Jean-Paul Vion

"Les Compagnons Du Vide" (The Companions of the Void) is a documentary made in 1989 by Claude Andrieux and Gilles Chappaz, broadcast in two parts on the FR3 program "Montagne." The film explores the history of the mountain guide profession through portraits of mountain guides, showcasing the diversity of this high-risk occupation. It also delves into the intimate relationship between the climbing team and the client, using the example of prestigious guides. The documentary follows these teams on major climbs around Chamonix, on Mont Blanc, and on La Meije in the Écrins massif.

A shepherd in his childhood, Sunar tended his flock, barefoot, in the pastures of Laprak, a small village at an altitude of 2000 meters in the Himalayas, in the Manaslu region. At twenty years old, he decided to become a porter for trekking agencies and met a couple of French trekkers who became attached to him and brought him to France to help him. Sunar then dreams of becoming a mountain guide. Thanks to his determination and perseverance, supported for years by a chain of solidarity set up to allow him to realize his dream, Sunar won the prestigious high mountain guide medal from ENSA in 2008. He did not stop there, and benefited his country by creating, with his friends, a guide school in Nepal like that of Chamonix. Today, the skills of the Nepalese resulting from this training are recognized internationally. A first!