Philippe Ribiére
Philippe Ribiére
PHILIPPE RIBIéRE
Arco 2011
July 29, 2011
Philippe Ribiére was born in Martinique. A Rubinstein-Taybi sufferer, he was abandoned by his biological parents and was adopted by a French family. He has undergone many operations to overcome the mobility problems caused by his illness.
In 1994 he tried climbing and immediately fell in love with it, realizing that it offered him a way to overcome the barriers presented by his disability. He took part in the most important climbing competitions and founded Handi–Grimpe, an association which helps disabled people overcome through climbing the prejudices they often face.
Arco 2011 World climbing championships
You’re a big fan of Bob Marley. How is Bob Marley important for you when you climb? What does "Stand up for your rights" mean for you?
Yes, it’s true, he’s great! Seriously, 12 years ago I became the spokesperson for disabled French climbers with the IFSC. I started to think that one day climbing could become an Olympic sport.
One condition for this to be possible is that there’s a disabled category. I have worked to make this happen for many years, climbing with the world’s strongest climbers, and support from big sponsors has meant I have a certain freedom to pursue this goal. Well, "Get up, stand up" is perhaps not my favourite song, but it sort of says everything.
In France I have started to create events called Handi-Grimpe for disabled climbers, where both disabled and “normal” people can climb together. At first it was hard to make the French receptive about the topic, and for them to understand how really important it is, but, after 12 years, we are holding the first paraclimbing world championships.
Yes, it’s an important result. Are you pleased after all your hard work?
Yes, but I haven’t done it all myself. But I have been really pushy with the IFSC, and with my federation, and making climbing demonstrations at the French, European and World championships. And it’s also true that, thanks to my sponsors and fantastic climbing partners, people have started to think of me as a climber who’s disabled.
Before I was just a disabled person who climbed, then I became a climber with a disability, and now I am a professional climber. Sure, after all these years it’s a great achievement and I could almost feel flattered, but in fact I’m just really happy. It’s vitally important for all those disabled people who didn’t know that climbing was something they could do, and for sport in general.
I know that the Championships are being shown on Italian TV, and so people watching will realise just what you can do even if you’re disabled. Just like "Get up, stand up". A dream comes true. You can’t expect that things change by themselves, and I for one worked to make things happen.
You’re famous because you climb outdoors as well as indoors. How is it different?
Obviously there’s a masssive difference. Indoors, the moves are set, while on rock you can be much more imaginative.
In my own case, my disability means I am limited in the force I can apply with my hands, but I can press down. Indoors, if there are no intermediate holds to reach the good ones. On rock, however, you can adapt, you can find other small holds that allow you to progress. Climbing on rock means also contact with Nature, which is very important for me.
Tell us about the film "Wild One?
"Wild One" is a very intimate film. It’s a film about me. It’s about a child who grew up in an orphanage, adopted aged four and who had successive operations from the age of twelve. It talks about my perception of my disability.
I myself, with my disability, didn’t really understand what it meant. Society has learned to see disabled people for who they are: very often people are pitying, maybe unintentionally, but to go back to Bob Marley’s song, you can’t be there waiting, you have to make things happen yourself. I have always been very timid, I didn’t want people to see my arms and legs, I was ashamed of my face.
Then, thanks to climbing and to the sponsors who started to support me I started to feel more self-confident. The film will be released in January 2012 and has already been bought by many TV channels all over the world.
What are your future projects?
I have been invited to Serbia, to climb and walk on the highest mountains with other disabled people. My main project, though, remains the film "Wild One" and also trying to create a sort of protection for us disabled climbers to make the sport more accessible and accepted by society.
Philippe Ribiére
Philippe Ribiére
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