10 Million People Watched The Dru Rescue. The Media Circus That Followed Created Heroes And Villains.

For Hemming, as for others of his generation, alpinism was more a crucible than a sport. He told an admiring reporter from Elle after the rescue: ‘The mountain is an initiation which is renewed every year. You go there, you test yourself, you find yourself again. Afterwards, you are more able to accept yourself.’