Mont Blanc Climbed for the First Time: Balmat and Paccard Reach the Summit
Jacques Balmat and Michel-Gabriel Paccard reached the summit of Mont Blanc on August 8, 1786 — the first people to do so, at least as far as the historical record shows. It's 4,808 meters. They climbed without proper cold-weather equipment, without crampons, using only alpenstocks — long wooden poles with iron tips — and sheer stubbornness. They descended the same day. Balmat was a crystal hunter who knew the mountain's lower slopes; Paccard was a physician with scientific ambitions. Neither got full credit at the time. Their dispute over who led the climb lasted for decades.
August 8, 1786
240 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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