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INSTILLED follows Andrea Mason as she embarks on an incredibly ambitious and extreme triathlon. In this film, we watch as she attempts to be the first person in the world to swim the English Channel - a casual 34km - then cycle 900km across France, and a finale of climbing to the summit of Mont Blanc. To add to this already-intense challenge, she wanted to complete it in a mere 5 days... we did say it was ambitious!
Most Notable English Channel Swims
Most Notable Mont Blanc Ascents
1. Jacques Balmat and Michel-Gabriel Paccard (1786)
The first successful ascent of Mont Blanc. Balmat, a Chamonix crystal hunter, and Dr. Paccard, a physician, reached the summit on 8 August 1786. This historic climb is considered the birth of modern mountaineering and paved the way for future ascents.
2. Marie Paradis (1808)
Paradis became the first woman to summit Mont Blanc. A Chamonix local and a servant, she was encouraged to attempt the climb by Balmat, reaching the top despite not being an experienced mountaineer, making her achievement all the more remarkable.
3. Jean-Marc Boivin (1986)
Boivin performed the first paraglider descent from the summit of Mont Blanc. After reaching the peak, he launched himself off the top, descending in minutes rather than hours, marking a new era of extreme sports on Mont Blanc.
4. Marco Siffredi (2001)
Siffredi completed the first successful snowboard descent via the North Face, tackling one of Mont Blanc’s most technical and dangerous routes. He is considered a pioneer in extreme snowboarding, and his descent cemented his place in the history of mountain sports.
5. Patrick Vallençant (1973)
A pioneer in extreme skiing, Vallençant made one of the first notable extreme ski descents of Mont Blanc. His descent via the Grands Mulets Route brought attention to the possibilities of extreme skiing on the mountain.
6. Kilian Jornet (2013)
The Spanish ultra-runner set a speed record for climbing Mont Blanc from Chamonix in just 4 hours and 57 minutes, including a return to the starting point. His ascent showcases the rising trend of speed climbing and endurance challenges on Mont Blanc.
7. The First Winter Ascent (1876)
Swiss guides Johann Fischer and Ulrich Almer, along with British climber William W. Graham, made the first winter ascent of Mont Blanc in January 1876. The climb demonstrated that the mountain could be summited year-round, sparking interest in winter alpinism.
8. First Solo Ascent (1809)
Swiss guide Jean-Michel Couttet completed the first solo ascent of Mont Blanc. As one of the early Chamonix guides, his daring climb without any companions or additional support highlighted both the risks and the potential for solo alpine exploration.
9. First Ascent of the Brenva Spur (1865)
The Brenva Spur, one of the most challenging and technical routes on Mont Blanc’s Italian side, was first climbed by Edward Whymper, Christian Almer, Michel Croz, and Franz Biner in 1865. This ascent is notable for its difficulty and laid the groundwork for future technical climbs on the mountain.
10. Walter Bonatti (1955)
Italian alpinist Walter Bonatti made a notable solo ascent of the Pillar of Freney, a significant feature on Mont Blanc. Bonatti was known for his daring climbs, and this ascent contributed to his reputation as one of the greatest alpinists of his time.
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We caught up with Andrea about this exhausting and brilliant endurance adventure, as well as Lady Talk Matters and the vital work that they do.
What made you want to take on such a huge endurance challenge?
Sea to Summit Extreme was born out of my desire to push my own personal boundaries and use it as a platform to raise awareness of Endometriosis and encourage women and girls to have their cervical smear tests.
I love pushing myself both physically and mentally. It is here I truly find out who I am and what I am capable of. My philosophy is ‘create your own epic’ — I believe in being the best you can be and not comparing yourself to others.
Last year, I decided to put this to the test when I set out about trying to swim across the English Channel, Cycle 900km across France and then climb Mont Blanc.
Why this particular Sea to Summit challenge?
I knew I wanted to do something big, something that nobody had done before. Whilst I was in the hospital recovering from major surgery, my husband and I started brainstorming ideas. It went something like this ‘
Me: "I’ve always wanted to swim the channel." Karl: "Yeah, but haven’t lots of people done that already?" Me: "We live in Chamonix but I have never climbed Mt Blanc." Karl: "Again, lots of people have done that." Then jokingly, Karl says: "I know! Why don’t you do it all in one go and cycle in-between?" He wasn’t serious, but I loved the idea! For weeks, I couldn’t get it out of my head. The sheer fact that I was questioning whether it would be humanly possible meant that it was an awesome idea!
It was a huge challenge, something nobody had ever done, and I felt that I could use it as a platform to promote awareness of Endometriosis and cervical cancer, the two conditions I had been personally impacted by.
This was an intensely gruelling task, both physically and mentally! How did you prepare?
Lots and lots of training! I basically lived on my bike and in the water for the months leading up to the challenge ;-)
I also had to make sure I was practicing eating and drinking the same nutrition as I would do during the challenge. It was fundamental that I got my nutrition right as I would be burning 1000s of calories a day, so I needed to make sure they were being replenished the most efficient way possible.
What was the biggest obstacle that you faced?
By far the biggest obstacle was the lack of sleep. I had carefully planned rest times, but in reality, I wasn’t able to switch off — and sleep became more and more difficult.
Any stand-out moments?
Ooh, there are lots! The top things that spring to mind are:
1. The incredible support I had out on the route
2. Being given hot chips in the middle of the night
3. Definitely having chicken nuggets, it’s always a highlight in these challenges for me!
What's happened since INSTILLED?
I have since completed another challenge: I swam 38km around Lac Annecy, rode the gruelling Trail Du Mt Blanc, and then ran the 170km Ultra Trail Du Mt Blanc. I also quit my job to start up my new charity, Lady Talk Matters.
What made you decide to start up Lady Talk Matters?
I am extremely passionate about raising awareness and educating people (both men and women) on female reproductive health issues. To this day, people still find it difficult to talk openly about women’s reproductive health matters — mostly because it relates to female sexual organs. This should not be the case, we should talk about periods and related conditions such as Endometriosis like we talk about a common cold.
I strongly believe that promoting awareness and educating people around the globe is the only way to remove the taboo. I founded Lady Talk Matters to help improve the lives of women and young girls. What's next?
The million-dollar question! I am working extremely hard to deliver significant benefits through the charity next year and I of course have another Sea To Summit Challenge planned for next year. I will be attempting to swim the three longest lakes in Wales, England and Scotland, run the 3 peaks and cycle the 800km in between - all in 5 days.
#LondonMountainFilmFestival #SeaToSummit #EnduranceTriathlon
