mont Kilimandjaro à 5 895 m
24 October 2022 Seven Summits, Rest of the World, Mountaineering
Among the ‘Seven Summits’, the seven highest peaks on the continents, Mount Kilimanjaro occupies a special place: Hans Meyer, a man of science rather than a mountaineer, climbed it for the first time in 1889. Above all, he did it for the honour of his country and its Emperor: the Germany of Frederick William II. This first ascent remains unknown to the French. And with good reason, as Bismarck's Germany was our sworn enemy at the time, there was no question of highlighting this masterly achievement.
Retour sur notre expédition au Manaslu
12 October 2022 Podcast
In September 2021, we will be climbing Manaslu in Nepal, the eighth highest peak on the planet at 8,163 meters. Let's take a look back at this experience, rich in both preparation and execution. An interview hosted by Eric Bonnem, founder of Secret Planet and also a participant in the expedition, and David Ducoin, head of the Himalaya zone at Secret Planet. We dedicate this episode to Pascal Pompei.
La conquête du Makalu
27 September 2022 Podcast
In this episode, we take a look back at the epic story of the conquest of Makalu, the fifth highest peak on the planet at 8,485 meters, right up to its victorious ascent by French mountaineers on 15 May 1955. This was the first and only expedition since the dawn of Himalayan climbing to see all its participants reach the summit. It was a masterstroke due as much to meticulous preparation and acclimatisation as to the success of the 1954 reconnaissance, and to exceptional luck with the weather. Here's a look back at this perfect adventure.
Ascension de l'Aconcagua
26 September 2022 Seven Summits, Rest of the World, Mountaineering
At an altitude of 6,500 meters in the winter of 1954, the six young French climbers on the south face of Aconcagua were playing for their lives. They could not survive another bivouac. In the indifference typical of those years when news still travelled slowly, a drama was unfolding up there. The roof of the Americas attracts many pretenders every year. And with good reason: it is one of the most accessible summits in the Seven Summits challenge.
La conquête du Manaslu : une incroyable épopée
28 June 2022 Podcast
In this episode, we take a look back at the epic story of the conquest of Manaslu, the eighth highest peak on the planet at 8,163 metres, right up to its victorious ascent by the Japanese on 15 May 1956. 9 May 1956, 12.30 pm: the Nepalese sirdar Gyalzen Norbu (37) and the Japanese himalayist Toshio Imanishi (41) stand on the narrow rocky summit pyramid of Manaslu (8,156 meters). For the first time, the summit of Manaslu has been climbed by man.
© Pierre Bouras
21 June 2022 Rest of the World
It was our passion for exploration and adventure in all its forms that prompted us to found Secret Planet, and later its extreme expedition business, Expeditions Unlimited. Long before we became the French leader in high-attitude and polar expeditions, we were already passionate about ocean crossings on legendary yachts, with exceptional skippers, in exploratory mode or ocean racing.
Ascension du mont Denali en Alaska
07 June 2022 Seven Summits, Polar regions, Mountaineering
At 5.15pm on Tuesday 31 May 2022, a group of four, including Éric Bonnem, founder of Secret Planet and Expeditions Unlimited, reached the summit of Mount Denali at 6,190 meters. A wild and beautiful expedition, which we'll be reporting on shortly, and which gave us the urge to delve back into the history of the first mountaineers to have trodden this superb mountain almost 110 years earlier, in far more heroic conditions! Mount McKinley... Denali.