Your Guides

Charlie BROSSE

Caving Guide

Passionate about caving for years, Charlie explored his first cave in 2015 in Puigcerda (Spain): he got hooked and this hobby quickly turned into a passion! From then on he started exploring the local cavities, both french and spanish: mud, narrow cracks, nothing stops him! Fascinated by the mineral world, he looks for archaeological sites, crystals, fossils....a quest that never ends, even when he's not underground!

He is trained in vertical techniques via the French Federation of Speleology ( FFS ), knows a lot about the underground environment and its associated sciences, and he likes to share is knowledge (but English isn't his main strength!), that's why he is a Federal Initiator since 2017.

Charlie is a real local, he was born at the foot of the Mont Canigou, in the Eastern Pyrenees! Trainee of the State Diploma in Caving of the Outdoor School of Vallon Pont d'Arc , he looks forward to sharing his passion and his scientific knowledge, and to safely guide you into our region's most beautiful caves!

In summer 2019, he works as a Tourist Guide in the famous Canalettes Cave , in Villefranche-de-Conflent, where he develops an activity combining history and caves: "the underground safari".

Addicted to many mountain sports such as canyoning, mountain biking, itinerant treks, he explores caves throughout the world, sometimes even discovering networks! He is blessed with a very good sense of direction, and will never get lost, neither in a cave nor in the middle of the virgin forest!

His knowledge of the karst environment, his patience and his pedagogy make his outings an essential experience!

I was born in the flat country of Mayenne (north of France) and yet, I found out about the mountains since I was a teenager, when I specialized in river kayaking. It quickly become impossible for me no to live surrounded by mountains and all the fun and excitement that goes with them! After many years traveling with my Translation Degree, I came back to France and worked as a secretary for different Outdoor Offices. I tried many mountain activities but kept canyoning as my favorite, descending many canyons in France and abroad. I participated and supervised canyoning training with the Federation. I took a liking to guiding people and got my Canyoning Degree with Montpellier Sport School (2016). I also organized two Canyon and Machete Expeditions in Colombia (2016 and 2017), during which many canyoning trails were born. In 2016, I descended in a cave for the first time and loved it! I soon invested myself in the caving environment which amazes me every day. I got my "Initiator" (Federal Diploma) in 2017 and got my Caving Degree with Vallon Pont d'Arc Outdoor School in 2019. Together with my partner, we spent our winter 2018 exploring the caves and canyons of New -Zealand, where our sense of direction in the middle of the forest has been severely tested. The southern forest landscapes reminded me of many trips to Chile, Argentina and the tree density and warm climate sometimes took me back to Colombia.

I spend a large part of my free time underground, in the canyons or imagining new ways of teaching and sharing our passion for these special activities.

Apart from our summer activity, where we like to raise awareness on the beauty of the caving world and its richness, we want to develop school projects, use this wonderful underground environment to organize educational outings. We also want to play and travel: caving and canyoning allow you to surpass yourself, to safely push your limits, for half a day or during a full week course.