Morgan MONCHAUD (Solidream)
Adventure Team
When he first imagined the project of linking all continents by bike back in 2008, alone in his student room, he could never have imagined what followed: navigating 750 km by raft on the Yukon, reaching Antarctica on a 13-meter sailboat, crossing the Pyrenees by paraglider or exploring 2,500 km of Amazonian jungle through sheer leg power and heart... Reality dares even more than our dreams!
He began his life on a 7-year long voyage with his family, sailing across the world's oceans. In late 1992, his parents settled in the south of France.
His early adult years saw him traveling across Europe, acquiring a taste for non-motorized nomadic travel. A trained engineer, he worked for 18 months for Eiffage Senegal as works supervisor on the Faidherbe bridge project in Saint-Louis, Senegal. Afterward, the choice was made: it would be a life of adventure! He jumped off the conventional track!
In 2010, he initiated the Solidream project, a 3-year team round-the-world bicycle journey that he prepared and accomplished with his childhood friends. He is co-author of the book and co-director of the eponymous film capturing this grand adventure.
From 2014 onward, through Solidream, he creates adventure film projects built around three core values: dreams, challenges, sharing.
Notable Filmography:
2024 AVEC RITON
2024 LA PARALPINE
2022 CAP SUR EL CAP
2021 ALPINE TRILOGY (DOGGYSTYLE)
2018 L’ÉCOLE DU CIEL
2016 LES ŒUVRES DU PAMIR
2014 SOLIDREAM
https://solidream.net
What are your current projects?
As a director-producer, I am currently working with Brian Mathé, Antoine Girard and Guillaume Funck to bring the films La Paralpine and Avec Riton (released in summer 2024) to theaters and television. I am also supporting Olivier Peyre and his teammates Julien, Nico and Robin in the production of the film recounting their magnificent traverse of the Alps in vol-bivouac.
Regarding outdoor flying pleasures, I am starting to explore the world of distance flying after several years focusing exclusively on mountain flights and hike & fly. I am not particularly driven by long distances, but rather by the spirit of adventure that can be cultivated through vol-bivouac. That is how I share countless micro-adventures with my friend Olivier Peyre, mostly around the Écrins massif.
What Kortel gear do you fly with and why?
Since 2017 I have been flying with the Kruyer and the Sak III reversible airbags from Kortel. I found the ideal balance between weight and comfort. With this gear, I can comfortably transition from pure alpine flights to 3-hour XC flights. I also chose to fly with a Karre 100 reserve parachute, which I had the chance to deploy during a reserve-deployment training clinic. It is compact, its sink rate is outstanding, and I was even able to verify its steerability.
Currently, I am gearing up with a Kolibri Evo harness and a Sak 75. I want more comfort on longer flights over 3 hours, easier access to my gear in flight (food, water, flight deck) and warmth from the cocoon.
