Climbing is recognised as being one of the most challenging but also one of the most beautiful sports. It takes physical strength, intelligence, determination and willpower to conquer the wall. A climber’s physique is one of the most developed and so must be Philippe’s.
Wild One – a story of Philippe Ribiere /Teaser from Film IT on Vimeo.
However, Philippe stands out in the company of other climbers. His story begins in 1977 in Fort de France, Martinique. Being born to a mother of a Jewish descent and a black father, he is a fruit of a forbidden love. His parents left him to the hospital, where he spent the first four years of his life. Being born with the Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome, his body was severely deformed at birth. During the four years in the hospital, he undergoes 15 leg and arm operations. He was alone, all alone and different.
In 1981 he was taken to France and adopted by a French family. Philippe spent the next 15 years of his life in the south of France in a big family, together with three brothers and three sisters. He was never told whether he was loved. Throughout the years of growing up, he faces the fact that he is different for the first time. Since he was not given any love or support by his step parents, he slowly begins to grow more and more introverted. He tried out climbing for the first time at the age of 6, when on holiday in the French Alps. Philippe was fearless and climbed like all the healthy children. He forgot about climbing for a while, until he was destined to climb again at 16, this time he was completely overwhelmed by it. He started going to a climbing school and over the next 8 years his life slowly begins to change. Climbing was quite a challenge for Philippe due to his deformed hands; furthermore, his arms are only half the length other climber’s arms are long. Even his toes and fingers are deformed. Nevertheless, Philippe became such an exceptional climber and an inspiration to others, not only climbers, that he becomes a member of Petzl Team in 2002. Philippe is supported by the head of Petzl Team himself, Laurent de Lafouchardieu, in the years that followed, he could devote himself to climbing completely. In 2008, he set off on a tour (the Evolution Tour) to visit 18 European countries all by himself and lecture on his handicap and style of climbing he developed; he is a metaphor and a demonstration of obstacles and limitations existing only in one’s mind.
Philippe spent most of his life alone and feeling lonely. Not many have found the way to his heart, though he has met thousands of people all over the globe. He now admits that him being introvert might be the reason for that as well. After a lifetime of loneliness and attempts to be a part of the society, after 33 years of insults and bullying, Philippe has built a wall to protect himself.
The wall is strong but Philippe is determined to bring it down.
The Wild One is due to be released next year
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