Climbers Stranded for 10 Days in Epic 1960s Alpine Rescue

In August 1966, two German climbers, Heinz Ramisch and Hermann Schridell, set out to climb the West Face of the Petit Dru above Chamonix.

Partway up, they ran into trouble after completing a pendulum. Caught in a storm, they were forced onto a tiny ledge, later known as the “German Ledge,” some 700 metres above the ground. Unable to reverse the pendulum and regain the route for descent, they were left stranded. Exposed on one of the most unforgiving walls in the Alps, they could only wait and hope for rescue. They remained there for 10 days.

Their situation sparked one of the largest mountain rescue operations ever undertaken in the Alps. As the days passed, the situation grew increasingly desperate. In Chamonix, a major effort was launched, involving guides, helicopters, and complex rope systems lowered from above, but the Dru’s terrain rendered many of these methods largely ineffective. The risks of the operation became tragically clear when rescuer Wolfgang Eggle fell to his death, raising serious doubts about whether the stranded climbers could be saved at all.

The first organized attempt came from the École Militaire de Haute Montagne, whose team tried to reach the climbers via the North Face and normal route. Hampered by deep snow, ice, and poor weather, they made slow progress and ultimately failed to reach the ledge.

A second, more direct effort was undertaken by a small group of elite volunteer climbers led by American Gary Hemming. This party, including Gilles Bodin, François Guillot, Lothar Mauch, Mick Burke, and Gerhard Bauer, chose the direct West Face, the same route the Germans were attempting. Moving efficiently, they pushed upward despite fatigue and exposure, knowing time was running out.

After a sustained effort, they reached the ledge where Ramisch and Schridell had been trapped. From there, they executed a careful descent, lowering the weakened climbers down the face to safety.

A third group of instructors and guides approached via the North Face and attempted a traverse toward the West Face. Although they reached a high point, they did not arrive in time to take part in the rescue and instead played a supporting role in the broader operation.

Despite the controversy and intense media attention, the rescue remains a defining moment in alpine history. The rescuers were hailed as heroes, though few of them embraced the label, while Hemming earned the nickname “the Beatnik of the Alps.”

The rescue was marked by several controversies, beginning with a dispute over media rights and money. A journalist from Paris Match secured exclusive coverage, and Hemming agreed to provide photos only if his team received a share to cover their expenses. Although the climbers were modestly compensated, this angered Desmaison, who saw his own payment reduced and reportedly held a lasting grudge.

Desmaison’s role became an even larger source of tension. He had joined the rescue while under contract to provide photos and coverage, which led to accusations that he was mixing rescue work with personal publicity. This culminated in his expulsion from the Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix, officially for leaving without permission, acting with commercial intent, and refusing to cooperate with the agreed rescue strategy. The situation was further inflamed when the media later portrayed him as the central hero, a version of events disputed by other climbers involved.

There was also disagreement over how the rescue should be carried out. The official plan called for bringing the stranded climbers down the North Face, but Hemming’s team chose the more direct American Direct route on the West Face. This decision went against instructions and drew criticism, though it ultimately proved to be the safer and more effective option.

Additional tensions arose from the handling of the operation itself, as some criticized the overall organization for being overly complex, arguing that a small, elite team should have been sent up the direct route from the start. The fatal fall of Wolfgang Eggle during the rescue further deepened the sense of unease and raised difficult questions about communication and responsibility.

Despite these disputes, the rescue remains a landmark event, both for its success and for the complex dynamics that unfolded alongside it.

Years after the rescue, Bodin described the weather: “All the time, bad, day and night. We were soaked through from the start. And this is why that thanks to the Army’s rations we could smoke. The funny thing is that at the beginning only Mick Burke and I did smoke. And in the end, everyone was smoking to get some warmth during the night.”

Over his career, Desmaison completed more than 100 first ascents across the Alps, Andes, and Himalaya, cementing his reputation as a leading alpinist; he lived to be 77. Burke went on to achieve the first British ascent of The Nose in Yosemite with Rob Wood before a fatal accident on Everest in 1975. Hemming was among the boldest climbers of his era; in 1962, alongside Royal Robbins, he completed the first ascent of American Direct on the Dru. As Henry W. Kendall wrote in the American Alpine Journal about Hemming, “When he died, in the Tetons—where some of his earliest climbing had been done—it was by his own hand.”

Sources: Alpinist, Summit Post, Paris Match.

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