A feat ! At the beginning of September 2021, mountaineer David Labarre crossed the Pyrenees in thirteen days and four stages, on foot and by bike. A performance all the more exceptional as David Labarre, 33, has suffered from the
Stargardt’s disease : his retina cannot distinguish anything other than shapes and spots.
Starting from Pau, David Labarre and Morgan Périssé, his high-mountain guide, joined Aspet, the mountaineer’s home town. On their way they faced
the Pic du Midi d’Ossau (2.884 m), or
the peak of Spijeoles as well as the flagship passes of the Tour de France such as those of Tourmalet or Peyresourde. Christian Ravier, Rémi Thivel or Fred Talieu, reference guides, joined the pair on certain stages. “Listening to these enthusiasts teach us about the mountains and their experience is enriching! It is for these meetings that I embarked on this adventure. “
“Sport has helped me a lot”
Despite the “nice” atmosphere, the expedition was not easy, between the perilous catches, those times when the Génépi threatened David with slips, or the days riding a bicycle with 60 kg on your back. On the course, the guides enabled David Labarre to perceive “the right direction” or “the plugs that could save energy”. However, the mountaineer made his own bag, roped himself up, and managed his abseils, his ice ax and his crampons. “I value my autonomy. If it’s windy or if it hails, you can only count on yourself. “
As a child, however, David Labarre swore by a team sport, football. In 1998, the World Cup made him addicted to the round ball, but blind football was rarely practiced. It wasn’t until a few years later, at age 14, that he started doing it. “It was at that age that I had to overcome the death of my mother… Sport has helped me a lot. »After a club career, David Labarre won Paralympic silver in London in 2012. But five years later, he stops everything.
“Football has given me a lot, but it no longer suited me… I wanted to go back to my roots. »David Labarre embarks on mountaineering and in 2017 climbs the highest point in the Pyrenees, Aneto, 3,404 meters. “I lacked training, but I had never struggled so much in my life, testifies the one who relates today his expeditions in front of companies. I swore to myself not to relive this again. “
Mont-Blanc, Pyrenees… The mountaineer, or “Pyreneanist”, as he prefers, trains as a convict, compensates for his blindness with his hearing, performs, but finds the word “challenge” clumsy. “We do not challenge the mountain because if it wants, it can take us. One day, I almost killed myself, it took two days to recover. “
Today, this fear and this awareness of death makes him live everything to the fullest. After a well-deserved rest, David Labarre does not yet know if he will aim even higher. But is it really important? “Today, I’m happy, and it’s thanks to my sight problem that I’m having so much fun. I train every day, I am in the mountains all the time, I cycle, mountain bike, ski touring, treks, a lot of climbing, a lot of mountain… That’s life. “