After a job in France, Joel had a day off in Paris before his flight back home. He was looking for places to see Paris from above, so I asked a friend and coach at Parkour Paris, Robin, and we planned a sunrise roof mission the night before.

We met a few hours later near a famous place in Paris and then went to a spot we already knew. After a short walk, some doors to go through and a small wall to climb, we were just in front of this massive, dark ladder that would lead us up six or seven floors.

Once we reached the top, we started checking the place — looking for jumps, lines, and warming up. Robin, who brought his GoPro, wanted to do some POVs on the rooftops. Classic, but they always work. Joel, at the same time, started recording material for an xCover Project video. If you aren’t familiar with the xCover Project, it aims inspires people to seek their own adventure, because while many travel videos present local tourist sites in the same way, Joel and the xCover Project want to break with this tradition and present a different style and perspective — from a more freerunner point of view.

Robin began to move on some rooftops next to us, and with the sun still low, we began to see silhouettes appear on the surrounding facades. I managed to take a few portraits of the guys — Robin thinking about his next line, or Joel taking his camera after scratching his hand — and we continued moving, jumping and recording more from there.

After a few hours at the sport, and after making sure we had enough content, we decided to move. As we began our descent back down our way back down. On the way, Robin saw a precision jump right next to our 6 story ladder, but after checking these sketchy edges, he decided not to do it.

We continued down the streets, and after walking around with lady luck for a few minutes, we found another access to the roof. However, exhaustion was setting in from the morning adventure, and with safety in mind, we decided to take an easy walk instead — discovering Paris — differently.

Photos © Julien Blanc.

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