Starlight and Storm: The Conquest of the Great North Faces of the Alps

by Gaston Rébuffat, Jon Krakauer, John Hunt (Translator)

“One of the great climbers of all time . . . who has discovered through the medium of mountains the true perspective of living.” —Sir John Hunt, author of The Conquest of Everest

Known for his lyrical writing and his ability to convey not only the dangers of mountaineering but the pure exaltation of the climb, Gaston Rébuffat is among the most well-known and revered Alpinists of all time. He rose to international prominence in 1950 as one of the four principal stalwarts in the first ascent of Annapurna, the highest mountain climbed at that time. Yet his finest feat as a mountaineer was to be the first man to climb all six of the legendary great north faces of the Alps—the Grandes Jorasses, the Piz Badile, the Dru, the Matterhorn, the Cima Grande di Lava-redo, and the Eiger.

With this elegant book, first published in 1954, Gaston Rébuffat transformed mountain writing. His insistence on seeing a climb as an act of harmonious communion with the mountain, not a battle waged against it, seemed radical at the time, though Rébuffat’s aesthetic has since won the day. Through storms, avalanches, rock fall, unplanned bivouacs, and even the deaths of companions, we follow the Chamonix guide to the altar of his communion, on dark, icy walls that struck terror into the hearts of Europe’s finest mountaineers. Nor are these deft narratives mere recitations of dangers faced and obstacles overcome, for Rébuffat pays as keen attention to the joys of comradeship won on these faces as he does to the climbs themselves. In our own day of corporate sponsorships, online expeditions, and eco-vacations, the purity of Rébuffat’s vision of the Alps as (in the epithet of the title of another of his books) an “enchanted garden” shines forth in prose as fresh and stylish as any ever lavished on mountaineering.

Genres: Mountaineering, Adventure, Nonfiction, Climbing, Memoir, Travel, Biography

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1954

About the author

Gaston Rébuffat was a well-known French alpinist and mountain guide. He was a recipient of France's prestigious Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur in 1984.

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. His most famous written work is Etoiles et Tempêtes (Starlight and Storm), first published in French in 1954, and in English in 1956.
(Bio from Wikipedia.)

Reviews

[Regine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ecstatic accounts of the ascents of the six “great north faces of the Alps.” Gaston Rébuffat’s joy in the extremes of nature, exertion, and camaraderie, with danger and death hovering near, leaps from the page.

[Ива Попова · Rating 4 out of 5]

Да направиш крачка напред, да стигнеш по-високо.
В планината това не са просто думи. Зад всяка крачка, направена там, стои способността да овладееш и усъвършенстваш уменията си; да превръщаш ограниченията в нови възможности; да намериш съмишленици, с които да вървиш заедно нагоре.
Обичам планината -  тайните, които пази, и начина, по който превръща ежедневните проблеми в нищожни тревоги. Но винаги съм се питала -  защо някои посвещават живота си на високите върхове, рискувайки толкова много.
Това бе причината да прочета "Звезди и бури". Научих за книгата от прекрасното ревю на Петрана Петрова в сайта "Аз чета". Потърсете го! То пробуди интереса ми към Гастон Ребюфа, оставил ярка следа в историята на алпинизма през 50-те години на XX век.
Френският алпинист и планински водач е първият изкачил шестте големи северни стени в Алпите: Гранд Жорас - Реброто Уокър и Средното ребро, Пиц Бодиле, Пти Дрю, Матерхорн, Чима Гранде ди Лаваредо и Айгер.
В тази своя книга той описва поетично не само тези върхове, но и пътят към тях, свързан с дълги нощи под звездното небе и страховити бури.
Споделям няколко цитата, защото Ребюфа пише вълнуващо:
-В наши дни малко неща ни докосват до първичното. Не съществуват нощта, студът, вятърът и звездите. Всичко е обезличено. Къде е ритъмът на живота? Всичко се движи така устремено, всичко вдига толкова шум! Увлеченият в бързината човек не забелязва тревата по пътищата, цвета, уханието и, измененията, когато я милва ветрецът.
- Водачът обича трудностите, но ненавижда опасностите - тези две толкова различни понятия.
- Звездите, набодени по небесния свод мигат - алпинистът може да ги съзерцава, но преди всичко те живеят и му принадлежат донякъде. От тях зависи съдбата му.
- За да може да живее, младостта трябва да храни в душата си някаква тайна.
- Небето има красота на бална рокля.
- Ние не сме безумци, които дразнят смъртта, нито авантюристи. Не обичаме да се страхуваме, обичаме живота и занаята си.
 - Животът - този разкош на битието.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the few books describing the pioneering climbs of mid-century that doesn't make me want to vomit from the stench of macho imperial conquest. Beautiful and poetic and conveys the true value of seeking out the mountains.

[Aditya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ethereal and unbelievable, yet down to earth, nonchalant and humble. Rebuffat writes casually about daring feats of strength, agility and survival on the highest peaks of the Alps, as if they were strolls in the gardens of Paris. His reputation as a climber certainly does not affect his voice, as he describes the trials and tribulations of route finding, weather, rockfall and other objective hazards in the Alps. The section on tools and techniques of climbing at the end provides an interesting time-capsule view of the best climbing gear technology and accepted best practices of the day. Many of which would be considered arcane by modern day standards.

[Camila Oyarzún · Rating 4 out of 5]

De todos los libros de montaña que he leído, jamás había leído uno que fuera tan conmovedor y amigable con la montaña. A través del relato de Rebuffat, puedes ponerte en su lugar y vivir todas sus aventuras y su amor por la escalada.

La parte que más me gustó: las herramientas y técnicas de escalada, el pequeño relato sobre la importancia de las cordadas.

[Carlos Gandiaga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buen libro que se lee fácil. Supongo que si eres escalador se disfruta mucho mucho más. Le daré otro intento en el futuro. Aún así, disfrutable, rápido, ameno y transmite muchos los valores y sentimientos propios de la montaña.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tired of climbing books where the author is in a siege or battling mountains? Rebuffat refreshingly shares his love of mountains and the joy he gets from being in them—even during “epic” ascents that most climbing authors accentuate the pain and danger of their climbs.

[Mihai · Rating 2 out of 5]

Starlight and Storm is considered to be one of the classic French contributions to the trove of mountaineering literature, but its short length as well as its limited focus combine to keep it at a level below Terray's Conquistadors of the Useless or Herzog's Annapurna. Rébuffat's joie de vivre at being on the mountain, along with his insistence on looking at a climb as an act of harmonious communion with the mountain and not as a conquest, are evident from the hundred or so pages devoted to the six major ascents forming the core of the book. The writing is lyrical and ebullient at the same time, with the story of the Eiger Nordwand particularly gripping in terms of action and suspense. Incidentally, that epic climb also represented the one and only meeting between Rébuffat and Hermann Buhl, another legend of the era, so it was interesting to compare how the two describe the same event in completely different terms (cf. Buhl's The Lonely Challenge). However, for all its exuberance, the book is rather skimpy on details about historical setting or the author's partners, and disappointingly has no content from the years following the controversial Annapurna expedition. In an act of supreme selfishness, Herzog barred all other members from publishing any content related to that expedition, a bitter trickery that Rébuffat would remember for the rest of his life. This may explain why Starlight and Storm only addresses climbs in the Alps, but that also made it less memorable for me. The last part of the book contains a long-outdated appendix on climbing techniques, which Rébuffat was probably compelled to include in order to fluff up the length of the text and get it to a more presentable 200 pages. I'm glad I took the time to go through the book and don't regret purchasing it in person across the country, but all in all it can be called a classic only in the context of Rébuffat's role on Annapurna and the controversy that followed. Rébuffat also chose to spend most of his remaining time in the Alps, so stories of adventures across other continents (like Terray's in Patagonia for example) are missing from his distinguished career.

[Gronk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rebuffat writes beautifully about the mountains he climbs, the kinship he feels with the mountains, his love of his companions and being a guide. The beginning of this book is a description of the equipment and techniques of climbing from the 1940s-1950s. The rest of the book is a description and account of the history and his experience climbing a set of Europe's most famous mountain faces.
Throughout his love for the life of a mountaineer and guide is clear. He doesn't ever make me wish to spend nights attached by a piton to a face, struggling to stay awake to avoid frostbite and death. But he does make me appreciate the spirit and experience of those that do.

"Mountaineering is not a perverse game between life and death. It is not a question of living dangerously,to use Nietzsche's words, but of living to the full in close kinship with nature and the elements. The idea of danger and the idea of difficulty are two completely different conceptions which are often muddled where mountaineering is concerned. The first is stupid, morbid and as much to be condemned as the other is healthy and virile."

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goodreads Summer Reading Challenge, August: Memories (Read a book that you bought on vacation)
"Here peace reigns. The only sound, the only movement, is that of the torrents and waterfalls, born from the womb of the eternal glaciers as they go rushing down noisily through this world of silence, whose only life is the slow rhythm of the seasons."

[Andi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another mountaineering classic and it is the style of writing that makes this book stand out. His writing is flowing and poetic without being too flowery or rambling. If you can let your imagination go with him to his beloved mountains than you can share in his joy of being in nature, with his companions, and to be practicing the artistry and craft of climbing.

[Ludovic Iribarne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grimper avec Gaston Rébuffat semblait si simple. Une paire de crampons, 2 ou 3 potes, un peu de volonté et vous voila au sommet. Reste qu'il a escaladé les parois les plus engagées de toutes les Alpes. Il nous offre ici ses souvenirs, une ode à la montagne et à l'amitié.

[Mike Renz · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a guy who started climbing in the 1970s, this classic is a touchstone. Even though much was likely lost in being translated from French to English, its still beautifully written.

Rébuffat was decades ahead of his time. In an age when people spoke in of climbing in ridiculous terms such as "Conquered" he speaks of the aesthetics of the alpine environment and of the internal game which climbing actually is. (note the use of the term "Conquest" in the title is misleading and likely a translation glitch) Its refreshing to read, especially today when we have such absurd things as "climbing contests" and festivals. To those of us from the 70s, our view of rock, ice and mountains was that climbing was a way of experiencing these rare and fragile environments - and that we had a responsibility to tread lightly. What mattered was the environment - not our egos. We practiced "Clean Climbing" and our concept of "Good Style" was based upon leaving no trace, balancing risk against skill and encountering a route with no advanced reconnaissance. Rébuffat embraced this mind set long before it was promoted in the 70s by people like Chouinard and Robbins.

I highly recommend this classic. Its an honest and beautiful presentation of alpine style climbing.

[Aadesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book from BYU library and checked the stamps on the back. The last time the book was issued was 2001. The book was fascinating to read about the mountains in the Alps. The author talks about his ascents to the north faces of the big mountains in the Alps. I felt the book lacked in the coherence and storing telling skills but the book I read in the English translation, maybe the essence and feel might have been faded away during translation. Their rope adventure without harness and old school equipment's is worthy of all the praise we can muster. The 3-4 bivouac on extreme weather and storm was norm in those days and still they managed to not get frostbitten and stay alive for another adventure. Hats off to all those daring mountaineer from that era.

[Pedro Ludena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buen libro, pero me ha resultado demasiado ligero. Relata en un suspiro hazañas que Terray se tiraba 50 páginas relatando con mucho más lujo de detalles y con un estilo más terrenal, que realmente te hacía sentir que estabas allí con el, soportando el esfuerzo y las inclemencias de la montaña.

Sin embargo, Rébuffat te narra sus seis ascensiones a las caras nortes como si fuera un paseo por el parque, unos bonitos retiros en los que se inspiraba para redactar su poesía montañera. Su estilo narrativo y su lírica son admirables en su propia medida, pero, para mí, palidecen a la hora de transmitir las dimensiones de su verdadera hazaña.

'Estrellas y borrascas' es un libro más de sensaciones, no tanto de hechos.

[Robert J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gaston Rébuffat writes a thrilling but deeply grounded account of climbing during the 1940s. Among his achievements, he summited all six of the great north faces of the Alps. This is made more remarkable considering the limited equipment he had at his disposal to climb the sheer mountains walls. He writes many memorable lines, including this one: “Technique is a poor thing, even a wretched thing, when separated from the heart which has guided it: this is true in rock climbing, or playing a piano, or building a cathedral.”

[Pau Ortiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dels millors llibres que he llegit. Un clàssic de Gaston Rébuffat. Un relat sense floritures i des de la sinceritat. Les sis cares nord més important dels Alps. Passant per Grands Jorasses, el Piz Badile, els Drus, el Cerví i altres cims com la Cima Grande di Lavaredo fins a arribar a la nord del Eiger.

On el més important no són els cims ni les metes, sinó la cordada i els companys d'escalada.

Simplement Espectacular! 10/10

[Hristo Simeonov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Книга, към която не бих посегнал ако не ми беше подарена от скъп приятел. Нямам абсолютно никакъв интерес към алпинизъм и катерачество. Но "Звезди и бури" успя да ме докосне !
Прекрасен "пътепис" за волята, приятелството и героизма. Гастон Ребюфа освен "маестро-катерач" и планински водач е и отличен писател, който успява да омайва със стегната структура на разказа си и вълнуващите картини. Отлична книга, която поне мъничко да ви открехне вратата към света на алпинизма.

[Florent_A · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un grand alpiniste avec une façon assez généreuse de partager la montagne mais j'ai trouvé le style d'écriture plutôt ennuyeux car écrit comme une liste de sommets emblématiques et faces nords. Bien sur il y a des anecdotes et une part historique sur chacune des ascension, mais je n'ai pas trop aimé le style assez énumératif, chapitre 1 grandes jorasses, chapitre 2 les drus.. etc... où il m'a manqué une vue d'ensemble, plus de détails sur sa vie pour m'immerger un peu plus.

[Nad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rebuffat gets to the core of his feelings when climbing and, as an afterthought, romantically describes the aesthetics, motivations, instincts, and the act of climbing itself. The admixture of adult insight and childlike curiosity inform his writing style, which is readable and interesting, unlike many other writers of a similar genre.

[David Kessler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gaston is a classic climber and did so in the Alps. This expose covers his classic climbs of the North Faces of 6 peaks. Nearly a half century ago, a person could climb and come home and write his romantic tale.... The book was well done.

[Alexandra Vlaming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing writer, Rebuffat’s words are poetry. This particular line made me think of my dad, who introduced me to the mountains. “The one who shares with you his fleeting sovereignty at 12,000 feet and who points out the surrounding peaks as a gardener shows his flowers.” ❤️

[Tara Biglari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written, inspiring book about Gaston’s adventures on the six great north faces of the Alps. The appreciation for the mountains and the joy in the camaraderie are apparent throughout the book. Essential reading for any aspiring alpinists!

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the classic in climbing and alpinist literature. A great insight into a climber that pursued climbing for almost romantic reasons.

[skye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stories of climbs and bivies!

[Cody Warner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent climbing stories. Will make you want to visit the Alps!

[Pol Fontanes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rebuffat narra casi poeticamente la belleza del alpinismo. Creo que consigue transmitir la belleza que se percibe. Este libro ha volado en mis manos.

[Sopkasr · Rating 3 out of 5]

La de gente que se muere andando por el monte valgame

[Rick Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pioneers of climbing had variable risk in comparison to those doing the same today. A great read of one’s love for adventure and the brotherhood that exists in climbing.

[Katie Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

what a guy