Acting

Henri Sigayret

Henri Sigayret, born on April 27, 1934, in Banyuls-dels-Aspres, France, was a singular figure in French mountaineering, a high-level climber, Himalayan mountaineer, mentor, and prolific writer. Often nicknamed "Sig" and later "Sherpasig," he was an independent spirit, often critical, who left his mark on both the rock faces he climbed and the readers he captivated with his stories of the mountains and Nepal, a country he had made his second home, both in his heart and in his life. Born in the South of France into a family of teachers, he spent his childhood torn between the plains and the mountains, against the backdrop of the upheavals of the Second World War, which instilled in him a particularly keen sensitivity to the tragic aspects of existence. As a teenager, his family's move to Grenoble opened the doors to mountaineering for him: on the rock face, he discovered a form of absolute freedom that channeled his passion and gave meaning to his need for independence. He quickly distinguished himself through his ease, tenacity, and an almost spiritual approach to climbing, nurtured by the masters of the time. Henri Sigayret's entry into the world of high-altitude climbing was late: while many were already thinking about slowing down, he chose instead to set off for the highest peaks of the Himalayas. He thus became one of the few Frenchmen of his generation to reach the summit of Annapurna, a decisive experience that confirmed his attraction to these remote mountains and to Nepal. Over the course of his expeditions, he forged deep bonds with the Sherpas and local communities, eventually settling permanently at the foot of Everest, starting a family, and developing a highly critical perspective on mass tourism and the excesses of commercial mountaineering.