“Thousands of hours spent with our ice ax on the artificial holds installed in our attic. At 24 and 21 respectively, Tristan and Louna Ladevant have never done things by halves to build a professional destiny articulated around their passion for climbing. Their childhood spent in the mountains, in the region of Barcelonnette (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence), is obviously no stranger to their trajectory as champions, culminating in the podium shared in January by these endearing brothers, during the last ice climbing world championship.
Their first “classic” climb took place in 2012, during a discovery day in Barcelonnette, when their daily life was divided between school with their mother in the family yurt, hiking and downhill skiing. The dreams of verticality immediately take hold of the two Ladevant brothers, who join the club in stride, when they move to Grenoble. The story with the world of ice climbing is underway, since Tristan Ladevant meets Jehan-Roland Guillot, trainer of this fascinating discipline. The latter joined Tristan in the French junior ice cream team at the age of 15, before doing the same with Louna the following season.
Competitions below – 25°C in China
What exactly is the competition of this practice between climbing and mountaineering? Competitors have a maximum of 6 minutes to climb a 15-metre route, all on extremely technical courses, requiring ice axes and crampons. “The major complexity in relation to climbing is not having any feeling at your fingertips,” explains Louna Ladevant. We must always keep our ice ax with us. This is sometimes even found for a few seconds in the mouths of athletes, who regularly have to face competition conditions below -25°C, as in China. So many assets for the same discipline can only seduce Tristan and Louna, who are completing their music studies at the conservatory, guitar and drums, to concretely embark on professional ice climbing from 2017.
With convincing results very quickly, since Louna is double U19 world champion in the difficulty test in 2017 and 2018, while Tristan finds himself vice-world junior speed champion in 2018. An ascent which leads them to the double world triumph of January 28 and 29 in the Ice Dome of Saas-Fee (Switzerland). At the heart of an artificial structure installed inside a gigantic 10-storey circular car park, Louna wins her first senior world championship title, and Tristan his first bronze medal. The same hierarchy as a year earlier, during the European Championship in Champagny-en-Vanoise (Savoie).
“We wouldn’t have risen this high without each other”
“It’s extraordinary to find them both on the podium of a World Cup, underlines their mental trainer Simon Giraud. Their maxim is that rigor makes you free. Because they never leave anything to chance, like on this each of their expeditions. The more rigorous they are, the more they can adapt to all the unexpected. This is what makes them invulnerable. Just like their unfailing fraternal alchemy, the real thread of their sporting success.
“It is clear that we would not have climbed so high without each other, summarizes Louna Ladevant. We have always supported each other, especially when we had to fight to get a place in seniors very early on. On the day of a competition, we arrive as a team. And whoever gets the medal, it’s for the team. We do everything together and it has always worked out well. It’s like a no-brainer for us, so it’s not even imaginable not to do all of this together. »
“Hippies but above all incredible machines”
At the Ladevants, don’t count on Tristan to have his ego titillated by the coronations of his younger brother: “There is no unhealthy rivalry between us. But don’t worry, I sometimes hit it on competitions! “. Very close to the duo, their mental trainer Simon Giraud looks into this complicity.
“I have never felt such a fusion between two brothers. Tristan has always been very protective of Louna. He did everything to keep his younger brother naïve in his climbing. When we see them with their atypical projects, we can think that we are dealing with hippies who grew up in a yurt. OK, but above all they are incredible and stunning machines. »
Olympic Games 2028 objective for the Ladevant brothers?
“Machines” aware that ice climbing remains “very confidential”, despite more than 100,000 regular practitioners worldwide. More developed in Russia, South Korea, Iran and Switzerland than in France, the practice could take off in the event of an Olympic destiny. And this in 2028, as the Ladevant brothers dream of? “It would be a huge motivation for us to return to ice climbing competitions”, confide Louna and Tristan, who intend to take a step back with the discipline in the meantime, to prepare state diplomas in alpine skiing and mountain guide. Mountain.
But also to be tempted by other adventures outdoors, as “combinations between mountaineering, skiing and paragliding”. In June 2021 in Presles (Vercors), the two brothers achieved their best summer climbing performance: 9a for Louna and 8c for Tristan. Then they chained big walls in Kyrgyzstan and Brazil, with supporting film.
“A maxi adventure cheaper than an iPhone”
Still roommates in Chambéry, they are embarking this time, on July 6, on “a collective and original project combining cycling and climbing, and taking into account our carbon footprint”. With a major constraint: an all-inclusive budget of 1,000 euros for a month spent between train, more than 700 km by bike (with ribs up to 14%), and of course climbing. On the program one of the hardest routes in Europe, the north face of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo in the Dolomites (Italy), then the ascent of the Feuerhorn, in the Berchtesgaden Alps (Austria).
“Except for safety, all the equipment was bought second-hand, to show that with a reduced budget, a maxi adventure is possible. It’s cheaper than an iPhone”, smile the two climbers, addicted to these challenges. off. “This project promises to be very tough and we are itching to find ourselves faced with twists and turns, the unknown and the human,” insists Tristan. All the ingredients of the Proust madeleine that is the Ladevant yurt in Barcelonnette.