Louis Lachenal

Louis Lachenal ( born July 17, 1921 in Annecy, † November 25, 1955 in the Vallée Blanche in Chamonix ) was a French mountaineer.

Louis Lachenal belonged in 1950 to the successful French Annapurna Expedition, which was also Maurice Herzog, Gaston Rébuffat, Lionel Terray, Marcel Ichac, Jean Couzy, Marcel Schatz, Jacques Oudot and were involved. He and Maurice Herzog were the first people who were on 3 June 1950 to the top of a 8.000ers. Because of this suffered severe frostbite it had to be amputated toes and all parts of the forefoot. His 1956 posthumously published diary of the expedition, Les Carnets du Vertige, were published in 1996 in its complete form.

He succeeded in 1946, together with Lionel Terray the second ascent of the Eiger North Face.

In late November 1955, Lachenal moved during the descent through the Vallée Blanche in Chamonix from a fall in a 25 meter deep crevasse fatal injuries to.

In honor of his many first ascents in the Mont Blanc massif, a 3613 m high Gratausläufer of Mont Blanc du Tacul was named after Louis Lachenal. On the Pointe Lachenal now lead over ten climbing routes.