Jacques Balmat

Jacques Balmat, called le Mont Blanc (1762–1834) was a mountaineer, a Savoyard mountain guide, born in the Chamonix valley of the Savoy region, at this time part of the Duchy of Savoy.

A chamois hunter and collector of crystals, Balmat completed the first ascent of Mont Blanc with physician Michel-Gabriel Paccard on 8 August 1786. For this feat, King Victor Amadeus III gave him the honorary title le Mont Blanc.

Balmat and Paccard's ascent of Mont Blanc was a major accomplishment in the early history of mountaineering. C. Douglas Milner wrote "The ascent itself was magnificent; an amazing feat of endurance and sustained courage, carried through by these two men only, unroped and without ice axes, heavily burdened with scientific equipment and with long iron-pointed batons. The fortunate weather and a moon alone ensured their return alive."

Eric Shipton wrote "Theirs was an astounding achievement of courage and determination, one of the greatest in the annals of mountaineering. It was accomplished by men who were not only on unexplored ground but on a route that all the guides believed to be impossible."

Gaston Rébuffat praised Balmat's climbing abilities, describing him as "This man, robust, resolute, this crystal hunter who, as it turns out, possesses an extraordinary mountaineering sense, an unerring instinct for the crevasses and seracs of the glaciers ..."

After the successful ascent, Balmat collected the reward offered 25 years before by Horace-Bénédict de Saussure to the first man who could climb Mont Blanc. On 3 August 1787 he assisted de Saussure himself to reach the summit with a party of about 17 people.

Wikipedia

In the history of mountaineering, only a few outstanding individuals merit comparison with Jacques Balmat: Jean-Antoine Carrel on the Matterhorn; Hermann Buhl on Nanga Parbat; Walter Bonatti on the Petit Dru.

A History of Mountain Climbing by Roger Frison-Roche and Sylvain Jouty

On studying Mont Blanc from the top of Brevent, Balmat had sensed that climbing the snowy slope to the right of the Rochers Rouges might lead to the top. That is where he now headed. Despite his youth, he displayed a mature experience on snow and he was obviously sure-footed. Since it would have been too dangerous to angle across the face in an effort to join the upper slopes to the east, he headed straight up, cutting little holds with the iron tip of his alpenstock.

Thus he arrived above Rochers Rouges; just ahead, a gentler, safer slope led toward the summit. But already he could see Courmayeur in Italy - an extraordinary moment of victory! It could be argued that from that moment Mont Blanc had been tamed. Unfortunately, a spherical cloud known as the "dunce cap" had clemped down the mountain, and Balmat did not know exactly where the summit was. He decided to head back down. Step by spet he redescended the gigantic ladder of ice. Night caught up with him, and he knew that a large crevasse waited below. Suddenly, he took the most heroic decision of his career - he would spend the night on the glacier, something that had never been done. Without realizing it, Balmat expanded the range of tactics for conquering Mont Blanc. He proved that a night on a glacier was not lethal.

But what a night! A cold sleet fell, and Balmat had no bivouac gear. He spent the night sitting on his leather sack, clapping his hands and stamping feet, not letting himself fall asleep, demonstarting amazing will power. Altitude and fatigue drove him closeer to a sleep from which he would never awaken. It was his fourth consecutive night out-doors - two on the rocks in his previous attempt, one climbing the mountain from below, and now this one!

In the morning, he briefly considered heading back up, for victory was in his grasp. He no longer had the strength, however, and could hardly see. He headed back down into the valley, went home, ate, shut himself in the barn and slept for twenty-four hours.

Balmat kept his attempt secret.
One day, he learned that Dr. Paccard had decided to mount a new expedition. Paccard was a dangerous rival; he had already conducted several reconnaissance trips, was affluent, and enjoyed a considerable reputation. Jacques Balmat sensed that if he made the ascent entirely on his own, no one would believe him. The whole valley would be against him out of jealousy, and everyone else out of spite. On the other hand, if he climbed with Paccard, he had an unimpeachable witness, whose word no one would doubt.

Balmat went to Paccard and told him about the route. Paccard certainly had a great deal of respect for Balmat, since he was drawn to the adveturous nature of the young man, born in 1762 (the year Saussure first launched the idea of climbing Mont Blanc).

The two men saw eye to eye. Paccard devoutly wished to climb Mont Blanc. He reckoned that the success of a local man would redound to the credit of the whole valley, and he proved to be right.

On 7 August 1786 they started up the familiar path to Montagne de la Cote. They took a blanket, provisions, some light scientific equipment, and alpenstocks, but had neither rope nor ice axe.

They bivouacked at "Balmat's lair", then started out again at 4 a.m. There was a good deal of fresh snow, and Balmat showed signs of fatigue. As a loyal team member, the doctor took part of his load. Given the strenuous efforts already made by Balmat, it is not surprising that he should suffer a lapse in strength, which, in any case, would prove to be of short duration. Much have been made of this incident however, to give most of the credit to Paccard.

They followed the familiar itinerary as far as the Grand Plateau. Then to reach the summit of the Rochers Rouges, Balmat acceded to Paccard's opinion and they took a route to the left of one he had forged earlier. Paccard was in great shape, to judge by the active part he played in the ascent - working hard, scaling the Rochers Rouges and Petits Mulets, taking samples, giving orders to balmat. It was not one of Jacques better days and he was terribly anxious; one of his children was dying, and he promised his wife to Return the same day. Paccard was determined to push on. They indeed made it to the top of Mont Blanc, but on the very day Jacques's little child died. Balmat obviously had a heart, for just when he was about to tqaste victory after having risked everything to reach the summit, he had only one desire - turn back as soon as possible to be with his wife in what must be the cruelest moment a mother can ever experience, the death of her child.

Nevertheless, it was getting late. A gust of wind carried Paccard's hat into Italy. The two men did not climb the final, broad slope side by side nor one behind the other, but each in his own fashion.

A History of Mountain Climbing by Roger Frison-Roche and Sylvain Jouty