Ain’t no mountain high enough for this monsieur

Despite his stunted body,short hands and legs,Ribiere amazed the young participants as he climbed a rock face with agility.

Rock climbing enthusiasts from different parts of the country and world gather every year at the Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex in Belapur for the event that involves both artificial boulder climbing and natural rock climbing.

To cheer the 133-odd participants from Gujarat,Rajasthan,Manipur,Delhi,Israel,Japan,Korea,France and Switzerland,33-year-old guest climber Ribiere came all the way from Nimes in Southern France despite suffering from an ailment that effects one in 125,000 births in the world.

The climber said he never lets his disability — his broad thumbs,toes,short height and small head — become a mental barrier. “People ask me why I took up rock climbing despite my apparent disability. But I have never paid much attention to the fact that I am shorter or weaker than others,” he said.

Ribiere was introduced to rock climbing during a summer camp 17 years ago when he was denied entry in the bicycling club because of his short legs. He then joined a rock climbing club which was ready to welcome him.

Since then,he took up the sport seriously and has been training normal and disabled people for the past 10 years. He devotes about four hours to rock climbing and training every day.

“My work towards helping the handicapped is a personal therapy which helps me take away attention from how different I am from others. Of course,sometimes I face problems during physical movements but it is not the real problem. It is a question of force and placements. After all,it is the head which is the driving force,” said Ribiere.

When asked about his experience in India,Ribiere said the youth here have potential in the sport.

“There are many Indians,especially those from the North-East,who seem strong and sturdy and can do very well in this field,” he said.