Combative and determined, Gaston Rébuffat clung to the mountains as he grasped life, with a fiery passion mingled with elegance. From the calanques of Marseille, he became one of the most brilliant mountaineers of his time. Holder of the most daring records, he was the first man to successfully climb the six great north faces of the Alps. A member of the historic summit expedition to Annapurna in 1950, and a renowned writer and film-maker, he will always be remembered as one of the most famous mountain guides in the Chamonix valley. Portrait of Gaston Rébuffat, poet of the peaks and exceptional mountaineer.
Gaston Rébuffat: From the creeks of Marseille to the discovery of the Alps
The son of a tailor, Gaston Rébuffat was born on May 7, 1921 in the generous sunshine of Marseille. Could anyone have imagined that the impetuous mistral wind would give birth to a man of legend? Nothing foreshadowed it then. A well-behaved child of the petite bourgeoisie, his future seemed mapped out. He'd earn his living behind a desk and enjoy the happiness of men of his status. But fate sometimes has a few surprises in store for us, and young Gaston's fortunes took him far beyond the city's commercial districts.
With his friends from the Œuvre de la jeunesse Jean-Joseph Allemand, he discovered rock climbing in the heart of the Calanques. Then he met Henri Moulin, his big brother in mountaineering, who already seemed to know all there was to know about steep terrain. One spring day on the Grande Candelle, he teaches his friend Gaston what a roped party is, opening up new, grandiose and ambitious horizons for him.
At the age of 16, Gaston Rébuffat became a member of the French Alpine Club, and from the dazzling limestone of Marseille's calanques, he turned to the Alps. At just 17, he completed his first race at summit de la Barre des Écrins, and in 1940 joined the Jeunesse et Montagne movement. At La Chapelle-en-Valgaudémar, his passion for the mountains became visceral. From then on, his heart beat to the rhythm of his climbs. It was then thathe met Lionel Terray, who was to become a fellow climber. Lionel welcomed him to the Terray family farm at Les Houches, a formidable base camp for their high-mountain excursions. Gaston Rébuffat's brilliant, refined style soon became inimitable. They also soon achieved their first exploits together, becoming the best mountaineers of their generation.
Gaston Rébuffat: Mountain guide conquering the world Mont Blanc
A Chamonix native by adoption and a lover of the Alps, there's no room for doubt. Gaston Rébuffat knew deep down that he had to become a guide. But he was too young, and despite the incessant call of the fabulous peaks, he had to wait. Until one day, when his talent won out over protocol, giving the young prodigy the chance to realize his dream. In 1942, Gaston Rébuffat obtained his mountain guide diploma at the age of 21, compared to the usual age of 23. His passion merged with his profession to make him the happiest of men.
Then came the honors. In 1944, he was appointed instructor at the École nationale d'alpinisme in Chamonix and at the École militaire de haute montagne. In 1945, he became a member of the highly esteemed Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix under the tutelage of Alfred Couttet. Gaston Rébuffat thus followed in the footsteps of Roger Frison-Roche and Édouard Frendo, who also came from elsewhere, as membership of the company was traditionally reserved for natives of the valley. With his clients, whom he chooses to be wealthy, he undertakes the most prestigious races and explores with fervor the highest summits in the Alps. While satisfying his thirst for adventure, he also provides for his wife. Two birds with one stone, as the saying goes. Françoise Darde, daughter of architect René Darde, is indeed a daughter of the world, and her family makes sure she lacks for nothing.
Gaston Rébuffat: The first ascents of an exceptional mountaineer
For Gaston Rébuffat, it was a time of great firsts. On October 10, 1943, in the Mont Blanc massif, he made the first ascent of the full Grütter ridge of the Aiguille des Pélerins in the company of his friends Lionel Terray and Édouard Frendo. In 1944, he made the first ascent of the Pic de Roc via its east ridge, alongside Édouard Frendo. The same year, he was the first to complete the north-west face of the Grand pic de Belledonne, accompanied by Michel Chevalier. And on July 22, 1945, he and James Couttet made the first ascent of the Dent du Requin via its north face.
July 1956 saw the spectacular opening of one of the finest climbing routes in the Mont Blanc massif. The Rébuffat-Baquet route on the south face of the Aiguille du Midi is like the joyful melody of a sincere friendship. Like the deep song of the Queen Mountain. Almost by chance, at the whim of a sudden inspiration. As Gaston Rébuffat and Maurice Baquet, the alpinist with the cello, returned from a summer run on Mont Blanc du Tacul, they passed beneath the south face of the Aiguille du Midi. Its granite glows red in the sunlight, inviting them to explore unexplored paths. The temptation is too great and the friends set off. 250 meters of elegant climbing and sublime rock. On their first attempt, the climbers ascend a few dozen metres to cracks they have to cross to reach summit. They prefer to come back down to finalize their plan of action.
A few days later, on July 13 1956, Gaston Rébuffat and Maurice Baquet decided to try their luck once again. The rock resisted, compact and implacable, until it finally understood that it could do nothing against our mountaineer's skilful obstinacy. After 10 hours of intense effort, the two men finally overcome the last slabs. Overlooking Chamonix, they have just accomplished the feat of climbing the south face of the Aiguille du Midi for the first time. As a symbol of their friendship, the opening of the route that now bears their names continues to inspire us today, thanks to the poetic and inspiring images in the documentary Entre terre et ciel (Between Earth and Sky), presented to the public in 1961.
Climbing the six great north faces of the Alps: Gaston Rébuffat's exploit
Gaston Rébuffat, a gangly mountaineer with the talent of a virtuoso, experiments every day with becoming one with the mountains, reaching for the sky and taming the steepest rocks. But he aspires to other horizons, to crazier performances. What if he were to become the first mountaineer to climb the six biggest north faces of the Alps? This incredible idea occurred to him when he was just 17. In the summer of 1938, Riccardo Cassin, Gino Esposito and Ugo Tizzoni triumphed for the first time on the north face of Grandes Jorasses. Gaston Rébuffat also imagined himself climbing the walls of this vertiginous summit . Nothing is impossible in the face of willpower.
After a first attempt was thwarted by the winds, Gaston Rébuffat successfully climbed the north face of Grandes Jorasses via Pointe Walker in July 1945, accompanied by Édouard Frendo. The following year, he guided amateur mountaineer René Mallieux up the north face of Les Drus. On August 14, the two men set off on their ascent in the afternoon. Time was of the essence, however, as Gaston Rébuffat was due to take part in the annual guides' party at Chamonix the very next day. After reaching summit de l'Aiguille, they bivouacked on a ridge before making their way back down to Chamonix at first light. Breathless, Gaston Rébuffat missed the start of the ceremony, but managed to keep up appearances.
In 1948, he accompanied another of his customers, Bernard Pierre, to summit on Piz Badile in the Val Bregaglia. During the night, lightning assaults put them in danger, and fear gripped them, but they held on. And thanks to the experience of our mountaineer, the next day they triumph on the mountain's north face. The following year brought two more victories. In June 1949, Gaston Rébuffat and Raymond Simond climbed the north face of the Matterhorn twice as fast as the Schmid brothers, who had opened the route in 1931. In just one day, they were at summit of the Zermatt giant, watching the sun set over the Alps. A few weeks later, Gaston Rébuffat joined Italian guide Gino Soldà in the Dolomites to tackle the north face of Cima Grande di Lavaredo. Now all he has to do is climb the north face of the Eiger to overcome the challenge he had set himself.
On July 27, 1952, Gaston Rébuffat climbed the Eiger North Face with Paul Habran, Guido Magnone, Pierre Leroux and Jean Brunaud. The enthusiastic team made rapid progress. But after the Hinterstoisser traverse, the team encountered two obstacles that slowed their progress. First two German climbers, then two Austrian mountaineers, Hermann Buhl and Sepp Jochler, who were moving much more slowly than the team, and looked very unsympathetic. The bad weather then took hold at summit and the icy air made the climb even more perilous. But the rope party holds out against the Eiger. United in adversity, the men reached summit of the Bernese colossus at around 6pm on July 29.
From the heights of the Eiger, the men breathe a sigh of relief, moved by the beauty before them and proud of their achievement. Then they leave summit to reach the Eigergletscher station via the normal route and return to the valley before night envelops the Alps. That evening, a star shines above Grindelwald : Gaston Rébuffat made history by becoming the first man to climb all six major north faces of the Alps. He falls asleep more exhilarated than ever, recalling this incredible day. "[...] like this morning, like yesterday, like the day before, life is bubbling up inside us. Life, that luxury of existence!" This is how he concludes his famous story Étoiles et tempêtes, as a vibrant tribute to his beloved mountain.
Expedition to summit Annapurna: Gaston Rébuffat's bitter prowess
Recognized as one of the great mountaineers of his century, in 1950 Gaston Rébuffat took part in the first ascent of the highest summit , Annapurna, which rises to 8091 meters in the Himalayas, in the heart of Nepal. The expedition, led by Maurice Herzog, brought together some of the world's most experienced mountaineers, including Louis Lachenal and Lionel Terray. The team flew to Delhi in March and began their ascent in May. For several days, they climbed relentlessly, despite doubts and difficulties. Until Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal reached the summit of Annapurna on June 3, 1950. It was a historic feat: never before had men climbed so high. Never before had they climbed to an altitude of more than 8,000 meters. On their return, the mountaineers were awarded the Guy Wildenstein prize by the Académie des Sports.
But Gaston Rébuffat still has a bitter taste in his mouth. Only the Herzog-Lachenal team was lucky enough to set foot on the coveted summit . And the descent of these two heroes almost turned into a tragedy. Exhausted and bruised, their hands and feet froze. Their only saving grace was Lionel Terray and Gaston Rébuffat, who put their heart and soul into bringing them back alive from the crossing. He remembers Maurice Herzog as a vain man with a huge ego, whereas he felt the mountains demanded the utmost humility. He returns a hero, of course, but he couldn't care less. What drives him is elsewhere, far removed from the comedy of men and their misplaced pride. Gaston Rébuffat also regrets that a contract binding the expedition members to the Comité de l'Himalaya forbids them to communicate about their ascent. For the next five years, only official accounts could be published, such as Maurice Herzog's famous Annapurna premier 8000. Him again.
Gaston Rébuffat: Poet of the summits and inspiring filmmaker
Gaston Rébuffat then turned his attention to writing, film and photography. Still a guide with the Compagnie de Chamonix, he uses his art to share with as many people as possible his passion for the high mountains and for Mont Blanc. In his lyrical and inspiring books, he strives to convey his love of the Alps, the supreme exhilaration of the heights and the dangers of mountaineering. The public was won over, and his works inspired many vocations. Among his most famous works is Étoiles et tempêtes, published in 1954.
Gaston Rébuffat also became a filmmaker, making several documentaries. Once again, they highlight his career and the beauty of the mountains, as well as his intransigence. In 1961, his film Entre terre et ciel, based on images by Georges and Pierre Tairraz, won the Grand Prix at the 10th International Mountain Film Festival in Trento, Italy. In 1984, he was made an Officer of the Legion of Honor, and died of cancer on May 31, 1985. On his tombstone in the old cemetery of Chamonix, we can read these words from his book Les horizons gagnés: "To lead one's body where one day one's eyes have looked". As for his memory, it remains forever inscribed in the rock of the Alps, his paradise on Earth. And his genius is so exceptional that it has now reached outer space. In 1977, the incredible image of this man, a tightrope walker of the stars, perched on the summit of the Aiguille de Roc, appeared on the Voyager golden records. Along with 115 other photographs, it flew off to other galaxies to represent the Earth in the Voyager program. A fantastic destiny for a modest Marseillais who has forever become the emblem of humanity.
For Gaston Rébuffat, the high mountains and Mont Blanc rhyme with equilibrium and voluptuousness. Through his art and his most beautiful ascents, the slender mountaineer in the jacquard sweater praises the values of summits. Virtues he believes in and that carry him to the heavens. Moving forward and acting to make his dreams come true. Surpassing himself to find himself even more. And sharing that happiness with others, whether fellow climbers or enthusiastic spectators. To love the mountain, passionately and forever, and above all to respect it. Whatever its demands and severity. To love it for what it is, majestic and eternal.
