Mountaineering

It had taken fifty-six years of intense effort to reach the summit of Kangchenjunga. Finally, in 1955, it was the route initiated by Crowley that provided the key to success for the British duo of George Band and Joe Brown. We take you back to those intense years.

We reported on the German tragedies of 1934 and 1937 on Nanga Parbat, followed by Hermann Buhl's astonishing victory in 1953 on the north face of Rakhiot. Under the leadership of the indomitable Dr Karl Maria Herrligkoffer, the western slopes of Diamir and finally the southern slopes of Rupal gave way over the years. But the 'killer mountain' was not finished yet.

In this interview, Bernard Muller, one of France's most renowned expedition leaders at very high altitude, talks about our expedition to Everest, from which he has just returned, other 8,000 meters peaks and their characteristics, the reasons why some climbers want to get close to the ‘death zone’, the key factors in the success of such summits, their preparation, general and local organisation, oxygen...

May 1960. Ten years, almost to the day, after the first reconnaissance at the foot of the ‘White Mountain’, Dhaulagiri (8,167 m) was about to be climbed. The seventh highest peak on the planet, it is the last to resist its many contenders. Or to be more precise, the last summit accessible to the Western world.

At the beginning of September, Expeditions Unlimited completed its first expedition to Manaslu, the eighth highest peak on the planet at 8,163 meters. A team of nine participants, including French mountain guide Clément Flouret, undertook the ascent with the support of a Nepalese team of around fifteen people.

At a time when Nepal has just lifted its quarantine for vaccinated people, we take a look back at our ascent of Everest last spring: a five-strong Franco-Swiss team attempted to climb the roof of the world at 8,848 metres via its southern Nepalese side during an expedition led by Bernard Muller.

The Second World War temporarily postponed the conquest of the world's ninth highest peak, Nanga Parbat. At 8,126 meters, it continues to resist the efforts of Himalayan climbers. After the tragedies of 1934 and 1937, it wasn't until 1953 that Germany, licking its wounds, considered taking up the challenge again. This is the second part of our saga of Nanga Parbat, ‘the killer mountain’.

Nanga Parbat, ‘the killer mountain’. Between Mummery's first attempt in 1895 and Hermann Buhl's first ascent in 1953, 30 people lost their lives on its slopes. A sad record. Unlike most of the 8,000, there is no obvious route to the summit. We take you back to those tragic moments in the history of Himalayan climbing.

Ever since the first climbers set eyes on the towering summit of K2, the mountain has fascinated. Firstly by its shape, an almost perfect pyramid, two Matterhorns piled one on top of the other. Then for its difficulties: verticality reigns supreme. Only the best can aspire to its ascent. Here's a selection of some of the bravest climbs.