Louis Lachenal (17 July 1921 – 25 November 1955), a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

climber born in

Annecy Annecy ( , ; , also ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Haute-Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, regi ...

Haute-Savoie Haute-Savoie () is a Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region of Southeastern France, bordering both Switzerland and Italy. Its Prefectures in France, prefecture is Annecy. To the north is Lake Gene ...

, was one of the first two

mountaineer Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become sports ...

s to climb a summit of more than 8,000 meters. On 3 June 1950 on the

1950 French Annapurna expedition The 1950 French Annapurna expedition, led by Maurice Herzog, reached the summit of Annapurna I at , the highest peak in the Annapurna (mountain range), Annapurna Massif. The mountain is in Nepal and the government had given permission for the ex ...

, along with

Maurice Herzog Maurice André Raymond Herzog (; 15 January 191913 December 2012) was a French mountaineer and administrator who was born in Lyon, France. He led the 1950 French Annapurna expedition that first climbed a peak over 8000m, Annapurna, in 1950, ...

, he reached the summit of Annapurna I in

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

at a height of 8,091 m (26,545 ft). Previously he had made the second ascent of the North Face of the

Eiger The Eiger () is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, overlooking Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland, just north of the main watershed and border with Valais. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends ...

in 1947, with

Lionel Terray Lionel Terray (25 July 1921 – 19 September 1965) was a French people, French climber who made many first ascents, including on the 1955 French Makalu expedition in the Himalaya (with Jean Couzy on 15 May 1955) and Fitz-Roy, Cerro Fitz Roy in ...

. He died falling into a snow-covered crevasse while skiing the Vallee Blanche in

Chamonix Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (; ; (no longer in use)), more commonly known simply as Chamonix (), is a communes of France, commune in the departments of France, department in the regions of France, region in Southeastern France. It was the site of the f ...

. The mountain Pointe Lachenal in the Mont Blanc massif was named after him.

References

External links

"Tragic Study in French Movie Tells of Victory"
1953 Life Magazine account of their victorious climb.
"Louis Lachenal – The Star That Fell to Earth"
article about his death.
"Mountain Claims Famous Climber"
Life Magazine article about his death. 1921 births 1955 deaths Sportspeople from Annecy French mountain climbers Skiing deaths Sport deaths in France Accidental deaths from falls {{Climbing-bio-stub