Gaston Rébuffat

Gaston Rébuffat was born on 7 May 1921 in Marseilles, France. He began climbing at the age of 14 in the Calanques near Marseilles. == Climbing career ==

Instructor and guide During World War II, Gaston Rébuffat attended Jeunesse et Montagne, a French youth training organization. The expedition was led by Maurice Herzog and also included French mountaineers Louis Lachenal and Lionel Terray. The expedition began in March 1950, with the actual ascent of Annapurna 1 beginning in May. During the ascent, a base camp and four intermediate camps were set up, with the highest being about 7400 meters in altitude. The summit itself was completed on 3 June 1950 by Herzog and Lachenal. While traveling down from the top camp, the four mountaineers were unable to locate the next camp and were forced to spend the night in a crevasse. All members survived the expedition, but Herzog and Lachenal later lost several fingers and toes due to severe frostbite. Although Rébuffat did not summit the mountain, he was instrumental in ensuring his injured colleagues returned safely. The expedition is known to be the first ascent of any mountain over 8000 meters and was the highest mountain climb ever at the time. ==Writing==

Known for his lyrical writing and his ability to convey not only the dangers of mountaineering but the pure exaltation of the climb, Rébuffat authored several books, many of which he published in his own publishing house. His most famous written work is Étoiles et Tempêtes (Starlight and Storm), first published in French in 1954, and in English in 1956. • Starlight and Storm: The Ascent of six great North Faces of the Alps, J.M. Dent, London 1956. • Mont Blanc To Everest, Thames & Hudson, 1956. Translated from the French ''Du Mont Blanc a l'Himalaya'' 1955. • Calanques (with Gabriel M. Ollive), Arthaud, Paris 1957. • On Ice and Snow and Rock, Nicholas Kaye Ltd 1963 translated from the 1959 French Edition published by EGI. • Un Guide Raconte, Hachette, Paris, 1964. • Men and the Matterhorn, Oxford University Press 1967. • Between Heaven and Earth (with Pierre Tairraz). Kaye and W, 1970. • Les Horizons Gagnés, Éditions Denoël, 1975. • La Montagne Est Mon Domaine, Éditions Hoëbeke, Paris 1994. • The Mont Blanc Massif: The Hundred Finest Routes. Bâton Wicks, 2005. == Filmography ==

Rébuffat produced three colour films depicting himself and others climbing in the Alps. These are a testament to his skill as a climber, and his love of the mountains. Étoiles et Tempêtes won the Grand Prix at the Trento Film Festival in Trento, Italy. • Flammes de Pierres 1953. • Étoiles et Tempêtes with Maurice Baquet and Georges Tairraz 1955 • Entre Terre et Ciel with Pierre Tairraz 1960-61 • Les Horizons Gagnés with René Vernadet 1974 Rébuffat also was second unit director on the Walt Disney mountain film Third Man on the Mountain. == References ==