The watch manufacturer in Le Locle, partner of men and women who personify a pioneering spirit in their domain, has just announced that Antoine Cina has become its new Ambassador. The Valais climber's project is to climb Everest from the Tibetan side, and when he has completed his climb, to take off from the top of the world on a paraglider. Launched at 8,848 m, the paraglider will bear Zenith's starred logo. The expedition will leave Switzerland on April 23, 2011.
The Pilgrimage of the Seven Summits
Antoine Cina has decided to take on the dream of many born mountaineers : to climb the “Seven Summits” – the highest peaks on the seven continents on the planet. The adventure began in Africa when he climbed Kilimanjaro (5,895 m) ; and continued in South America on Aconcagua (6,962 m) ; then ultimately on Mount McKinley in North America (6,194 m), in extreme conditions, since the descent on skis took 12 hours along a gully between crevasses called the “Orient Express” – a 1,000 m drop with a continuous 42° gradient. Antoine Cina then felt up to taking on the highest summit on the planet – Mount Everest (8,848 m), which he climbed from the Tibetan side, with an international team.
Take off from the highest point on the planet
Once he had come down from the top of the world, Antoine Cina could have chosen to pursue his Seven Summits pilgrimage – an epic journey that he will indeed continue after his next feat – by taking on the last three : Mount Elbrouz in Europe (5,633 m), Mont Vinson in Antarctica (5,140 m) and the Carstensz Pyramid (4,484 m) in Australia. But the call of Everest, and his current excellent mental and physical condition after ten days of climbing, gave him the idea of this new challenge – to return to the world's highest summit and attempt to take off on a paraglider.
Everest 2011
Following two years of preparation, Antoine Cina is going back to Everest on a second expedition that will begin on April 23, 2011, with the same international team that participated in 2009. He will follow the same Tibetan route. The expedition will need about a fortnight to reach its Base Camp in the village of Rongbuk, situated at 5,050m. After this, they will take about another ten days to reach the summit via the North Col at 7,000m. Antoine Cina will carry two Zenith flags in his baggage: the first to be raised at the Base Camp ; and the second on the summit of Everest. Here, right on top, 25 days after the start of the expedition, he will attempt the challenge that is his reason for returning to the highest point on the planet – namely, to take off on a paraglider emblazoned with Zenith's starred logo.
The expedition will be covered on a daily basis by journalist Nathalie Lamoureux from the French weekly Le Point, who will post reports and videos on the climbers' progress on www.lepoint.fr. These interviews and videos will be transmitted by the Arab station, Aljazeera, who are following a member of the expedition sponsored by the Emir of Qatar. Finally, Antoine Cina himself will be equipped with a camera in order to transmit pictures of his take-off and his flight. These images will circle the globe!
Antoine Cina, a life dedicated to mountains
Like all Zenith ambassadors, Antoine Cina is first and foremost a man driven by a passion. Born in Montana in 1955, he has always lived from, and for the mountains. He gradually turned to ski mountaineering, which he practised to competitive levels. His expertise in this domain has resulted in him being an international judge at ski mountaineering competitions. He was also head of the Crans Montana mountain rescue team.
The Mount Everest programme: a carefully planned climb
Arrival at Lhassa scheduled for April 24: three days of acclimatisation
Travel to Shigatse (3900 m): 2-3 days of acclimatisation
Departure for Shegar (4350 m): 2-3 days of acclimatisation
Departure for the base camp, commonly known as the Chinese Base Camp: (5050m)
Subsequently, depending on the acclimatisation process, a climb is planned directly to the designated advance base camp (6,400 m), where a rest for at least four days is on the agenda.
Following this, climb to 7,000 m on the North Col and spend the night there. Come back down to 6,400 m to pick up equipment, and await an ideal window in the weather, in order to reach the summit between May 19 and 23.
Go back up to 7,000m for one night, then climb to 7,700m for another night. Finally, climb to 8,300m to the last camp for a 6-7 hour rest, followed by the climb to the summit at 8,848m before the big paraglider jump.
Weather permitting, the flight will last 45 minutes from the summit to the advanced base camp at 6,400m !
Here, a couple of nights will be spent before returning to 5,500 m and then 5,050 m, the meeting place with the vehicles, to drive back to the Nepalese border and Kathmandu.
El Primero Stratos Flyback
During his expedition to the top of the world, Antoine Cina will wear an El Primero Stratos Flyback on his wrist, encased in Alchron. Specially developed for watchmaking, this lightweight alloy demonstrates extreme mechanical characteristics, with a 210 HV Vickers hardness measurement. Before being used for this model, the Alchron, has undergone a whole battery of tests, and its shock resistance was proven using a formidable Charpy impact test. This uses a steel mass attached to the end of a swivel arm, hurled at the case as hard as possible. The aim of these tests is to ensure that the El Primero calibre has the best possible composition in terms of its high-resistance alloy. Protected by this armour, the El Primero calibre beats at a high frequency, corresponding to 25% more to-and-fro motions than all other mechanical calibres. Antoine Cina's watch is equipped with a flyback function that enables the wearer to simultaneously stop, reset and restart the chronograph by pressing a single button. In the beginning, this function was developed for the first aviators, enabling them to work out a new heading instantaneously and easily. During the Mount Everest flight, the flyback mechanism will remind the Swiss paraglider of the exploits of his peers – flying men.
Zenith, the pioneer spirit
Since its very beginnings, Zenith has accompanied Discoverers, Explorers, all those who seek to go beyond the bounds of existing limits. It has guided sailors on their expeditions, when marine Zenith chronometers were used to calculate the positions of ships in the sea ; and it has also aided pilots. But above all, the Manufacture itself has always demonstrated a tireless spirit of discovery! An insatiable pioneer, Zenith invented the El Primero chronograph calibre, the most precise automatic movement in the world and the first to beat at the rate of ten vibrations per second. Zenith CEO, Jean-Frédéric Dufour, describes the passion that drives him and his team, ”The expression ‘Pioneer Spirit' best describes the Zenith brand, which has frequently been in the vanguard in exploring uncharted territory. It is this ability to develop new ideas in technical developments and then launch them – before anyone else – which is particularly fascinating at Zenith. Our watches have participated in some of the most fascinating human adventures : the discovery of the North and South poles, conducted by the explorer Roald Amundsen ; Mahatma Ghandi's peaceful struggle for Indian independence ; the ecological principles of Crown Prince Albert 1st of Monaco ; Louis Blériot's Channel crossing ; John F. Kennedy's political activities ; and the solo flight of the North Pole in a hot air balloon by French doctor Jean-Louis Etienne, to name but a few…” The partnership between Zenith and Antoine Cina is entirely in line with this ongoing tradition.
