History of the Mont-Blanc

" In summer 1986, Chamonix celebrated the bicentenary of the first rise of the Mont-Blanc. Two centuries before, August 8, 1786, a man of vingt-neuf years old, Doctor Paccard, wire of notary of Chamonix, and Jacques Balmat, a twenty year old glass cutter, originating in "the Pilgrims", pressed the highest node of Europe with 6h25 of the morning. Horace Benedicte de Saussure, a genevois man of science was the instigator of this great adventure. After a first journey  in Chamonix, this fortunate man and passionately in love with the Mont Blanc had decided to offer an vain reward to whoever would discover a way leading to the node. At the time of its first attempts (1775, 1783, 1784 and 1785), the pioneers of the alpinism reached the spur of the Mountain of the Coast, followed the combe of the large glacier of Bossons to go up directly towards the node by the Northern slope. In 1784, J.m. Couttet and F Guidet discovered an alternative by the North-western edge, which crossed the "Aiguille du Goûter" and made it possible to progress to the dome of same name. In June 1786, two teams got under way in order to compare the two routes. Being joined around the collar of the Dome, they walked on together up to the point which corresponds about to the site of theVallot refuge, then went down again. It's in this place that occurred a curious incident, which, indirectly, was to change mentalities and to abolish fear of the mountain. One of the cords had chosen the glacier. Jacques Balmat had remained behind to collect crystals and the others had quite simply forgotten him in the mountain. He went down again while continuing its collection. A snow storm having obliged him to bivouac, he came back in Chamonix the next morning. There after, he made team with Paccard (or was committed), which, also, studied the mountain and  carried outrecognitions. The two men decided to prepare an attempt together without any other help. As envisaged, the rise proceeded between August the 7 and 9 and was unquestionably one of the most daring companies of the history of the alpinism: a true success. This night that Balmat had passed in the mountain had given them confidence, they knew from now on that it could continue to progress up to one hour late and that one could survive a bivouac in altitude. However, in spite of good conditions of snow, they descended the glacier to the gleam from the Moon and only regained the Mountain of the Coast about midnight.

 

On the node of the Mont-Blanc

This race filled with enthusiasm H.B. of Saussure which started at once preparations to also leave him to the conquest the Mont-Blanc by engaging Balmat. In 1787, Balmat climbed the mountain one second time with M. Cachet and A. Tournier. August 1st, he accompanied H.B. of Saussure and directed a cord of seventeen guides. Horace Bénédicte de Saussure climbed finally the mountain which, during so a long time, had be the object of its desires. Up stream Large Plate, they followed a line which goes up towards the Rouges rocks (either higher than the Balmat-Paccard way). Long years during, this route called "Ancien Passage" was regarded as the line of rise.

For H.B. of Saussure, which enjoyed a great scientific fame, this victory gave place to publications which made him famous in the whole world. But alas, the details of this first were not long in being erased, undoubtedly following machinations orchestrated by jealous journalists. One exaggerated the role played by Balmat in the discovery of the decisive way; one transformed the spirit which reigned during this rise, that with depend on Paccard. A long quarrel with episodes between the partisans of the ones and and others lasted nearly two centuries. Vittorio Amedeo III, king de Sardaigne and of Savoy, decorated Balmat. The town of Chamonix immortalisa its two heroes, Jacques Balmat and Horace Benedicte of Saussure, by setting up a statue in their honor. Michel-Gabriel Paccard was eclipsed until a group of scientists and historians of the alpinism impose his recognition and which a bust of the doctor is inaugurated in 1932. "

Helmut Dumler and Willi Paul Burkhardt

(translate by Gilles Gerbel in 10/2000)

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