Gary Hemming
Jean Afanassieff
1996 - 26 min - Betacam SP - Couleur - France

The American Alpine climber Gary Hemming was a figure of the 60’s. The story of this out-of-the-common character is closely linked to that of the mountain rescue in Les Drus in 1966, in the mont Blanc range, a rescue he took the initiative for. The press fell on the event and raised Gary Hemming to the status of a national hero.
All the papers show on the front page this big young man who looks like a "beatnik" dressed all anyhow, with a wide smile and long fair hair.
From then on, he is nicknamed the beatnik of the summits. In Chamonix he is already known. Gary landed in France in 1960 and while preparing a university degree in Grenoble, he devotes himself to his passion : climbing. Testimonies from people like René Desmaison, Gérard Géry, Maurice Herzog, Pierre Mazeaud as well as his son, Lauren Hemming, and photos from records.