2026 Festival

A Word from your Host A conception of freedom

For 29 years, a whole succession of sailors, divers, mountaineers, athletes, pilots, champions, scientists, explorers and artists have taken to the stage of the Henri Oreiller Convention Centre to remind us that “The value of a thing sometimes does not lie in that which one attains by it, but in what one pays for it—what it costs us.” These are the opening words of extract 38 of Twilight of the Idols, entitled “My Conception of Freedom”. And it seems unlikely that any of the festival’s adventurers would disagree with Nietzsche!

Filmmakers, explorers and competitors all describe their journey to achieving their goals. Their ordeal has perhaps been difficult, sometimes exhilarating, often distressing, but always enlightening.

Their experiences alternate between pleasure and pain, torment and joy, injury and inspiration.

Between shattered dreams and achievements beyond their wildest expectations, some adventurers even discover who they really are!

Whatever may be lost along the way, shed like the skin of a reptile, that inner magic does its work, transforming the very being. “What it costs us” is exactly that, the price to pay for adventure.

And because there is no gain without pain, the experience is even more sublime.

The Aigle d’Or prize awarded at the end of the festival offers food for thought. Just what inspired the winning adventurer to push the boundaries so far?

The Adventure & Discovery festival also teaches us that achievement hones our thinking, heightens our sensitivity and intensifies our feelings. Listen to them, those adventurers who return from distant lands, oh so inspired by the journey behind them! To quote Nietzsche once again (at the start of Ecce Homo), “The greatest agility of the muscles has always gone hand in hand with an overflowing creative power.” We really should have invited him to Val d’Isère—the travelling philosopher who loved the mountains so much. But he was otherwise engaged. Beyond Good and Val.

Sylvain Tesson

GOLDEN EAGLE OF ADVENTURELoving KarmaDirected by Johnny Burke & Andrew Hinton

ALAIN ESTÈVE AWARDK2 Chasing ShadowsDirected by David Arnaud & Hugo Clouzeau

OUTSIDE HOPE AWARDSide to SideDirected by Jérôme Dalle Mule

USHUAÏA TV AWARDChampions of the Golden ValleyDirected by Ben Sturgulewski

AUDIENCE GRAND PRIZELoving KarmaDirected by Johnny Burke & Andrew Hinton

MONDAY 13 APRIL

5pm2000 jours au Paradis

Directed by: Anne et Erik Lapied
Language: French with English subtitles
Duration: 69 minutes

7.30pmK2 Chasing Shadows

Directed by: David Arnaud & Hugo Clouzeau
Language: French
Duration: 66 minutes

9.15pmChampions of the Golden Valley

Directed by: Ben Sturgulewski
Language: English and Afghan with French subtitles
Duration: 80 minutes

TUESDAY 14 APRIL

5.30pmSombori, expédition dans un archipel inexploré

Directed by: Vincent Perazio
Language: French
Duration: 52 minutes

7.15pmSide to Side

Directed by: Jérôme Dalle Mule
Language: French
Duration: 55 minutes

9pmTumur, le bandit des steppes - Avant-première

Directed by: Hamid Sardar
Language: Mongolian with French subtitles
Duration: 90 minutes

WEDNESDAY 15 APRIL

5.30pmGuts, a female expedition through Africa

Directed by: Patrizia Bruno
Language: English with French subtitles
Duration: 64 minutes

7.15pmBetter Up There

Directed by: Mathis Dumas
Language: French with English subtitles
Duration: 45 minutes

8.45pmLoving Karma

Directed by: Johnny Burke & Andrew Hinton
Language: Tibetan with French subtitles
Duration: 80 minutes

THURSDAY 16 APRIL

5.30pmPlastic Odyssey : Mission Pacifique

Directed by: Pierre de Parscau
Language: French
Duration: 85 minutes

7.30pmRide the Line

Directed by: Ihor Volochii
Language: Ukrainian with French subtitles
Duration: 70 minutes

10.15pmClosing Ceremony

Screening of the winning film of the 2026 Golden Eagle of Adventure Award

Festival Host Sylvain Tesson

Born in Paris on 26 April 1972, Sylvain Tesson studied geography and geopolitics with Yves Lacoste before devoting his life to writing and long-distance travel. He has relentlessly explored the world by bike, walked across the Himalayas, ridden horses through Central Asia and followed in the footsteps of gulag escapees from Siberia to India. He has also investigated the oil industry in the Caucasus and Anatolia, and taken part in humanitarian and archaeological missions in Afghanistan.

His adventures in the Russian Far East, Mongolia, the Himalayas and Tibet have inspired some fifteen books, essays and short stories, including Une Vie à Coucher Dehors (Gallimard, winner of the 2009 Goncourt and Académie Française Prizes for Short Stories), Dans les Forêts de Sibérie (Gallimard, winner of the 2011 Médicis Award for Essays), and La Panthère des Neiges (Gallimard, winner of the 2019 Renaudot Prize). He has also presented the TV programme Montagnes on the French channel France 3 and is a regular contributor to Le Figaro Magazine, as well as making documentaries for the TV channel France 5.

Sylvain Tesson, whose passions are climbing, literature and horse riding, spent six months living in a cabin in Siberia, an experience he describes in Dans les Forêts de Sibérie (Gallimard, 2011). In his most recent book, entitled Blanc (Gallimard, 2022), he tells of his adventures in the Alps. In 2024, he received the Combourg Prize for his book Avec les Fées.

President of the JuryJean-Marc Rochette

Jean-Marc Rochette has been a comic book and graphic novel artist and writer for over forty years. He is also a painter and sculptor. Born in Baden-Baden in 1956, he grew up between Grenoble and the Vénéon Valley. The mountains have always played a central role in his life and work, and he dreamed of becoming a mountain guide, until a tragic accident put an end to his plans. He revisits this pivotal experience for the first time in Ailefroide, which also inspired his graphic novel La Dernière Reine. Published by Casterman in October 2022, this tale of love, art and nature was named Lire magazine’s Book of the Year. Alongside his work in comics, Rochette has also developed a career as a writer. Following his acclaimed debut novel, he continues his literary journey with a second novel, Le Festin de Pierres.

Matthieu TordeurExplorer

Matthieu Tordeur is an explorer and a member of the Société des Explorateurs Français. He has led expeditions to more than 100 countries, crossing deserts, oceans, mountains and polar regions. He has driven around the world in a Renault 4 to promote microfinance, run six consecutive marathons across the Sahara, cycled across Europe twice and sailed across the Atlantic. In 2019, he became the first Frenchman and the youngest person in the world to reach the South Pole solo and unsupported, a feat recognised by Guinness World Records. A committed advocate for climate action, Matthieu was a spokesperson for the Cryosphere Pavilion at the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice. He has also led a number of educational expeditions in the Alps, the Pamirs, Greenland and Antarctica. A passionate communicator, Matthieu regularly speaks at schools, businesses and international conferences, sharing his first-hand experience from the field, raising awareness of glaciers and polar regions, and explaining their vital role in the Earth’s climate and in sustaining life. His expeditions also help to highlight environmental issues. As founder of the 90° SUD Association, he works alongside the scientific community to collect data, raise awareness and help drive change.

Salomé CholetHighline Athlete

Salomé grew up at the foot of the cliffs, where the sheer drop teaches you to overcome fear and trust your body. From an early age, she was drawn to extreme sports and aerial disciplines, driven by a desire to test her limits and push herself further. Today, she continues to pursue that path as a dedicated athlete, motivated by performance, progression and the thrill of a challenge. For her, every training session, project and highline attempt is a way to live life to the full, nurture her sense of freedom and turn her passion into a driving force.

Elodie SuigoBroadcast Journalist

Élodie Suigo is a respected radio and television journalist, renowned for the quality of her interviews and widely regarded as one of the leading interviewers in the cultural world. She has been part of the Radio France family since 2005 and now hosts Le Monde d’Élodie on Franceinfo, one of the country’s most popular radio programmes, where she profiles a different public figure each day. She is driven by a desire to share the stories, personal insights and anecdotes behind the people she meets, from Sting and Bruce Springsteen to François Hollande, Marc Lévy, Michel Bussi, Juan Pablo Escobar and Asia Argento. A former high-level tennis player, she also created L’Esprit Sportive, a programme dedicated to women’s sport, and makes regular television appearances.

Demonstrations & activities

Tuesday 14 April - 11amMasterclass Convention Centre

Anne and Erik Lapied, directors of the film “2000 Jours au Paradis” invite you to unveil the secrets of making wildlife films in mountainous habitats.

- Duration: 1 hour

- Limited to 50 participants

- Free admission. Prior booking compulsory at the Tourist Office

Tuesday 14 April - 2pmLive interview with Elodie SuigoRadioval

In her programme “Le Monde d’Elodie”, broadcast on France Info, our jury member Elodie Suigo conducts intimate interviews with famous people. For our festival, she will interview one of the personalities attending the event, for live broadcast on Radio Val d’Isère.

- Duration: 1 hour

- Free, no need to book

Tuesday 14 April - 2pmLocal Wildlife ObservationPont Saint Charles trail

Come to the Pont Saint Charles trail in Le Fornet to meet the Bailletaz Nature Reserve rangers and learn about the different mountain wildlife species and how they survive through the winter.

- Duration: as you please, between 2pm and 5pm

- No limit on number of participants

- Free activity, no need to book

In the presence of the Bailletez Nature Reserve rangers, as well as Anne and Erik Lapied.

Wednesday 15 April - 2pmIntroduction to adaptive skiingRogonay Chairlift

The Val d’Isère Handisport Association invites you to discover adaptive skiing and perhaps even have a go yourself! This discipline enables disabled individuals to experience the joys of wintersports, with the help of adapted equipment.

- 1 hour

- Limited to 15 participants

- Free activity. Prior booking compulsory at the Tourist Office.

- Come in your ski gear and bring your own lift pass

In the presence of Marc and François from the film “Side to Side”, and Philippe Pouchkine from the Val d’Isère Handisport Association.

Wednesday 15 April - 2.30pmFilm ScreeningLe Splendid Cinema

As every year, our partner Ushuaïa TV presents its own special selection at the Festival. This year, the channel will showcase the documentary Gardiens des Oiseaux, introduced by its director, Muriel Barra.

- 1 ½ hours

- Limited to 150 people

- Free admission, no need to book

Thursday 16 April - 1pmIntroduction to slacklining above water with Salomé CholetCentre Aquasportif

Put your balance to the test without taking any risks, on a slackline stretched across the Centre Aquasportif swimming pool. Salomé Cholet, a jury member and freestyle highline champion, will share a few tips to help you progress.

- 45 minutes per session

- A session at 1pm, limited to 6 participants

- A session at 2pm, limited to 6 participants

- Prior booking compulsory at the Tourist Office. Pool admission ticket to be purchased before entry.

Thursday 16 April - 3pmUnder Antarctica Conference with Matthieu TordeurLe Splendid Cinema

Join us for a screening of a short documentary about a snowkiting expedition, and discover the adventure undertaken on the remote fringes of Antarctica by explorer Matthieu Tordeur and glaciologist Heidi Sevestre. The event will be accompanied by a photographic exhibition featuring images from the “Under Antarctica” expedition, of which Val d’Isère is a partner.

- 1 hour

- Limited to 150 participants

- Free admission, no need to book

Photo Exhibitions,

DailyPlastic Odyssey : Mission Pacifique

Every evening from 5pm, photographs from the film “Plastic Odyssey : Mission Pacifique” will be displayed in the marquee at the Henri Oreiller Convention Centre.

DailyChampions of the Golden Valley

A second exhibition featuring photographs from the film “Champions of the Golden Valley” will be held from 5pm every evening during the festival, in the lobby of the Henri Oreiller Convention Centre.

DailyUnder Antarctica

This exhibition of photos from the “Under Antarctica” expedition takes place in the Maison de Val.

Literary events

Books will be on sale in the Festival book shop from Monday 13 to Thursday 16 April, from 5pm to 10pm, as well as during meet-the-author sessions when books can be signed.

Tuesday 14 April - 10amIan ManookM'LIRE BOOKSHOP

Join us for this unusual opportunity to meet the famous writer, Ian Manook, at the M’Lire bookshop in Val d’Isère. A chance to discover his two most recent books, “Débâcle” and “Gangnam”, published in 2025.

- 1 hour

- Free, no need to book

Wednesday 15 April - 10amSylvain TessonHÔTEL LA SAVOYARDE

Be among the first to discover Sylvain Tesson’s brand-new book in the cosy lounge of Hôtel La Savoyarde. An exclusive preview, as the book will not be officially published until the following day.

- 2 hours

- Limited to 40 participants

- Free admission, prior booking compulsory at the Tourist Office

Thursday 16 April - 10amJean-Marc RochetteEXPERIMENTAL CHALET

Jean-Marc Rochette, president of the Festival Jury, invites you to discover his new novel “Le Festin de Pierres” in the comfort of the Experimental Chalet lounge, in the heart of the village.