The Captain Antoine Labranche 2016 Alpinism Expedition in The Great Alps!

On the Sunday morning of August 28th 2016, at 09:20 local time (MESZ), the alpinism team composed of Captain Antoine Labranche, High Mountain Guide Stéphanie Maureau, High Mountain Guide Guillaume Omont and Business Executive Alina Zagaytova, successfully reached the summit of the legendary Eiger Mountain (3,970m), with the Royal Canadian Air Force 438 Squadron and CASOL flags standing on top of Europe.

Photos: thank you to Mrs. Maureau, Mrs. Zagaytova, Mr. Omont, Mr. Labranche

Eiger

The Eiger, is a mountain of the Alps located in Switzerland, first climbed by Swiss guides Christian Almer, Peter Bohren and Irish merchant Charles Barrington, who climbed the west flank on August 11, 1858. The north face, considered amongst the most challenging and dangerous ascents, was first climbed in 1938 by an Austrian-German expedition led by Heinrich Harrer, a mountaineer, sportsman, geographer and author.

Country: Switzerland
Elevation: 3,970 m (13,020 ft)
First ascent: August 11, 1858
Prominence: 356 m
First ascenders: Christian Almer, Peter Bohren, Charles Barrington
Mountain range: Alps

Stéphanie Maureau, Antoine Labranche, Guillaume Omont and Alina Zagaytova, holding the 438 ETAH flag at the summit of the Eiger.

"The Eiger consists of limestone rock. Really not an easy type of rock to climb. It breaks into pieces easily and is extremely rough on the hands. Hence, the climbs are slower for security reasons, we must constantly pay attention to the climbers above us."

Antoine Labranche

On Tuesday August 23rd 2016, at 8h30am, the alpinism team composed of aviator Antoine Labranche, Stéphanie Maureau, Guillaume Omont and Alina Zagaytova, reached the summit of the Matterhorn, the symbolic mountain peak of Europe, with the flags of 438 ETAH and CASOL fluttering in the wind.

Matterhorn

The Matterhorn or Monte Cervino, also known in French as Mont Cervin is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the main watershed and border between Switzerland and Italy. It's history includes legendary climbs by alpinists such as Edward Whymper and Jean-Antoine Carrel.

Countries: Italy, Switzerland
Elevation: 4,478 m (14,692 ft)
First ascent: July 14, 1865
Prominence: 1,040 m
First ascender: Edward Whymper
Mountain range: Alps

"Deux dernières photos du sommet. Je trouve que ce panorama est superbe car il montre le coté de la Suisse (vallée enneigée) et celui de l'Italie (vallée verte). C'est avec cette comparaison que l'on peut bien observer combien l'ampleur d'une montagne, phénomène naturel, peut avoir un effet adverse sur la météo et le climat en général. Je suis tout petit comme être humain. "

Antoine Labranche

Zermatt, Switzerland. From left to right: Stéphanie Maureau, Guillaume Omont, Alina Zagaytova, Antoine Labranche

"Antoine first shared with me his plan to climb the Alps when we where jogging together at the Mont-Royal in Montreal, Canada in July. I am so proud of the accomplishments of their team.":

Mickaël Casol, President, CASOL

Captain Antoine Labranche holding the Casol flag, Mont-Blanc, Alps, France, August 19, 2016

Mont-Blanc

August 19

"Great news, success on Mont-Blanc! On the morning of Friday, Aug 19th, at 09:00 we reached the summit of Mont-Blanc (4,809m)! We were lucky with the weather, with great visibility, offering a spectacular panoramic view of the Alps. We have some fantastic shots of the summit.

In light of a bad weather forecast at the beginning of the week, we opted to alter the trip itinerary and tackle Mt Blanc through a window of clear weather on Friday morning. Wednesday we prioritized a quick acclimatization at 3,842m, where we practiced glacier travel techniques at the Aiguille du Midi on the slopes of Mont Tacul. Thursday morning, we hiked to the Gouter Hut in poor visibility and took a break at Le Refuge du Goûter. The following morning, we set out at 4:30am in the dark for the summit of Mont Blanc. The sky was clear above us with a beautiful full moon shining over an overcast layer of alto-stratus below us.

The result was a challenging climb, with a rushed acclimatization, lack of sleep, and severe winds. A slight injury occurred on the descent from the summit into the Moraines. Thanks to Dr. John Kramer, the foot injury should not prevent a summit on the Matterhorn and the Eiger.

In spite of the injury and the challenges on the summit day, the ascent of Mont Blanc was a wonderful climb, an express summit up and down, with a decent rest and recovery in Chamonix.

Tomorrow we head out to the Matterhorn (4,478m). Now that we are acclimatized, the altitude should be less of an issue for us, given that we have already summited the highest mountain of our project. Our summit ascent is meant to be on Tuesday morning."

Captain Antoine Labranche, Mont-Hood, USA (2011) and Aconcagua Mountain, Andes, Argentina (2010)

Alps 2016

July 21

Message from Mr. Labranche:

"My name is Captain Antoine Labranche, I am a tactical pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force, and I am currently posted at 438 Squadron in St-Hubert, Montreal. My extreme adventures have brought me to the edges of the world: from the high Canadian Arctic to the outreach of southern Patagonia, from the capital of Pyongyang in the Republic of North Korea to the Amazonian jungle, and from 24,000 feet at the summit of the Americas to below sea level in the Mojave Desert, the thirst for adventures has encouraged me to seek new challenges in all environments.

I have climbed mountain peaks all over the world, and most of my expeditions have been sponsored by the Canadian Forces, NDHQ Ottawa, CF Personal Support Programs, 438 Squadron, as well as by various media and financial institutions.

On August 15th 2016, I will embark on a new mountaineering expedition, this time to the Alps. The theme of the expedition is to highlight the symbolic and legendary attributes of these mountains through a combination of summits in one expedition. My objective for this expedition is to climb the Matterhorn, Mont-Blanc and the Eiger via the Mittellegi ridge. These mountain peaks will be climbed within a timeframe of two weeks. This is a serious expedition that is personally undertaken and that will warrant exposure to the dangers and high risks of the great Alps"

- Antoine Labranche -

Casol Villas France and the Concordia University Magazine are proud sponsors of the 2016 Alpinism Expedition of Captain Antoine Labranche.

To Offer Your Support to the Labranche Alpinism Expedition 2016, visit AntoineLabranche.com