Wednesday, 21 April 2021

Draw the line: Our athletes take you with them to the top.

At a time when everything digital is an increasingly important part of our everyday lives, no one can escape this transformation in how we communicate and interact in the modern age. Even the men and women of the mountains, the unchanging guardians of the Alpine tradition, have taken to Instagram – which just goes to show how things have changed! Seeing all this, we decided to set up a special project with our athletes; an "on-the-ground" but connected project, designed to be authentic but collaborative, from the mountains to the frontiers of the digital world. So get ready – "Draw the Line" will take you up into the mountains, alongside some of the best climbers on the planet! 

©Mathis Dumas

What is Draw the Line?

If you are like us, then you probably live vicariously through the social media accounts of your favortie mountaineering athletes. These accounts likely make you dream, question, and even inspire you. With Draw the Line, we offer you a new way to interact with these athletes by letting you "call the shots."

Over several days, you can interact with the world's best athletes on their playing field. In other words, it is you (subscribers on ours social media networks) who will decide what routes our athletes take! Through polls, questions, quizzes and different "calls to action" on our Instagram, @julbo_eyewear, you will draw the line together.

Engage with our athletes as you decide where their journey will take them. You will get a behind-the-scenes experience as they share their expedition with you in real time. Experience the challenges they face as they explore their favorite playground: the mountains! Do you think you are ready?

Safety will obviously still be central to decision-making, and after evaluating the current conditions, it will be the athletes who suggest the routes they feel are feasible.

Athletes taking part in the project

For this high-mountain adventure, we've asked some of our best athletes to form two ground-breaking rope teams:

• François Cazanelli: a 31-year-old mountain guide in Cervinia and the ultimate in complete mountaineers. The Matterhorn is his daily playground, and express alpine traverses are his favorite hobby.
• Mathieu Maynadier: this 37-year-old native of Briançon is definitely the most hyperactive of the bunch. Comfortable on all types of terrain, especially faces that no one has ever set foot on before, he's already overflowing with ideas for the community.
• Symon Welfrynger: representing the young generation, the 25-year-old from Grenoble is an excellent climber on both rock and ice, and brings both his good humor and versatility to Draw the Line.
• Caroline North: our Swiss mountain guide has gold in her fingers when she puts them on rock. After several big achievements in "bike'n'climb" mode, Caro is coming to see how the land lies in places she's not yet familiar with, but she could well be the group lead.
• David Göttler: after meticulous physical preparation that will certainly take him to the roof of the world this spring, the German athlete should be "well acclimatized" to the task of climbing multiple peaks.
• Philipp Reiter: a former international trail runner who's been converted into a summit "correspondent", Philipp spends more days in the mountains than you do in front of your computer (and that's saying something!). His eye for photography helps him choose the most aesthetically pleasing lines.

Alongside this dream team of mountaineers, other distinguished guests with their own impressive CVs could also make an appearance. We won't say any more for the moment, as it's you who will decide!

Two projects in the pipeline

By now you can see that Draw the Line is going to be a serious project, without taking itself too seriously. And to meet everyone's expectations, we've planned two "productions" in two different massifs.

François Cazanelli, Mathieu Maynadier and Symon Welfringer will go to scour the Mont-Blanc massif in early May, taking the necessary gear for ice, skiing, climbing and perhaps even paragliding.

And Caroline North, David Göttler and Philipp Reiter will be in the Grossglockner massif in Austria where they'll meet in mid-June for a program based on climbing, ridges, summer mountaineering and multi-sport adventures.

So there'll be something for everyone, from lovers of icy north faces to climbers who like to feel hot rock under their fingers!

Stay connected to our social media channels (Facebook and Instagram), and get preparing your ideas and questions so you can leave your mark on the alpine races undertaken by our athletes and draw YOUR line!