“It was an isolated moment in time”, remembers Nicolas Constant. A few weeks ago, this 30-year-old young man from Cahors (Lot) returned from a ten-day trip to Nepal. A trip to the other side of the world with the aim of realizing his dream: playing the piano on Everest, at an altitude of more than 5,000 m. After several days spent climbing the highest mountain in the world (8,849 m), the Lotois successfully took up the challenge, images of which he shared on social networks.
The combination of two passions
A lover of music and the mountains, Nicolas Constant learned mountaineering and piano as an autodidact. The idea of combining his two passions was born two years ago when he moved to the Swiss Alps, not far from Chamonix. “I was tired of playing in front of a wall. I got into the habit of carrying my piano on my back to go play in the mountains around my house”, says the thirty-year-old. In 2023, his dream of Everest takes shape: “I told myself that I had to follow through with this idea and I started to organize everything. »
At the end of April 2024, he took off for Kathmandu (Nepal) before going to the village of Lukla to begin his ascent. Then followed nine days of walking in the snow, without a guide and without a porter, carrying alone the weight of his 35 kg of equipment (mountaineering equipment, sleeping bag, piano, etc.). “I had a problem with hypoxia (insufficient oxygen in the blood, editor’s note) at 4,400 m, but my body adapted the next day. It was quite intense, but it got done”. Thursday May 2, 2024, after 5,364 m of ascent, he finally reached his destination: Everest base camp.
Charles Aznavour and Edith Piaf
“When I arrived, there were a lot of climbers. So I went through everything to isolate myself and find myself alone”. The young man manages to locate an ideal place, in the middle of rock walls and dizzying slopes. In this grandiose setting where silence reigns supreme, Nicolas takes out his piano and begins to play Bohemian by Charles Aznavour, The crowd by Edith Piaf, or even Una Mattina by Ludovico Einaudi. “It was a feeling of intense personal accomplishment. I will remember it all my life”. He notably shared photos on his Instagram account, also relayed by The Parisian .
In total, the young man spent three days at base camp. A stay during which he shared musical evenings with Nepalese and foreigners. “Everyone was surprised and amazed, they had never seen a piano in this valley. Some locals had never even seen one in their livesremembers the thirty-year-old. After that, I received a lot of messages from people who were inspired by my project. It sparked quite a bit of excitement. »
In November, Nicolas Constant was even invited by the Swiss town of Vex to recount his recent journey during a conference. “Continuing this, I am looking for sponsors and partners. If things go well, I would like to visit schools to encourage young people to believe in their dreams”.
His objective now achieved, the young mountaineer is already planning to embark on new challenges. On the sporting side, he plans to travel from Lake Geneva to the summit of Mont Blanc in less than 24 hours. Concerning music and mountaineering, he plans to solo climb Aconcagua, in Argentina, the highest peak on the American continent, perched at 6,900 m. But this time, he plans to swap his heavy keyboard for a lighter instrument. “A guitar or a violin perhaps”.
