Patrick Edlinger

Patrick Edlinger

Personal information
Nationality	French
Born	15 June 1960 Dax
Died	16 November 2012 La Palud-sur-Verdon
Climbing career
Type of climber	Sport climbing, bouldering
Highest grade	Redpoint: 8c (5.14b)
Known for	Pioneer of sport climbing
Achievements and titles
World finals	Rock Master: 1 Sportroccia: 1
Updated on 15 May 2013.

Patrick Edlinger (15 June 1960 – 16 November 2012) was a professional French free climber. He died in his home at La Palud-sur-Verdon in 2012.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]}

Edlinger is considered a pioneer and a legend of sport climbing.^[8]

Biography

Verdon Gorge, the place where Edlinger lived

In 1983 he made the first ascent of Ça Glisse Au Pays des Merveilles at Buoux, one of the first 8a (5.13b) in France.^[9] He won some of the first climbing competitions in history: Sportroccia in 1986, Rock Master and Snowbird in 1988.^[10][11]

He is also known to the world for his films on soloing in the steep, 1,500-foot Verdon. "Le Blond" had a smooth and beautiful style of climbing that lent itself to film. He became famous in 1982 after La Vie au bout des doigts, a documentary by Jean-Paul Janssen depicting him free-soloing in Buoux.^[12]

Climbs

The following list is a summary of his notable ascents:^[8][13]

• 8c/5.14b:
  • Maginot Line – Volx (FRA) – 1989 – Second ascent of Ben Moon's route (1989)
  • Azincourt – Buoux (FRA) – 1989 – Ben Moon's route (1989)

• 8b+/5.14a:
  • Asymptote – Saint-Crépin (FRA) – 1989 – Second ascent of Antoine Le Menestrel's route (1987)
  • Les spécialistes – Verdon (FRA) – 1989 – Second ascent of Jean-Baptiste Tribout's route (1987)
  • Are you Ready? – Châteauvert (FRA) – 1988 – First ascent

• 8b/5.13d:
  • Les sucettes à l'anis – Cimaï (FRA) – 1988 – First ascent

• 8a+/5.13c:
  • La Femme Blanche – Céüse (FRA) – 1985
  • La Boule – Sainte-Victoire (FRA) – 1984 – First ascent

• 8a/5.13b:
  • Orange Mécanique – Cimaï (FRA) – 1989 – Free solo ascent
  • Sphinx Crack – South Platte, Colorado (USA) – 1985^[14]
  • Ça glisse au pays des merveilles – Buoux (FRA) – 1983 – First ascent^[15]

• 7c+/5.13a:
  • La Femme Noire (7c/7c+) – Céüse (FRA)
  • Fenrir – Verdon (FRA) – 1982 – First ascent

• 7c/5.12d:
  • Medius – St. Victoire (FRA) – 1981
  • La Polka des ringards – Buoux (FRA) – 1980 – On-sight, first 7c (5.12d) on-sight in history

References

1. "Patrick Edlinger: The highs and lows of France’s pioneering rock god". The Independent. 1 December 2012.
2. "Patrick Edlinger obituary". The Guardian. 10 December 2012.
3. "Patrick Edlinger". The Daily Telegraph. 28 November 2012.
4. "Escalade : Patrick Edlinger est mort". Le Dauphiné Libéré. 16 November 2012. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
5. "Edlinger : mort d'un pionnier de l'alpinisme". Le Figaro. 16 November 2012. Retrieved 17 November 2012. Né à Dax en 1960, Edlinger était devenu célèbre après le film "La Vie au bout des doigts", réalisé par Jean-Paul Janssen, qui avait connu un succès retentissant en 1982
6. "Patrick Edlinger, pionnier de l'escalade à mains nues". Le Monde. 2 November 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2012. Avant lui, l'escalade n'était qu'une section de l'alpinisme. Il lui a permis de conquérir son autonomie et ses lettres de noblesse à une époque où les murs de varappe urbains n'existaient pas.
7. "Emotion après la mort de Patrick Edlinger, figure marquante de l'escalade". Libération. 17 November 2012. Retrieved 17 November 2012. Patrick Edlinger qui avait effectué à mains nues et parfois même sans être assuré plusieurs ascensions dans les Gorges du Verdon au début des années 80, fut l'un des pionniers de "l'escalade libre" de haut niveau
8. "Adieu Patrick Edlinger". planetmountain.com. 17 November 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
9. Semet, Matt (2011). The Climbing Dictionary. The Mountaineers Books. p. 204.
10. "Deseret News", 'French Dominate Climbing Meet at Snowbird", 13 June 1988.
11. "Continuing to dream of Patrick Edlinger". planetmountain.com. 19 November 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
12. "documentaire de Gilles Chappaz sur le grimpeur Patrick Edlinger. Le temps n'a pas de prise sur Edlinger". Libération. 14 June 1997. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
13. "Ha muerto Patrick Edlinger" (in Spanish). desnivel.com. 16 November 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
14. Jeff Achey, Dudley Chelton, Bob Godfrey (2002). Climb!: The History of Rock Climbing in Colorado. The Mountaineers Books. p. 250.
15. "French Advantages – Part II. The short history of rock climbing 1980–1990". climbandmore.com. Retrieved 15 May 2013.

External links

• Patrick Edlinger, Berhault and the climbing game on Vimeo (Video interview during Trento Film Festival 2009)