Key Takeaways:
- French Army climbers opened a new 1,400-metre route on Peak 41
- Ascent completed in alpine style without oxygen or fixed camps
- Route named Bon Matin after four-day climb on the north face
- Achievement adds to long-standing Nepal-France mountaineering links
Three French Army mountaineers have opened a new route on the north face of Peak 41 (6,654m), completing the technical ascent in alpine style without supplemental oxygen, fixed camps or external logistical support.
The climbers, members of the French Military High Mountain Group (GMHM) based in Chamonix, spent four days establishing the 1,400-metre route, which they completed on October 14. They have named the new line "Bon Matin", meaning "Good Morning" in French.
The team comprised Sergeant Piontek, Corporal Fouillade and Corporal Paulin, who carried all their own equipment and supplies during the climb, adhering to alpine-style principles that emphasise self-sufficiency and minimal support.
The ascent adds another chapter to the long-standing mountaineering relationship between Nepal and France. French climbers Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal made mountaineering history in 1950 when they became the first people to summit an 8,000-metre peak by reaching the top of Annapurna I.
The GMHM is a specialist French Army unit tasked with training personnel and testing mountaineering techniques in some of the world's most demanding alpine environments.