Edited by:
Massimo Martini
The story takes place in Chamonix in the 1930s. The Servettaz family have been guides for generations and Jean is one of the best in the village, but for his son Pierre he wants a different destiny: he will be an hotelier.
Pierre bends to his father's will but with death in his heart. Then disaster: Pierre finds the mountain again, but in tragic circumstances. Jean dies struck by lightning on the terrible wall of the Drus and it is Pierre who goes to recover his body, together with a group of friends, braving the cold and inclement weather that make their task almost impossible. A new drama happens: Pierre, in an extreme attempt to reach his father, is himself the victim of an accident and from then on suffers from vertigo but, once he has recovered, he chooses his path: he will become a guide like his father, not without great courage and humility. Through this work, we rediscover all the enthralling and exciting atmosphere of the mountains: the risks linked to the climate, the difficult routes... It is the Great Adventure!
Filled with twists and turns and suspense, this novel is first and foremost a human story and gives the reader a new approach to the mountain environment. Roger Frison-Roche, a great mountain enthusiast, has perfectly reproduced the living conditions of the time. 'Primo di cordata' was his first novel and was an extraordinary success. Here, the mountain reveals its fascination but also its myriad, sometimes deadly dangers.