Roaming along the Via Alpina
Supported by Guidetti, Célestine Desoeurbrun is embarking on a solo and independent trek along the Via Alpina in early June 2024. Find out more about her project and her motivations.
Who are you?
My name is Célestine. Originally from Picardy, at the age of 26 I decided to come and settle in the Alps. I am doing my doctorate in electrochemistry and materials science at the University of Grenoble Alpes. For three years, I have been evolving along the curves of my scientific results and those of the Alpine massifs. It's quite simple: to recharge my batteries, I need to be in the mountains, in all seasons, above or below ground. So I oscillate between hiking, introduction to mountaineering, and caving depending on the season and weather conditions. My favorite playgrounds are the Chartreuse, Belledonne, the Vercors, the Taillefer or the Ecrins.
What is your approach to the mountains?
The particularity of my approach is to be 90% of the time roaming during my hikes, with the tent on my back, even in winter. For me, being in the mountains is: reconnecting with nature, with oneself, accessing a time that I call vertical, evolving in full awareness, the constant wonder induced by the landscapes, the fauna and flora encountered on the path or the encounters with the actors of the territory (shepherds, refuge wardens, park agents, guides, hikers, etc.). The more time I spend in the mountains, the more I feel at peace. This allows me to return to the valley with fresh ideas, brought by the north winds that swept the reliefs. These excursions allow me to ask myself the right questions about the impact of mobility and my personal/professional activities.
What is the project? What motivates you to carry it out?
It's a trekking project along the Via Alpina, alone and independently. This project is doubled with a scientific study in order to link my two main activities as a researcher and a hiker. Curious by nature, I like to learn about the territories in which I evolve. Not being a native of the region, I therefore have a lot to discover about the Alps, which stretch over 1,200 km in length. So what could be better than a route crossing them from East to West? It is on this route that I decided to conduct a 5-month air quality monitoring study, starting in June 2024. The project is also a time for introspection and self-improvement. I am often asked if I am afraid of going alone, especially as a woman. In reality, in the mountains we are rarely alone for long. I am not saying this because the brown bear is present in Slovenia but because the mountains are a territory of exchange. We encounter: kindness, mutual aid, sharing. I will not hide from you that I take the Via Alpina above all for the taste of adventure.
What exactly is the Via Alpina?
The Via Alpina is a project aimed at promoting the diversity of the largest European natural area, from a geographical, floristic, faunistic and cultural point of view. It has been conducted since the 2000s with the help of eight Alpine countries (Slovenia, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Liechtenstein, France, Monaco). Five routes were designed across the Alpine arc, based on existing trails that had to be skillfully connected. The red route, which I chose, is the longest of them. It is a 2650 km route from the Adriatic to the Mediterranean, starting in Trieste (Italy), on the border with Slovenia, at the foot of the Julian Alps and ending in Monaco. Plenty to see the country!
Why did you choose Guidetti poles to accompany you?
To set off to conquer the hills and other small valleys, I already had all or part of the necessary equipment, but my Guidetti Altitude 1500 telescopic poles had had their day! After 10 years of good and loyal service, the screw-clamping technology was getting a bit tired, and I needed very durable poles for long-distance walking in steep terrain.
To help me carry out this first expedition, the Guidetti brand responded by providing support for the project, providing me with both a new pair of poles and valuable advice. The brand was not chosen by chance. We actually have a lot in common. It was created in Fontaine in 1994. So you could say that the brand is my age, give or take a few miscalculations, and we are geographically neighbors. So I decided to set off with local poles, and that means a lot to me. What convinced me were the dimensions of durability, repairability and the associated French know-how. Each element of the pole is replaceable and you can come and have a "health diagnosis" done directly in the new workshop located in Saint Jean de Moirans. For my part, I chose to go with the Flashlock Ambre carbon/aluminum model in 4 foldable sections: with their 3 carbon sections + 1 aluminum terminal section for more resistance.
This is not the first time that Guidetti has supported a large-scale project on this crossing. I think it's really cool to encourage young people in their projects around the world. We feel supported!