Inoxtag climbed Everest… without talking about climate change

The bets are on: has Inoxtag succeeded in its ascent of Everest? ? The session did not begin until the spectators, who came in large numbers on Friday September 13 for the preview screened at the Pathé cinema in the XIII^e district of Paris, are already making their estimates. For Adam, a second-year communications student, there is no doubt, “ This guy is too strong, he trained a lot, he will succeed, it’s the project of his life »His friend Jules, 20, is not convinced by the argument: “ It takes years of training for a climber to set out to climb Everest. Inox is a guy from the internet who didn’t even do any sports a year ago. »

More than 500 cinemas, in France and abroad, have shown his documentary Kaizen as a preview. The video was released on YouTube the next day at 2:30 p.m. and had over 11 million views in twenty-four hours, reaching 17 million on the morning of September 16. An expected success.

YouTuber with 8 million subscribers, Inoxtag, Inès Benazzouz by his real name, took on the challenge of climbing Everest after a year of intensive training. For six months, he had not given any news to his community. The goal: to keep the suspense until the broadcast of his documentary. Result: a mountain actually climbed, a speech on surpassing oneself omnipresent… which does not mention climate change once.

“ Very self-focused »

Climbing Everest is a personal challenge that will have cost Inoxtag between 1.5 and 2 million euros, according to Release. For almost a year, the videographer filmed his training sessions with Mathis Dumas, a high mountain guide who accompanied him in his project. Mont Blanc, Dent du Géant in Europe, but also Ama Dablam in Nepal… They climbed many peaks before tackling the roof of the world. The images of the mountain in the documentary are impressive, “ There was a very realistic side, a bit like a diary, which was really touching. »says Lucile, 28.

His motivation was to transmit the art of mountaineering, explains Inoxtag at the beginning of his documentary. But for the videographer, climbing Everest was above all a way to surpass himself, and to accomplish the biggest project of French YouTube. “ His journey was very much about himself, and his desire to disconnect from our society. »deplores the subscriber, who would have liked Inoxtag to share a stronger message on the environment.

Climate change, the great absentee

For 2 hours and 26 minutes, Inoxtag did not mention climate change or the carbon impact of such a project. For Lucile, who recently went on a trek in Nepal and knows the mountains, this is disappointing: “ I think he should have mentioned it, there is a lot of movement in the mountains, with avalanches and crevasses due to global warming. The climbs are becoming more and more dangerous and he must have seen it for himself. It is a shame not to say more. »

According to Fiona Mille, president of the environmental association Mountain Wilderness, the message conveyed by Inoxtag is no longer in line with the challenges of our century. “ He continues to sell this imaginary of unlimited resources while we have an imperative of sobriety. »she said to Reporterre.

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Inoxtag has chosen to show snippets of what climbing Everest involves: overpopulation with traffic jams lasting nearly an hour to get from one camp to another, the impossibility of bringing down the bodies of climbers who died at the summit, the importance of the Sherpas without whom he could not have succeeded in his project, and pollution so significant that Everest has become an open-air trash can. He, “ in respect for the mountain »insisted on taking down his waste.

Read also: Everest: How the roof of the world became the trash can of rich tourists

“ He showed the minimum. Inox is not known for being someone committed to the environmental cause, but his documentary did not glorify the ascent »says Lucile. For Manon, a 28-year-old subscriber, the Inoxtag project was a Source of inspiration: “ I’ve been hiking my whole life and the documentary made me want to push myself and climb mountains. Not Everest, but mountains that are surmountable, on my scale. »

After climbing the roof of the world, Inoxtag announced that he would continue mountaineering, without revealing the rest of his projects, while encouraging young people to disconnect from their screens, to have dreams and to discover the world. Will he succeed in getting rid of them himself or will he return to the platforms? ? One thing is certain, the overcrowded Everest is not about to free itself from the invading tourists.

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