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The Conquest Of La Meije

For the documentary series Les Ascensions Célèbres, Denis Ducroz has created this historical reconstruction of the first ascent of the Meije, exploring etymology, physical geography, and the history of the emergence of mountaineering in the Oisans massif. The first ascent of the Grand Pic was made on August 16, 1877, by Emmanuel Boileau de Castelnau with Pierre Gaspard and son; the rope party moved along the Promontoire ridge on the south face to the Glacier Carré, where Jean-Baptiste Rodier, the second porter, separated from the three climbers who managed to overcome ice and granite to open the famous "normal route" to the summit.

Top Cast

  • Michel Turc

    Michel Turc

  • Éric Leininger

    Éric Leininger

  • Christophe Ponsart

    Christophe Ponsart

  • Gilles Delannoy

    Gilles Delannoy

  • Pierre Gaspard

    Pierre Gaspard

    Self (archive footage)

  • Emmanuel Boileau de Castelnau

    Emmanuel Boileau de Castelnau

    Self (archive footage)

  • Jean-Baptiste Rodier

    Jean-Baptiste Rodier

    Self (archive footage)

Overview

For the documentary series Les Ascensions Célèbres, Denis Ducroz has created this historical reconstruction of the first ascent of the Meije, exploring etymology, physical geography, and the history of the emergence of mountaineering in the Oisans massif. The first ascent of the Grand Pic was made on August 16, 1877, by Emmanuel Boileau de Castelnau with Pierre Gaspard and son; the rope party moved along the Promontoire ridge on the south face to the Glacier Carré, where Jean-Baptiste Rodier, the second porter, separated from the three climbers who managed to overcome ice and granite to open the famous "normal route" to the summit.

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