Jean-Marc Boivin (6 April 1951 – 17 February 1990) was a French

mountaineer Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, an ...

extreme skier Extreme skiing is performed on long, steep (typically from 45 to 60+ degrees, or grades of 100 to 170 percent) slopes in mountainous terrain. The French coined the term 'Le Ski Extreme' in the 1970s. The first practitioners include Swiss skier ...

hang glider Hang gliding is an air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised foot-launched heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame cover ...

and

paraglider Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or lies supine in a cocoon-like ' ...

pilot,

speleologist Speleology is the scientific study of caves and other karst features, as well as their make-up, structure, physical properties, history, life forms, and the processes by which they form ( speleogenesis) and change over time (speleomorphology) ...

, BASE jumper,

film maker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, casti ...

and

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

. The holder of several altitude records for hang gliding and paragliding, the creator of numerous

first ascent In mountaineering, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books) is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain or the first to follow a particular climbing route. First mountain ascents are notable because they en ...

s and first ski descents in the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...

, a member of the team that broke the record for a sub-glacial dive and the first person to paraglide from the summit of

Mount Everest Mount Everest (; Tibetic languages, Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is List of highest mountains on Earth, Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border ru ...

, Boivin was a pioneer of

extreme sports Action sports, adventure sports or extreme sports are activities perceived as involving a high degree of risk. These activities often involve speed, height, a high level of physical exertion and highly specialized gear. Extreme tourism overl ...

. He died from injuries incurred after BASE jumping off

Angel Falls Angel Falls ( es, Salto Ángel; Pemon language: ''Kerepakupai Merú'' meaning "waterfall of the deepest place", or ''Parakupá Vená'', meaning "the fall from the highest point") is a waterfall in Venezuela. It is the world's tallest unint ...

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

, the highest waterfall in the world.

Early life

Boivin was born in

Dijon Dijon (, , ) (dated) * it, Digione * la, Diviō or * lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920. The earlies ...

in 1951. He went to secondary school in Dijon,

Belfort Belfort (; archaic german: Beffert/Beffort) is a city in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Northeastern France, situated between Lyon and Strasbourg, approximately from the France–Switzerland border. It is the prefecture of the Terri ...

and

Tournus Tournus () is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. Geography Tournus is located on the right bank of the Saône, 20 km. northeast of Mâcon on the Paris-Lyon railway. Pop ...

, and gained his ''Baccalauréat de technicien'' in 1971.Jean-Marc BOIVIN: PARCOURS
jeanmarcboivin.free.fr, retrieved 4 October 2010 Between 1972 and 1973 he studied mechanical manufacturing in Sens. It was while working at the

Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French brand of automobiles owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was founded in 1810, with a steel foundry that soon started making hand tools and kitchen equipment, and the ...

factory in Dijon that he decided to live "in" and "for" the mountains. Coming to both climbing and skiing quite late in his childhood at the age of 14, he climbed on the cliffs of Cormot, in the cirque du Bout du Monde near

Nolay NoLay, also known as Isabella or Bella Gotti, is a British rapper of Greek-Cypriot and Caribbean background. Career NoLay first officially landed on the UK urban scene as a member of a collective called Unorthodox. Unorthodox released "No Help ...

, as well as in

Brochon Brochon () is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France. Population Wine Some of the vineyards in Brochon are part of the ''appellation d'origine contrôlée'' Gevrey-Chambertin, and some are part of Fixin appellation. Most a ...

Fixin Fixin is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in the Bourgogne region on the Grand Crus route in eastern France. The French archaeologist Roland Martin (1912–1997) died in Fixin. Wine Fixin is one of the wine communes of Côte de Nu ...

and

Saffres Saffres () is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Côte-d'Or department The following is a list of the 698 communes of the Côte-d'Or department of France. The communes coopera ...

, and skied in the Jura mountains. By 1972 he was sufficiently proficient at skiing to come fourth in the ''Série Nationale''. He gained his aspirant guide diploma from ''l'Ecole Nationale de Ski et d'Alpinisme de Chamonix'' in 1973, the same year that he completed his military service with the 159th Regiment of Alpine Infantry in

Briançon Briançon (, ) is the sole subprefecture of the Hautes-Alpes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. It is the highest city in France at an altitude of , based on the national definition as a community cont ...

, section ''Eclaireurs en Montagne''. From this point, Boivin dedicated himself to being what he called "an all-round professional adventurer".Piers Letcher
''Eccentric France: the Bradt Guide to Mad, Magical and Marvellous France''
Bradt Travel Guides, 2003, pp. 52–3

Extreme sports

Alpinism

Boivin was one of the leading alpinists of his era, making solo ascents of some of the hardest routes in the Alps during the 1970s: the Albinoni- Gabarrou goulotte on

Mont Blanc du Tacul Mont Blanc du Tacul (4,248 m) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif of the French Alps situated midway between the Aiguille du Midi and Mont Blanc. The official first ascent of Mont Blanc du Tacul was by a guideless party comprising Charles Hu ...

in 1972, the Lagarde-Ségogne on the

Aiguille du Plan The Aiguille du Plan (3,673 m) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps. Its needle-like summit lies in the centre of the Chamonix Aiguilles when viewed from Chamonix Chamonix-Mont-Blanc ( frp, Chamôni), more commonly known as ...

in 1976 and the Bonatti-Zapelli on the Grand Pilier d'Angle in 1978."Jean-Marc Boivin"
montagnes.com, retrieved 2 October 2010 In 1975, Boivin and Gabarrou made first ascents of the direct north faces of

Les Droites Les Droites () is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps and is the lowest of the 4000-metre peaks in the Alps. The mountain has two summits: * West summit (3,984 m), first ascent by W. A. B. Coolidge, Christian Almer and Ulrich ...

and the

Aiguille Verte The Aiguille Verte (; ), which is French for "Green Needle", is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps. It was first climbed on 29 June 1865 by Edward Whymper, Christian Almer and Franz Biner, a fortnight before the fateful firs ...

, followed by the ''Supercouloir'' on Mont Blanc du Tacul, and came to be seen as "the young new wave of the moment". On 31 July 1983 Boivin soloed the

north face North face or Northface or The North Face may refer to: * North face (Eiger), in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland * North Face (Everest), in Himalaya, usually traversed ascending Everest from the north * North face (Fairview Dome), a climbing route ...

of the Eiger in 7 hours, finishing the climb via the Harlin ''Direttissima''.Jean-Marc BOIVIN: COURSES ROCHEUSES
jeanmarcboivin.free.fr, retrieved 6 October 2010 He is well known for being one of the leading practitioners of the concept of '' enchaînement'', in which several difficult climbs are undertaken in one outing (with descents often being made by hang glider, paraglider or ski). On 14 August 1981, together with Patrick Berhault, he climbed the south face of the Aiguille du Fou and the ''American Direct'' on the

Aiguille du Dru The Aiguille du Dru (also the Dru or the Drus; French, Les Drus) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps. It is situated to the east of the village of Les Praz in the Chamonix valley. "Aiguille" means "needle" in French. The m ...

, flying to the Dru from the summit of the Aiguille de Blaitière by hang glider.Jean-Marc BOIVIN: ENCHAINEMENTS
jeanmarcboivin.free.fr, retrieved 4 October 2010 On 20 February 1985 he made the first winter solo ascent of the Bettembourg-Thivierge on the Aiguille Verte, descending the Whymper Couloir by ski. On 14 March 1985 he climbed the Albinoni-Gabarrou on

, then made the first ski descent of the south face of Mont Blanc du Tacul, then climbed the Kuffner arėte on

Mont Maudit Mont Maudit (4,465 m) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in France and Italy. The French name literally means "Cursed Mountain". Until the end of the 18th century, Mont Blanc and its satellite peaks were collectively known in French as the '' ...

and made the first ski descent of the Kuffner, returning to Italy via the Androsace couloir. On 17 March 1986, using skis, paraglider and hang glider,Mark Twight
''Kiss Or Kill: Confessions of a Serial Climber''
The Mountaineers Books, 2002, p. 33 he linked up ascents of the north faces (''"les 4 Glorieuses"'') of the Aiguille Verte (first winter solo of the Grassi route), Les Droites (via the Corneau-Davaille, ending via the Boivin-Gabarrou), Les Courtes (Swiss route) and the

Grandes Jorasses The Grandes Jorasses (4,208 m; 13,806 ft) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif, on the boundary between Haute-Savoie in France and Aosta Valley in Italy. The first ascent of the highest peak of the mountain (''Pointe Walker'') was by Ho ...

(''The Shroud''), flying back to the

Chamonix Chamonix-Mont-Blanc ( frp, Chamôni), more commonly known as Chamonix, is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. It was the site of the first Winter Olympics in 1924. In 2019, it had ...

valley after his final ascent and arriving at 0:30 am.

Extreme skiing

Boivin made the first ski descents of the following mountains and faces, amongst others: the Frendo Spur on the

Aiguille du Midi The Aiguille du Midi () is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif within the French Alps. It is a popular tourist destination and can be directly accessed by cable car from Chamonix that takes visitors close to Mont Blanc. Cable car The idea fo ...

on 2 July 1977; the south face of

Huascarán Huascarán () (Quechua: Waskaran), Nevado Huascarán or Mataraju is a mountain in the Peruvian province of Yungay ( Ancash Department), situated in the Cordillera Blanca range of the western Andes. The southern summit of Huascarán (Huascará ...

and the north faces of

Pisco Pisco is a colorless or yellowish-to-amber colored brandy produced in winemaking regions of Peru and Chile. Made by distilling fermented grape juice into a high-proof spirit, it was developed by 16th-century Spanish settlers as an alternative ...

and Kitarahu (all in the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

) in 1978; the east face of the

Matterhorn The (, ; it, Cervino, ; french: Cervin, ; rm, Matterhorn) is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the main watershed and border between Switzerland and Italy. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the ...

, on which he skied slopes of more than 60 degreesLouis W. Dawson
''Wild Snow: 54 Classic Ski and Snowboard Descents of North America''
The Mountaineers Books, 1998, p. 19 (from the Shoulder, after which he soloed the Schmid route on the north face in 4 hours 10 minutes) on 6 June 1980; Y-shaped Gully on the Aiguille Verte on 26 February 1985; Nant Blanc face of the Aiguille Verte on 12 June 1989. On 17 April 1987 he made a ski ''enchaînement'' of five descents: south-east face of the Aiguille du Moine (1st descent); south face of the Aiguille du Dru (1st descent); Whymper Couloir on the Aiguille Verte; north-east face of Les Courtes; finishing off with a descent of the Grandes Jorasses.
jeanmarcboivin.free.fr, retrieved 4 October 2010 Boivin made a number of films of his ski descents, stunning people who had never seen such extreme descents before. One person who saw footage of Boivin at the

Telluride Film Festival The Telluride Film Festival (TFF) is a film festival held annually in Telluride, Colorado during Labor Day weekend (the first Monday in September). The 49th edition took place on September 2 -6, 2022. History First held on 30 August 1974, t ...

said:

Hang gliding and paragliding

In 1979 Boivin set an altitude record for a hang glider, launching from Camp IV on K2 at an altitude of Jean-Marc BOIVIN: DELTA-PLANE - PARAPENTE - PARACHUTE
jeanmarcboivin.free.fr, retrieved 2 October 2010 after making an ascent of the peak. Two years later, in 1981, he set an altitude record together with Dominique Marchal for a two-man hang glider by launching from the summit of

Aconcagua Aconcagua () is a mountain in the Principal Cordillera of the Andes mountain range, in Mendoza Province, Argentina. It is the highest mountain in the Americas, the highest outside Asia, and the highest in the Southern Hemisphere with a summi ...

(). On 14 July 1985 Boivin again broke the altitude record for a hang glider by launching from the summit of

Gasherbrum II Gasherbrum II ( ur, ; ); surveyed as K4, is the 13th highest mountain in the world at above sea level. It is the third-highest peak of the Gasherbrum massif, and is located in the Karakoram, on the border between Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan ...

(he had reached the summit the week before, on 8 July, and reclimbed the mountain to make his jump).Jean-Marc BOIVIN: EXPEDITIONS
jeanmarcboivin.free.fr, retrieved 4 October 2010 On 26 September 1988, having climbed the mountain via the south-east ridge, Boivin made the first paraglider descent of

, in the process creating the record for the fastest descent of the mountain and the highest paraglider flight. Boivin said: "I was tired when I reached the top because I had broken much of the trail, and to run at this altitude was quite hard."John Harlin
"Get Down"
''Backpacker'', May 1989, p. 11 Boivin ran from below the summit on 40-degree slopes to launch his paraglider, reaching Camp II at in 12 minutes (some sources say 11 minutes). On 14 April 1988 he broke the record for distance travelled by paraglider, flying from Mont Maudit in the Mont Blanc massif, arriving at Orsière having flown over the Aiguille Verte, the

Aiguille du Tour The Aiguille du Tour () is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif, located on the border between Switzerland and France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises o ...

and Pointe d'Orny.

Speleology

On 6–7 November 1986, together with a team of

speleologists Speleology is the scientific study of caves and other karst features, as well as their make-up, structure, physical properties, history, life forms, and the processes by which they form (speleogenesis) and change over time (speleomorphology). ...

, Boivin set a world record for a subglacial dive. They dived to a depth of 117 m under the

Mer de Glace The Mer de Glace ("Sea of Ice") is a valley glacier located on the northern slopes of the Mont Blanc massif, in the French Alps. It is 7.5 km long and deep but, when all its tributary glaciers are taken into account, it can be regarded as ...

in their exploration of the ''Grand Moulin de la Mer de Glace''.

Death

On 16 February 1990, while being filmed by a TV crew for the French programme ''Ushuaïa, le magazine de l'extrême'', Boivin made a c. BASE jump down

, the highest waterfall in the world. This was the first jump from the highest point of the falls. The following day he decided to repeat the jump. Just before he leapt off, a woman named "Catherine""BASE Fatality List", #21
, splatula.com, retrieved 8 October 2010 jumped and was injured at the foot of the falls. Boivin decided to make his jump immediately afterwards, carrying help for the injured woman. According to one account, on his descent he hit a tree and was seriously injured with multiple fractures. He told the helicopter team that came to rescue him to attend to the injured woman first. Another account, by a witness, maintains that Boivin hit the cliff, landed in the tree-tops, and that the helicopter team thought that his waving was a sign that he was not injured, rather than an attempt to summon help. Both accounts agree that when the team returned for him, he had died from internal injuries and blood loss.

Films

By Boivin

* ''Glace Extrême'', 1977, 36 min (director and producer). ''Award'': Mario Belo prize at the Trento International Mountain Film Festival * ''Au Vent des Cimes'', 1978, 36 min (director and producer) * ''Aventure au Cervin'', 1980, 56 min (director). Produced by the Société Française de Production and

Antenne 2 France 2 () is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4 and France 5. France Télévisions also participates in Arte and Euronews. Since 3:20 CET on 7 ...

. ''Awards'': Grand Prix at the Trento International Mountain Film Festival, the San Sebastián International Mountain Film Festival, the Cortina d'Ampezzo International Mountain Film Festival (all in 1981); "Prix du Meilleur Film de Montagne" at the Tourcoing Festival, 1983 * ''Aventure à l'Aconcagua'', 1981, 56 min (co-director). Produced by the Société Française de Production and Antenne 2 * ''Aratitiyopé'', 1984, 26 min (co-director). Produced by Antenne 2 and Riviera Films. ''Award'': Prix Feuille de Hêtre at the San Sebastian International Mountain Film Festival, 1985 * ''L'Oiseau Rare'', 1985, 26 min (co-writer). Produced by Antenne 2 and MC4 * ''Descente'', 1987, 26 min (co-writer with Jean Afanasieff). Produced by FR3 Rhône-Alpes and MC4 * ''Vents Contraires'', 1988 (writer and director). Produced by TF1, FR3 Rhône-Alpes and MC4

About Boivin

* ''Everest 88'', 1988 (directed by Jean Afanasieff). Produced by FR3 * ''Inlandsis'', 1989, 26 min. ''Award'': Prix "Ville de Paris" at the Festival de l'Aventure de Paris, 1990 * ''Jean-Marc Boivin: Extrêmement vôtre'', 2007, 52 min (directed by Gilles Chappaz). Produced by FR3 Bourgogne Franche-Comté

Books by Boivin

* ''Trois défis au Cervin'' (with Guy Geoffroy), Editions Glénat/Aventures Extraordinaires, 1981 * ''L'abominable homme des glaces'', Editions Flammarion, 1983 * ''L'Aventure jusqu'au bout'' (with F. Boivin and J. M. Parte), Meylan, 1991

Awards

* International Award for Valour in Sport, London, 5 February 1980 (awarded for Boivin's hang glider flight from a height of off K2)

Commemoration

* ''Lycée Jean-Marc Boivin'' in

Chevigny-Saint-Sauveur Chevigny-Saint-Sauveur () is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Côte-d'Or department The following is a list of the 698 communes of the Côte-d'Or department of France. The co ...

, opened on 5 October 1990 * ''Complexe Sportif Jean-Marc Boivin'' in

* ''Salle Jean-Marc Boivin'' in the

Club alpin français Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

building in DijonJean-Marc BOIVIN: HOMMAGES
jeanmarcboivin.free.fr, retrieved 6 October 2010 * Jean-Marc Boivin footpath in Nolay ( long with of ascent and descent) * Jean-Marc Boivin award at the Dijon International Adventure Film Festival. This annual award, presented by his widow Françoise Boivin, is given "for the authenticity of an adventure".Dijon International Adventure Film Festival
, la-guilde.org, retrieved 7 October 2010

References

External links

Official website

Footage of Boivin: 1st ski descent of south-east face of the Aiguille de Moine, 1987
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Boivin, Jean-Marc 1951 births 1990 deaths Alpine guides BASE jumping deaths Extreme skiers French mountain climbers French male alpine skiers French skydivers Sportspeople from Dijon Sport deaths in Venezuela 20th-century French people