03/06/2026
On June 3, 1950, French mountaineers Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal made history by becoming the first people to summit an 8,000-meter mountain, reaching the top of Annapurna I in Nepal.
The achievement marked a major milestone in mountaineering and represented humanity’s first successful ascent of any of the world’s 14 peaks above 8,000 meters.
The French expedition, led by Herzog, climbed Annapurna I via the North Face and the French Couloir without the use of supplemental oxygen. The team included renowned climbers Lionel Terray and Gaston Rébuffat, along with legendary lead Sherpa Ang Tharkay.
Although the summit was reached successfully, the descent proved extremely difficult. Herzog lost his gloves during the final push, and both he and Lachenal suffered severe frostbite. Their injuries ultimately resulted in the amputation of fingers and toes.
For the next three years, Annapurna I represented the highest altitude ever reached by humans. The record stood until the first successful ascent of Mount Everest by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953.
More than seven decades later, the Annapurna expedition remains one of the most significant achievements in the history of high-altitude mountaineering.
Photo Source: France Culture
