The book, although visibly small, hides a touching, captivating and sometimes very amusing story. The subject, moreover, is very serious: to put oneself to the test, to seek deep within oneself to overcome his demons, to overcome his fears, and to trust one’s friends (even when the friends do not seem to be very reliable!). I was struck by the narrative skill of the author, who remains very close to the facts, describing them with precision and a love of detail. —  Andrea Canobbio, Giulio Einaudi Editore

An extreme adventure that is pulled together with haste, evenings that arewashed down with vodka, an overall jubilant account that you cannot help but smile at when reading. —  Librairie Rose des vents

A literary and poetic achievement. — Sebo, Babelio

A fundamental text on friendship as a source of energy and transcendence. — ActuaLitté

A sincere and rather comical narrative coming less from Roger Frison-Roche than from gonzo mountaineering accompanied by a lesson in life. Maybe men have a need for weakness. — Livres Hebdo

This eminently sympathetic narrative is a joyous and delightful sketch, a praise to the hussar of the mountain by a tribe of unserious types, writers disguised as mountaineers. Climbing Mont Blanc is a success — Librairie Fontaine Haussmann

This extraordinarily emotional encounter of a man of the city with the immensity of nature and emptiness whispers to us regarding many things about our ability to face our lives. Magnificent! — Librairie Passerelles (Vienne)

Roped up with the authors of “The Santiago Pilgrimage: Walking the Immortal Way” and “Berezina,” or, if you prefer, two burnt heads, Ludovic Escande trembles toward the conquest of Mont Blanc. A narrative at once Ubuesque and touching. – Jérôme Garcin – L’Obs

We have always been impressed by these giants able to climb impossible walls… Here, the story takes us in a long chaotic trip between pizzerias, friends, refuges, failures, and climbing parties. The other side of the mountain. — Libération

A funny and endearing chronicle… The story of a caring and modest friendship and the wanderings of writers, whose lives are overshadowed by their works most of the time… An ultra-rhythmic book. — Les Echos

When Jean-Christophe Rufin and Sylvain Tesson take an editor who suffers from vertigo up to an altitude of 4800 m, climbing Mont Blanc becomes an adventure marked by literature and friendship.

‘One winter’s evening, I was having supper with my writer friend Sylvain Tesson and confessed that I wasn’t doing well: I was going through a divorce and it was getting me down. I was not myself. He suggested making one of my oldest dreams come true: climbing Mont Blanc. At that point, I had never been climbing in my life. And for good reason: I suffer from vertigo; climbing a ladder makes me panic. But mountain climbing was a childhood dream, so I followed Sylvain’s instructions: don’t give up smoking, don’t drink less, and go running at least three times a week.

Six months later, we were getting ready to climb our first mountain: the Pointe Percée, in the Aravis range, near Chamonix. It is a magnificent rocky summit, high in the sky, like they put on post cards. I had still not gotten over my serious problem with vertigo and had never set foot on a mountain face, but Sylvain led me to the top. A few days later, with Jean-Christophe Rufin and Daniel Du Lac, a world champion climber, I would set off to conquer Mont Blanc and experience one of the most intense and beautiful weeks of my life.’

This book tells the story of this climb. A mountain climbing story of course, but also a story of friendship, a portrait of two magnificent writers, and a rule for living: never give up on your childhood dreams.