Chamonix mountain guides release choral CD
As if rescuing hapless mountaineers and lost Alpinists wasn't enough, Chamonix Compagnie des Guides have also turned their talents towards the music industry.
17 members of the mountain guides society have spent hours in a recording studio in Sallanches putting together a collection of songs in memory of colleagues who have lost their lives on the mountain.
The singers range in age from 28 to 85 years, some are serving guides and some have retired. The nature of their job means that getting everybody together at the same time for rehearsals has not been easy. However, conductor Christian Hadrot and organiser Isabelle Masse have praised the guides on the hard work that they have put in, often turning up to practice after an exhausting shift – one guide even singing his heart out with a broken rib!
The CD will be on sale at the Fetes des Guides in August, an annual festival that honours the guides and raises funds for the families of those who have died whilst rescuing others.
