Exhibition: “History of Mountain Rescue”

Mountain rescue, as we know it today, has been organized over the course of the last century, but helping people who have lost their way in the mountains is a much older tradition. Come and discover its history through this exhibition.

With the first mountaineers came the first professions related to this activity in the 19th century: guides, porters, and volunteer rescuers. In 1897, the first group of rescuers was created in France in Collonges-sous-Salève (Haute-Savoie). Throughout the 20th century, the profession became more organized as high-altitude mountaineering developed. Initially divided between various organizations and companies in the Alps and Pyrenees, rescue services became a public service in 1958, under the supervision of the Ministry of the Interior. The planning and distribution of rescue services differ depending on the mountain range, even though the techniques and resources deployed have been standardized. This history is presented this winter at the Maison forte de Hautetour in Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc, through photographic documents, audio and video testimonials, and rescue equipment from yesterday and today.