The IDEC GROUP is pleased to accompany Emma CLAIR-DUMONT in her “Five Summits Challenge” with her ascent of Mount Everest, which reaches a height of 8,848 metres. The French athlete will begin her ascent on 10 April 2022 for an expedition lasting around 50 days. This partnership is part of the IDEC GROUP’s commitment to high-level athletes who share its values.
Emma CLAIR-DUMONT, a woman with exceptional challenges
Emma CLAIR-DUMONT is a 45-year-old amateur sportswoman working in the sports events sector. Fifteen years ago, Emma gave herself several challenges to achieve, compiled in a wish list. “I wanted to do a number of things, so I listed the projects I wanted to do. There was a lot of travelling, but also the discovery of disciplines that I didn’t know, like running a marathon”, explains the sportswoman. This was the beginning of a long list of challenges, each one more impressive than the last.
The “Five Summits Challenge”: already 3 out of 5 climbs
The “Five Summits Challenge” consists of climbing one of the highest peaks on each of the five continents. “I wanted to find out if I was fit to climb at altitude, which I had never done. So I started by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in 2009 via the Tanzania route, which was a great experience and I acclimatised well to the climb. After talking to various climbers, they told him about the Five Summits Challenge. After Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, Emma reached the summit of Mont Blanc for Europe in 2010, she then climbed Mount Aconcagua in 2015 for America and Island Peak in 2019. The French athlete is currently preparing for the ascent of Mount Everest for Asia. “It will be a more difficult summit than the others as there is very little oxygen available above 7,000 metres. Emma will then have to climb Mount Kosciusko in Oceania, scheduled for 2023, to complete her challenge.
A special preparation
For this challenge, the French athlete undertook specific preparation in order to adapt to the particular conditions of the climb. With Mount Everest culminating at an altitude of almost 9,000 metres, the lack of oxygen to the brain for several days is one of the constraints of the climb, which requires good physical and psychological fitness. “I have a physical preparation where I am followed by experts with whom I work on specific movements for this climb. I train with a machine that allows me to simulate physical activities in altitude conditions. I sleep three times a week in a tent that simulates altitude conditions because the recovery phase during an ascent is essential, it’s during sleep that we adapt the best,” Emma tells us about her training programme. The athlete also spent a month in Chamonix to test her equipment in real conditions and to do some mountaineering with a guide. “I am also being psychologically monitored with Neuro-Linguistic Programming therapy, which allows me to express my worries and apprehensions for this climb so that when they appear I can manage them more easily,” explains the athlete.
Objective: To be the 13th French woman to climb the “Roof of the World
Twelve French women have so far reached the summit of the “Roof of the World”. With this new challenge, Emma could be the 13th to successfully climb to the highest peak in the world. “It is a source of pride for me to bring this project to fruition, this long-term work that has taken several years, and to be among the women who are attempting this ascent,” says the athlete. For her, this project is also due to her entourage, which encourages and supports her, allowing her to “feel good about herself”, as she explains. “Whether you are a woman or a man, whatever your origins or starting situation, the keys to achieving your objectives are to show willpower, determination and to share this experience.
An eco-responsible ascent with the Clean Everest project
For this project, Emma joined forces with Marion CHAYGNEAUD-DUPUY, a French mountaineer who has already climbed Mount Everest and who, along with other mountaineers, launched the “MOUTAIN SYNERGIES” organisation to practise this sport in an eco-responsible way, which in particular makes sportspeople aware of the need not to leave their rubbish behind. “I signed the ‘Moutain Synergies’ charter, which makes me responsible for my waste during the climb,” explains Emma, “We also undertake to respect the local population by limiting the weight of our porters, we bring back 6 to 8 kilos of waste, as this is what we use on average during this expedition, we avoid bringing plastic packaging and we undertake to pay a fair price for all the porters and guides so that they are paid the right amount for their work.
Very present and important values
“Sharing is extremely important to me,” explains Emma, “I do sporting challenges but I’m not interested in achieving a performance, I want to learn things. My challenges have meaning because I am surrounded by people who share the same values as me. Sharing, courage, determination and the desire to surpass oneself are the values that echo him. In this sense, the athlete is a partner of the T’Cap 21 association, which supports and promotes the integration of young people with Down’s syndrome. Part of the funds she raises for this challenge will be donated to this association. “I’m lucky to be in good health and when I met a sportswoman whose daughter has Down’s syndrome, she told me about her association and all the actions that have been put in place for these young people and I said to myself that I had to share the funds that I raise to enable this association to carry out even more projects.
Business and sport: shared values
Emma has extensive experience of the corporate world and has worked for many groups. For her, the values of these two environments are very similar and echo each other. “Personally, I like to cultivate the difference through challenges, which can be sporting but also in my professional life. I have always evolved in a male environment, my father put me on a motorbike when I was 5 years old and in my studies, which were predominantly male, there were 2 women in my class. I like this culture of possible difference and I defy the conditioning in which we have been immersed since childhood,” explains Emma, who adds, “when you want to do something, whether you are a woman or a man, whether it is in sport or in business, you just need to have the will, determination and the ability to surround yourself with people to build beautiful things. The athlete adds “you have to make your own luck, the partnership with the IDEC GROUP is not insignificant, it’s a Group that shares the same values as I do with audacity, challenge and surpassing oneself”.
