Third most visited natural site in the world after Niagara Falls and Mount Fuji, the Mont-Blanc massif fascinates. Cradle of world mountaineering, land of adventure for the pioneers of climbing and skiing, giant laboratory for scientists, inspiring muse for writers and painters, land of extraordinary technological conquests, the "Roof of Europe" is both a place of spectacle and a place of conquest. At its feet, the Chamonix valley, "the daughter of Mont-Blanc", has an astonishing history, sometimes captivating, always unique. This film is the story of a "conquest". Told over more than three centuries, this documentary aims to tell the crazy story of a small mountain village, isolated, even secret, where in the year 1000, man confronts an oversized monster of ice and stones.

Chamonix - Mont Blanc, Une histoire de conquêtes

The beauty of the mountain guide profession has remained intact for 200 years now. While the techniques, equipment, open-mindedness, and outlook on the mountains have changed, the unique bond between guides and their clients remains unchanged. The beauty of the mountains, the love of exploration, the passion, and the physical challenge are the backdrop for the film, the power of adaptation is its central theme. Throughout the ages, guides have managed to reinvent themselves by constantly changing their perspective on the mountains that frightened them, on the customs and conventions that differentiate climbers within the same roped party, on certain peaks that seemed impossible to them... For two centuries, they have risen to the challenges they faced: so they climbed mountains, so they broke conventions, so they rose to the ranks of transmitters of messages about the taste for effort, mutual aid, solidarity, freedom, and a love of the great outdoors, values so important in today's world, carried forward as a banner in the face of tomorrow's challenges.