease to liven up the mess tent. The atmosphere is electric. It is with body, heart, and mind enriched by these exchanges that everyone finally heads to their room to find their cozy cocoon for the night.
In the early morning, everyone is struck once again by the raw beauty of the place as breakfast is served on the snow table. After a night on the glacier, the sweetness of the morning has no equal and is savored with even more intensity than in the valley. The mountain continues to reveal itself in unreal light. Facing this exceptional panorama, everyone listens attentively to Hélias Millerioux as he leads the briefing and reviews the safety rules on the glacier. Once the groups are divided between glacier trekking and ridge climbing, everyone puts on their harness, crampons, and ice axe. The rope teams head off into the distance, and the sun warms the camp's atmosphere as it is time to pack up.
Three rope teams led by Léo Billon, Michel Lanne, and Julien Ravanello head toward the Aiguilles Marbrées for a rock climbing route on the massif's magnificent granite. For some, this is their first mountaineering climb. When the summit is reached at 3,535m altitude after a north-south traverse, the emotion is palpable. A descent along the edge of the south ridge follows, accompanied by rappels to rejoin the glacier. Meanwhile, the other two rope teams led by Lise Billon and Hélias Millerioux experience a trek on the Géant glacier combined with the ascent of a summit.
Back in the cable car, eyes reveal the joy that comes with the magic of a high-mountain bivouac. Everyone descends in awe, somewhat transformed by the moments of timeless fulfillment experienced up there. We can't wait for the third edition…
Photo credits: Antoine Mesnage / Samaya
