Gaston Rébuffat was one of the greatest post-war French mountaineers and the greatest mountain guide of his time. He was famed for his climbs, of which he made more than one thousand on the Alps alone, including first ascents, first repeats and first winter ascents. He is also much admired for his work as a writer, conference-speaker, filmmaker and photographer. His most famous films include Etoiles et Tempêtes, which won the Grand Prize at the TrentoFilmfestival in 1955, and Tra terra e cielo, which won the same prize in 1961.