Jean-Marc Boivin facts for kids
Jean-Marc Boivin (born April 6, 1951 – died February 17, 1990) was a French adventurer. He was amazing at many extreme sports! He was a mountaineer, extreme skier, hang glider and paraglider pilot, cave explorer, BASE jumper, film maker, and author.
Boivin broke many records for flying high with hang gliders and paragliders. He was the first to do many climbs and ski descents in the Alps mountains. He was part of a team that set a record for diving under a glacier. He was also the first person to paraglide from the very top of Mount Everest! Jean-Marc Boivin was a true pioneer of extreme sports. Sadly, he died from injuries after a BASE jump from Angel Falls in Venezuela, which is the world's highest waterfall.
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Jean-Marc Boivin's Early Life
Jean-Marc Boivin was born in Dijon, France, in 1951. He went to secondary school in Dijon, Belfort, and Tournus. In 1971, he finished his technical studies. From 1972 to 1973, he studied how to make machines in Sens.
While working at the Peugeot factory in Dijon, he decided he wanted to live "in" and "for" the mountains. He started climbing and skiing a bit later in life, at age 14. He practiced climbing on cliffs near Cormot and Nolay, and also in Brochon, Fixin, and Saffres. He skied in the Jura mountains.
By 1972, he was a very good skier, finishing fourth in a national competition. In 1973, he earned his guide diploma from a special school in Chamonix. That same year, he finished his military service with a mountain infantry group. From then on, Boivin called himself "an all-round professional adventurer."
Amazing Extreme Sports Achievements
Jean-Marc Boivin was known for his incredible skills in many extreme sports. He pushed the limits of what people thought was possible.
Alpinism: Climbing High Mountains
Boivin was one of the best mountain climbers of his time. He did solo climbs (climbing alone) on some of the hardest routes in the Alps during the 1970s. These included climbs on Mont Blanc du Tacul in 1972, the Aiguille du Plan in 1976, and the Grand Pilier d'Angle in 1978.
In 1975, Boivin and Patrick Gabarrou were the first to climb the direct north faces of Les Droites and the Aiguille Verte. They also climbed the Supercouloir on Mont Blanc du Tacul. People saw them as "the young new wave" of climbers. On July 31, 1983, Boivin climbed the north face of the Eiger alone in just 7 and a half hours.
Boivin was famous for doing enchaînement. This means doing several difficult climbs in one trip. He often used a hang glider, paraglider, or skis to get down quickly between climbs.
- On August 14, 1981, with Patrick Berhault, he climbed the south face of the Aiguille du Fou and the American Direct on the Aiguille du Dru. They then flew to the Dru from the top of the Aiguille de Blaitière using a hang glider.
- On February 20, 1985, he did the first solo winter climb of the Bettembourg-Thivierge route on the Aiguille Verte. He then skied down the Whymper Couloir.
- On March 14, 1985, he climbed the Albinoni-Gabarrou on Mont Blanc du Tacul. Then he did the first ski descent of Mont Blanc du Tacul's south face. After that, he climbed the Kuffner arête on Mont Maudit and did its first ski descent.
- On March 17, 1986, using skis, a paraglider, and a hang glider, he linked up climbs of four famous north faces: the Aiguille Verte, Les Droites, Les Courtes, and the Grandes Jorasses. He flew 15 kilometers back to the Chamonix valley after his last climb.
Extreme Skiing: Daring Descents
Jean-Marc Boivin was the first person to ski down many challenging mountains and faces. Some of his amazing ski descents include:
- The Frendo Spur on the Aiguille du Midi on July 2, 1977.
- The south face of Huascarán and the north faces of Pisco and Kitarahu in the Andes mountains in 1978.
- The east face of the Matterhorn on June 6, 1980. He skied down slopes steeper than 60 degrees!
- Y-shaped Gully on the Aiguille Verte on February 26, 1985.
- Nant Blanc face of the Aiguille Verte on June 12, 1989.
On April 17, 1987, he did a ski enchaînement of five descents. This included the first descents of the south-east face of the Aiguille du Moine and the south face of the Aiguille du Dru. He also skied the Whymper Couloir on the Aiguille Verte, the north-east face of Les Courtes, and finished with a descent of the Grandes Jorasses.
Boivin made several films of his ski descents. These films amazed people who had never seen such extreme skiing before. One person who saw his footage at a film festival said: "My hands broke a sweat as I watched Boivin. He'd make a turn, then slide for 40 feet... It was an awesome display and made us realize just what could be done using skis as a tool of alpinism."
Hang Gliding and Paragliding: Flying High
In 1979, Boivin set an altitude record for a hang glider. He launched from Camp IV on K2 at an amazing height of 7,600 meters (about 24,934 feet) after climbing the peak. Two years later, in 1981, he set another altitude record with Dominique Marchal. They launched a two-man hang glider from the summit of Aconcagua (7,021 meters or about 23,035 feet).
On July 14, 1985, Boivin broke the hang glider altitude record again. He launched from the summit of Gasherbrum II (8,035 meters or about 26,362 feet). He had climbed the mountain a week before and then climbed it again just to make his jump!
On September 26, 1988, after climbing Mount Everest, Boivin made the first paraglider descent from its summit. This set the record for the fastest descent of the mountain and the highest paraglider flight ever! Boivin said he was tired at the top, but he ran 60 feet from below the summit on steep slopes to launch his paraglider. He reached Camp II at 5,913 meters (about 19,400 feet) in just 12 minutes!
On April 14, 1988, he broke the record for distance traveled by paraglider. He flew 31.5 kilometers (about 19.6 miles) from Mont Maudit in the Mont Blanc mountains. He flew over the Aiguille Verte, the Aiguille du Tour, and Pointe d'Orny.
Speleology: Exploring Deep Caves
On November 6–7, 1986, Jean-Marc Boivin and a team of cave explorers set a world record for a subglacial dive. They dived to a depth of 117 meters (about 384 feet) under the Mer de Glace glacier. They were exploring a large cave system called the Grand Moulin de la Mer de Glace.
Jean-Marc Boivin's Tragic Death
On February 16, 1990, Jean-Marc Boivin made a BASE jump from Angel Falls in Venezuela. This is the highest waterfall in the world, and he jumped about 1,000 meters (about 3,280 feet) down. This was the first jump ever from the highest point of the falls. A TV crew was filming him for a French program.
The next day, he decided to do the jump again. Just before he jumped, another person jumped and was injured at the bottom of the falls. Boivin decided to jump right away to carry help to the injured person.
According to one story, as he was going down, he hit a tree. He was badly injured with many broken bones. When the helicopter team came to rescue him, he told them to help the injured woman first. Another witness said that Boivin hit the cliff and landed in the treetops. The helicopter team thought his waving meant he was not hurt, but he was actually trying to get help. Both stories agree that when the team came back for him, he had died from internal injuries and blood loss.
Films by and About Boivin
Jean-Marc Boivin was involved in making many films about his adventures.
Films Directed or Written by Boivin
- Glace Extrême (Extreme Ice), 1977, 36 minutes. Boivin directed and produced this film. It won an award at the Trento International Mountain Film Festival.
- Au Vent des Cimes (In the Wind of the Peaks), 1978, 36 minutes. Boivin directed and produced this film.
- Aventure au Cervin (Adventure on the Matterhorn), 1980, 56 minutes. Boivin directed this film. It won many awards at film festivals in 1981 and 1983.
- Aventure à l'Aconcagua (Adventure on Aconcagua), 1981, 56 minutes. Boivin co-directed this film.
- Aratitiyopé, 1984, 26 minutes. Boivin co-directed this film. It won an award in 1985.
- L'Oiseau Rare (The Rare Bird), 1985, 26 minutes. Boivin co-wrote this film.
- Descente (Descent), 1987, 26 minutes. Boivin co-wrote this film with Jean Afanasieff.
- Vents Contraires (Headwinds), 1988. Boivin wrote and directed this film.
Films About Boivin
- Everest 88, 1988. This film was directed by Jean Afanasieff.
- Inlandsis, 1989, 26 minutes. This film won an award in 1990.
- Jean-Marc Boivin: Extrêmement vôtre (Jean-Marc Boivin: Extremely Yours), 2007, 52 minutes. This film was directed by Gilles Chappaz.
Books Written by Boivin
- Trois défis au Cervin (Three Challenges on the Matterhorn) (with Guy Geoffroy), 1981.
- L'abominable homme des glaces (The Abominable Iceman), 1983.
- L'Aventure jusqu'au bout (Adventure to the End) (with F. Boivin and J. M. Parte), 1991.
Awards Received by Boivin
- International Award for Valour in Sport, London, February 5, 1980. He received this award for his hang glider flight from 7,600 meters (about 24,934 feet) off K2.
How Boivin is Remembered
Jean-Marc Boivin is remembered in several ways:
- The Lycée Jean-Marc Boivin (a high school) in Chevigny-Saint-Sauveur was opened on October 5, 1990.
- The Complexe Sportif Jean-Marc Boivin (a sports complex) in Nolay is named after him.
- The Salle Jean-Marc Boivin (a room) in the Club alpin français building in Dijon is named after him.
- There is a Jean-Marc Boivin footpath in Nolay. It is 45 kilometers (about 28 miles) long.
- The Jean-Marc Boivin award is given annually at the Dijon International Adventure Film Festival. His wife, Françoise Boivin, presents this award "for the authenticity of an adventure."
