Caving Historic Discovery Junction between Gouffre Berger & Gouffre de la Fromagère

"On a marche sous la terre": An Underground Odyssey and a Historic Discovery
In the fascinating but little-known world of caving, the documentary "On a Marche sous la Terre" takes us to the heart of a unique and thrilling adventure. This film by Alex Lopez traces the efforts of Cédric Lachat and David Parrot to achieve a world first: to establish a junction between the Fromagère chasm and the mythical Berger chasm, deep in the Vercors massif.
In oppressive darkness, amidst mud and humidity, the explorers share bivouacs nearly 900 meters underground, where every gesture becomes challenging. Through striking images and careful lighting, this documentary reveals the beauty and harshness of the underground world and the human depth of this quest. More than just a technical feat, it questions our universal thirst for exploration and our ability to find meaning in the pointless.
A new page in underground exploration
The story doesn't end there. At the end of December 2024, from the 28th to the 30th, Cédric Lachat, David Parrot, and their team continued their exploration of the underground network. And this time, they achieved the long-awaited feat: the open-air junction between the Fromagère and Berger chasms. The siphon junction was completed in 1990 by Frédo Poggia.
Cédric and David went down a day before the rest of the team to start work at -900 meters. On December 29th, 2024, reinforced by their companions and the film cameraman, they completed this historic junction. But this link between the two chasms is more than just a caving first. It opens up rapid access to the deep network of the Berger chasm, enabling us to envisage new explorations in as-yet-unknown galleries, revealing fascinating underground geology. This breakthrough, the fruit of generations of effort, represents a major step forward for today's and tomorrow's speleologists.
A film and a discovery in the service of transmission
The 55-minute film On a Marche Sous la Terre traces this exceptional adventure and the path to this mythical junction. Currently broadcast on France TV, the film will soon be available free-to-air on the Internet, paying tribute to these explorers and sharing their passion with as many people as possible.
With this latest discovery, caving reminds us that it remains one of the rare fields where the unknown continues to challenge us, and where the human spirit can still marvel at the unexplored. A human and scientific adventure that echoes the call of the unknown beneath our feet.
Credits
Explorers :
Cedric Lachat: Facebook @Cedric Lachat / Instagram @cedriclachat
David Parrot: Facebook @David Parrot / Instagram @davparrot
Léa Varnerot: Facebook @Léa Vnt / Instagram @lea_vnt54
Charles Buttin: Facebook @Charles Buttin
Emmanuel Tessanne : Facebook @Emmanuel Tessanne
Matisse Rousselle: Facebook @Matisse Rousselle/ Instagram @matisserousselle
Valentin Chevalier: Facebook @Valentin Chevalier / Instagram @valentin_chevalentin
Images:
Alex Lopez: Facebook @Alex Lopez - Director / Instagram @alexlopez.real
Pierre Reynard: Facebook @Pierre Reynard / Instagram @pierrereynard
Benjamin Goncalves Martin
Technical assistants:
Hervé Vico : Facebook @Hervou Grelou
Jeff Wade: Facebook @Jeff Wade / Instagram @jeffwade33
Original music by
Fabrice Bouillon-LaForest: Facebook @Fabrice Bouillon-LaForest / Instagram @fabricebouillonlaforest
3D :
Yannick Bonnefoy: @Yannick Bonnefoy
A film by Alex Lopez, co-produced by @France Télévisions and @Bonobo Productions.