The conquest of the Mont Blanc

In 1760 a scientist of Ginebra, Horace-Bénédict of Saussure, offered 20 táleros to the first mountaineers that achieved to find a route until the summit of the Mont Blanc, which carried time observing during the previous expeditions that had realised in the macizo.

sucedieron Several attempts, until the day 8 August 1786 two very trained amateurs of Chamonix, Jacques Balmat (searcher of glasses of 24 years) and the doctor Michel Gabriel Paccard, the one who wanted to observe the behaviour of a barometer aneroide to this height, went up until the summit going through Grands Mulets and went down healthy and salvos; being this the first ascensión: it Had been born the mountaineering.

The expedition was considered in his absolutely extraordinary time, also because of the aura of superstitions, legends and tabúes that surrounded to the mountain. In the peak remained during half hour, the sufficient time so that Paccard could check the action of the atmospheric pressure with the barometer of Evangelista Torricelli, confirming the theory of Blaise Pascal (and repeating the experiment carried out to his instance by Florin Périer, his coined) on the reduction of the pressure when increasing the altitude.

A year afterwards, on 3 August 1787, the promoter of this adventure, Horace-Bénédict of Saussure, stepped also the summit, accompanied by his servant, Jacques Balmat and eighteen people between guides of Chamonix and bearers to carry diverse scientific teams. In the peak commanded to install a shop of campaign before proceeding to the calculation of the altitude, effecting measurements that served like first approximation on the altitude of the peak. Between all transported groceries, some stairs, a bed, a stove and a scientific laboratory with hygrometers, barometers and thermometers, and other instruments of measurement.

The first woman in achieving the peak was Marie Paradis, on 14 July 1808, accompanying to Jacques Balmat. The second ascensión feminine was the one of the mountaineer and journalist Henriette d’Angeville, on 4 September 1838, that published a newspaper of his ascensión.

On 6 August 1864, the geólogo and mountaineer Felice Giordano was the first in effecting the ascensión by the most rugged part, in the Italian slope, whereas the first ascensión wintry by this slope realised it Quintino Seals, on 5 January 1888. Achille Ratti, the future Pío XI, traced in 1890 the normal road of the Italian slope, contributing like this to give to know the city of Courmayeur, from where splits said route.