Jacques Balmat
Mountain climber from the Chamonix Valley
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Key Takeaways
- Jacques Balmat ( French pronunciation: [ʒak balma] ), called Balmat du Mont Blanc (1762–1834) was a mountaineer, a Savoyard mountain guide, born in the Chamonix valley in Savoy.
- Early life and education Jacques Balmat was born in 1762 in the Chamonix valley in Savoy, at this time part of the Kingdom of Sardinia.
- Career On 8 August 1786 Balmat completed the first ascent of Mont Blanc with physician Michel-Gabriel Paccard.
- 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.
- During the Napoleonic Wars, Savoy fell under French control, and citizen Jacques Balmat became a member of the council of the commune.
Jacques Balmat (French pronunciation: [ʒak balma]), called Balmat du Mont Blanc (1762–1834) was a mountaineer, a Savoyard mountain guide, born in the Chamonix valley in Savoy. He is known for the first ascent of Mont Blanc with physician Michel-Gabriel Paccard on 8 August 1786 .
Early life and education
Jacques Balmat was born in 1762 in the Chamonix valley in Savoy, at this time part of the Kingdom of Sardinia. He was a hunter and collector of crystals.
Career
On 8 August 1786 Balmat completed the first ascent of Mont Blanc with physician Michel-Gabriel Paccard. For this feat, King Victor Amadeus III gave him the honorary title du Mont Blanc.
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. Barely one year later on 3 August 1787 he assisted de Saussure himself to reach the summit with a party of about 17 people.
During the Napoleonic Wars, Savoy fell under French control, and citizen Jacques Balmat became a member of the council of the commune. He led an unsuccessful attempt to introduce Merino sheep into the Chamonix valley.
Personal life and death
Balmat died age 72 by falling off a cliff while prospecting for gold in the Sixt valley in 1834.
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