An early history of the 8000m peaks: the first ascent of Annapurna

March 30, 2016 History 8000m peaks, angtharkay, annapurna, dhaulagiri, first ascents, gaston rebuffat, history of mountaineering, lionel terray, louis lachenal, maurice herzog, mountain literature, nepal 7 Comments

An early history of the 8000m peaks: the first ascent of Annapurna

In 1950 a French team led by Maurice Herzog made the first ever ascent of an 8000m peak when they climbed 8091m Annapurna, during one of the first mountaineering expeditions to Nepal. It’s possible to view their ascent in one of two ways.

What climbing Everest taught me about George Mallory’s final hours

September 12, 2012 History 8000m peaks, annapurna, everest, george mallory, history of mountaineering, louis lachenal, margaret watroba, maurice herzog, noel odell, sandy irvine, summit fever

What climbing Everest taught me about George Mallory’s final hours

I’ve been fascinated by the legend of George Mallory, and whether he was the first person to climb Everest, since long before I became a mountaineer. Many years and many mountains later I finally had the chance to follow in