El Gringo Eskiador

In 1975, Patrick Vallençant skied in some very challenging couloirs in the Oisans region: the north couloir of the Col du Diable, the north couloir of the Coup de Sabre, the couloir of the Pic sans Nom, the Barre Noire couloir in the Écrins massif, and the Gravelotte couloir on the Meije. He was accompanied by Jean-Marc Boivin, P. Guillet, P. Perrier, Gérard Pétrignet, Jacques Ramouillet, Pierre Saloff-Coste, and Joseph Spagnolo. In the second part of the trip, Vallençant completed a circuit of the Meije in three mixed-mountain ascents and, above the avalanche debris, skied off-piste through the steep couloirs and glaciers of the Oisans. He then climbed the routes to the summit of the Meije alone, following the stages of a high-mountain itinerary from the Refuge de l'Aigle.

A group of friends—Julien, Sophie, Gaspard, Caroline, and Victor—are planning a major mountaineering trip to climb the Tibetan peaks in July, under the supervision of their friend Sébastien, a medical student. Shortly before their departure, Sébastien breaks his leg and has to give up a summer job as an instructor at a thalassotherapy center in Le Touquet, which was meant to finance his studies. Victor then offers to replace him, and the others decide to go to Tibet anyway.