Annapurna I | 1979 N Face

A France expedition to Annapurna I in 1979 via N Face, led by Jean-Louis Georges. Summit reached on 30th April 1979. 10 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 2097
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID ANN179102
Peak ID ANN1
Year 1979
Season 1
Host Country 1
Route 1 N Face
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality France
Leaders Jean-Louis Georges
Sponsor Annapurna Premier 8000 a Ski
Success 1 True
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 6th
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries -
Approach Pokhara->Mristi Khola
Basecamp Date 1979-03-27
Summit Date 1979-04-30
Summit Time 1700
Summit Days 34
Total Days 38
Termination Date 1979-05-04
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 8091
Traverse False
Ski True
Paraglide False
Camps 6
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 7
Summit Members 2
Member Deaths 1
Total Hired 3
Summit Hired 0
Hired Deaths 1
No Hired False
O2 Used False
O2 None True
O2 Climb False
O2 Descent False
O2 Sleep False
O2 Medical False
O2 Taken True
O2 Unknown False
Other Summits -
Campsites BC(27/03,4200m),C1(30/03,4900m),C2(06/04,5700m),C3(17/04,6200m),C4(26/04,6900m),C5(28/04,7300m),C6(29/04,7600m),Smt(30/04)
Route Notes Morin died 1 May at fixed rope 6600m; avalanche hit Berquet and Germain 18 Apr [also Dawa Gyalzen and Chowang Rinzee]; local porter killed returning from BC to ferry another load to BC from dump. Dr Muller-Esterl, German Annapurna Ski Expedition - 17 March 80 French skier Morin probably died instantly from sudden compression of his heart, which stopped when severely compressed. One can live for 5 minutes without oxygen but not when heart suddenly stops. Germain - 8 May 79 Accident 1st May. 30 April - Germain, Morin and Sigayret went up and Germain stopped 30m below top to take photos; it was late and windy. Morin and Sigayret on top at 16:30 hours. Morin immediately began skiing down from summit to C6. 1 May on skis from C6 Morin (1st), Sigayret, Germain, Berquet and Renard on skis to C3. At 6600m Morin was stopped too fast by rope around his chest clipped into traversing fixed rope across icefall (at the cycle) and could not breathe - called for help. Germain tried to ease tension but Morin dead in 5 minutes after he called, probably heart stopped. Morin in difficult zone alone because in such an area one moves alone Berquet and Germain took body top at foot of serac to small crevasse and put body in crevasse - too dangerous to take to BC. Berquet and Germain had already been hit by avalanche. To C3 on 1 May on foot: expedition had done this section: Georges skied down from C4 to C1 and below about 27 April. 2 May no more skiing down as had done this section before, earlier in expedition. Morin only man to have skied all sections. Morin died at about 6600m but had skied from C4 to C3 after having made route to C4 including putting in fixed rope traverese where he died. So one can say Morin skied down Annapurna I. Would have gone all the way down on 1 May if not killed. No Sherpas above C2 after avalanche. Sirdar Dawa [Gyalzen] hit on nose by ice block and nose broken and other Sherpa's knee twisted. French on French route and Japanese on Dutch route - good relations. Japanese 5 May must make summit attempt, but much wind way have stopped them from or in attempt. Today helicopter may bring 3 members and another helicopter after 1 or 2 days. 5 go to France quickly together and Germain waits few more days for baggage via helicopter to Pokhara. M. Cheney - 3 April 79 Hope to come to KTM in 1st week of May by helicopter. Have asked French embassy to arrange helicopter. Shailendra Raj Sharma - 2 April 79 French Annapurna I local porter killed when he slipped in snow at 15,000 ft while returning from BC on 27 March. Renard - 10 March 79 Annapurna Premier 8000 a Ski. All now in KTM. Leave KTM 13 or 14 March to Pokhara by road. Leave Pokhara 14 or 15 march Pokhara with about 100 porters taking perhaps. 4 weeks to BC. BC at usual site about 4500m with 5 camps above BC but C1 and C3 maybe transit and C5 very light more like biv. C5 in place 3 weeks after BC. Six members likely to go to summit. Doctor less likely to highest peak so for from which skiing has been done is Nashaq in Hindu Kush in Afghanistan (7500m) by Austrians last summer.
Accidents Morin died from exhaustion (sudden heart compression) while skiing down
Achievement -
Agency -
Commercial Route -
Standard Route True
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference -
Primary ID -
Checksum 2448943
Year 1979
Summit Success True
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) n face

Members

10 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Lucien Adenis M 1932 France Exp Doctor Lille, Nord, France Physician Details Other expeditions
Michel Berquet M 1941 France Climber Morez, Jura, France Dental surgeon Details Other expeditions
Jean-Louis Georges M 1938 France Leader Grenoble, Isere, France Alpine guide & publisher of mountaineering journals Details Other expeditions
Bernard Germain M 1946 France Climber Reims, Marne, France Alpine guide & teacher of French and physical education Details Other expeditions
Yves Morin M 1945 France Climber Grenoble, Isere, France Alpine guide Details Other expeditions
Benoit Renard M 1942 France Climber Paris, France Data analyst Details Other expeditions
Henri Sigayret M 1934 France Climber Grenoble, Isere, France Construction engineer Details Other expeditions
Dawa Gyalzen Sherpa M - Nepal Sirdar - - Details Other expeditions
Chowang Rinzi Sherpa M 1949 Nepal H-A Worker Namche Bazar, Khumbu - Details Other expeditions
Unknown M - Nepal Porter - - Details Other expeditions

References

4 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
ANN179102 AAJ Renard, Benoit - - 53:623 (1980) -
ANN179102 - Germain, Bernard Annapurna, Premier 8000 a Ski Fernand Nathan, Paris - G71
ANN179102 MM - - - 68:14 (Jul 1979) -
ANN179102 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12198062301/Asia-Nepal-Annapurna-Ski-Descent-and-Tragedy - - -