The High Life: the story of Sarah Cartier at Refuge de la Charpoua (Mont Blanc massif)

Nestled snugly below Les Drus and Aiguille Verte in the Mont Blanc massif, Refuge de la Charpoua is both the smallest and oldest hut in the Chamonix valley. Built in 1904 out of planks of pine carried up on the backs of the Chamonix Alpine Sports Club, the historic refuge is obviously an essential stop for mountaineers climbing the legendary surrounding peaks, and can only be reached after a long trek up from the Montenvers train station.

Eight years ago Sarah Cartier decided to work here as a hut warden with her husband Noé, offering board and lodging from mid-June to late August. This poetic film directed by Pierre Cadot of Yucca Films Productions documents their life at altitude with their two young children, and was filmed during the hut's last season seeing that it is set to be rebuilt in precisely the same place in June 2023.