In 2011, Hervé Barmasse chose the three most important mountains of his home in Italy’s Aosta Valley—Monte Bianco (Mont Blanc); Monte Rosa; and Monte Cervino (the Matterhorn)—upon which to create three new routes. The three peaks, not coincidentally, are the highest in the Alps.

All three climbing adventures were exceptional for their location, their remoteness and for the spirit that characterized them. And now, all three climbs have been captured in the film, “Not So Far”.

This film shows live the three climbing adventures: On Monte Bianco, with two Basque friends, Barmasse established a new route on the left pillar of the Brouillard. On Monte Rosa, he put up a new route on the southeast face of the Punta Gnifetti with his father Marco. Finally, on Cervino, in the face of high risk and difficulty, he established a new route on Peak Muzio, solo.

The Barmasse Trilogy is a tribute to high mountains and to the inexhaustible spirit of classical mountaineering, the same spirit that prompted Mummery to write: “The true mountaineer is the man who attempts new ascents, and equally, whether he succeeds or fails, delights in the fun and joy of the struggle.”.

Hervé Barmasse grew up at the foot of Monte Cervino, and has climbed mountains all over the world, including the Alps, the mountains in Pakistan and in Patagonia. After such a vast amount of travelling, he has realized that the value of the experience does not depend on the mountain itself but rather on the eyes of the mountaineer. Hervé believes that, nowadays, adventure can be also found at home. One need only choose unusual seasons, to accept risk and effort and, most of all, to search passionately, and one’s fantasy will be left to run free.