Arc’teryx Presents: Makatea Vertical Adventure
The goal of “Makatea Vertical Adventure” was to develop eco-responsible tourism, respectful of the biodiversity of the atoll of Makatea and its inhabitants, through the practice of climbing.
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The sailing boat Maewan arrives in 2018 in Makatea, a unique island of Polynesia. A circle of coral raised about a hundred meters above a turquoise sea, a large variety of fauna and flora, a dream landscape… but also an exploited and abandoned island in the middle of the remains of the phosphate mines.
[Also Read Makatea: How Climbing Can Help Rebuild An Island]
As Erwan Le Lann and Marion Courtois discover the incredible limestone cliffs that the island offers right beside the sea, they discuss the possibilities of equipment and development of the site with the locals.
Six months later they come back with a team of twenty enthusiasts, climbers, speleologists, rescuers, educational and environmental managers, photographers, cameramen, journalists to set up the “Makatea Vertical Adventure” project, the goal being to develop eco-responsible tourism, respectful of the biodiversity of the atoll and its inhabitants, through the practice of climbing.