The man who conquered the useless — and changed climbing forever.
Terray. This name sounds like a challenge and evokes deep respect in the memory of every mountaineer. For all, Lionel Terray remains forever the "Conqueror of the useless", the example of a generous and mature mountaineer, far from any egocentrism and any ambition. Not only a pioneer and witness to the history of mountaineering, Terray is also remembered as a man and a master more than an athlete. Forty years after the tragic death of this extraordinary mountaineer and guide, who liked to think of himself as a "simple mountaineer", his former friends and the youngest generation of mountaineers come together in this film to celebrate and remember his legacy.
Direction
Chappaz lets Terray's friends speak, building intimate oral history.
Production
Stunning archival footage from Annapurna and Fitz Roy expeditions.
Director
Gilles Chappaz
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Terray coined 'conqueror of the useless' in his 1961 memoir, a phrase that became mountaineering's most quoted paradox — rejecting utilitarian values while justifying extreme risk.
The 2007 release marked 40 years since Terray's death on Les Gaillands — a beginner crag where he was guiding, fulfilling his self-image as 'simple mountaineer' to the very end.
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