![Emmanuel Boileau de Castelnau](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Emmanuel_Boileau_de_Castelnau.jpg)
Henri Emmanuel Boileau, baron de Castelnau (1857-1923)
was a
French alpinist and sportsman who took part in the
first ascent
In mountaineering, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books) is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain or the first to follow a particular climbing route. First mountain ascents are notable because they en ...
of the
Meije
La Meije is a mountain in the Massif des Écrins range, located at the border of the Hautes-Alpes and Isère ''départements''. It overlooks the nearby village of La Grave, a mountaineering centre and ski resort, well known for its off-piste ...
.
After his career as an alpinist he competed as an amateur cyclist.
Biography
Boileau de Castelnau was born in
Nîmes
Nîmes ( , ; oc, Nimes ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the prefecture of the Gard department in the Occitanie region of Southern France. Located between the Mediterranean Sea and Cévennes, the commune of Nîmes has an estimated population of 148,5 ...
in 1857. He was sickly as a child.
Alpine career
He began mountain climbing in the
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...
at the age of thirteen, climbing
Maladeta
Maladeta (3,312 m) is a mountain in the Pyrenees, close to the highest peak in the range, Aneto. It is located in the Natural Park of Posets-Maladeta in the town of Benasque in Province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. Its northern slope contains t ...
and
Aneto
Aneto (''pic d'Aneto'' in French language, French, formerly ''pic de Néthou'') is the highest mountain in the Pyrenees and in Aragon, and Spain's third-highest mountain, reaching a height of . It stands in the Spanish province of Huesca (provi ...
.
Between 1872 and 1874, he climbed
Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc (french: Mont Blanc ; it, Monte Bianco , both meaning "white mountain") is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe, rising above sea level. It is the second-most prominent mountain in Europe, after Mount Elbrus, and i ...
four times, as well as climbing the
Matterhorn
The (, ; it, Cervino, ; french: Cervin, ; rm, Matterhorn) is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the main watershed and border between Switzerland and Italy. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the ...
, the
Jungfrau
The Jungfrau ( "maiden, virgin"), at is one of the main summits of the Bernese Alps, located between the northern canton of Bern and the southern canton of Valais, halfway between Interlaken and Fiesch. Together with the Eiger and Mönch, the J ...
, and many other mountains.
At seventeen, he joined the
Club alpin français
Club may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Club'' (magazine)
* Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character
* Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards
* Club music
* "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea''
Brands and enterprises ...
(French Alpine Club) founded the previous year.
In 1874, Boileau de Castelnau traveled to
Chamonix
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc ( frp, Chamôni), more commonly known as Chamonix, is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. It was the site of the first Winter Olympics in 1924. In 2019, it had ...
to climb Mont Blanc. Forced to descend by a storm, he made the acquaintance back in Chamonix of
Henry Duhamel
Henry or Henri Duhamel (born 9 December 1853 in Paris, died 7 February 1917 in Gières ( Isère)) was a French mountaineer, author and skiing pioneer. He introduced the practice of skiing to his circle of friends at Grenoble, leading to the cre ...
, creator of the French Alpine Club and
Haut-Dauphiné specialist.
Boileau de Castelnau told Duhamel of his desire to achieve the ascent of the Grand Pic de la
Meije
La Meije is a mountain in the Massif des Écrins range, located at the border of the Hautes-Alpes and Isère ''départements''. It overlooks the nearby village of La Grave, a mountaineering centre and ski resort, well known for its off-piste ...
. Tired of the bad weather that prevailed in Chamonix, the following year the two men engaged three guides in the valley and went to
La Grave
La Grave (; oc, La Grava) is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France.
It is a small ski resort in the French Alps, dominated by La Meije (3982 m). It was the birthplace of Nicolas de Nicolay; adventurer and Geograp ...
and the "rocher de l'aigle" ("rock of the eagle")
[The current refuge, the ]Refuge de l'Aigle
Refuge de l'Aigle is a refuge in the Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven ...
, dates only from 1910. to bivouac. The company was tempted by the north face with the three guides (Alexandre Tournier, François and Léon Simond) but the expedition was blocked by an overly dangerous passage in a corridor formed of black ice and sleet. That year they reached the central peak of the Meije (),
conquered by
W. A. B. Coolidge five years earlier.
Later, in
Grenoble
lat, Gratianopolis
, commune status = Prefecture and commune
, image = Panorama grenoble.png
, image size =
, caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...
, Boileau de Castelnau met the President of the
Société des touristes du Dauphiné, and in 1876 met the guide
Pierre Gaspard
Pierre Gaspard (born 6 December 1959) is a Belgian physicist and professor at the ''Interdisciplinary Center for Nonlinear Phenomena and Complex Systems'' and the ''Service de Physique Non-Linéaire and Mécanique Statistique'' of the Universit ...
and his son. They formed one of the most brilliant ropes of their era, quickly achieving many
first ascents
In mountaineering, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books) is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain or the first to follow a particular climbing route
A climbing route is a path by which a climber rea ...
in the 1876 and 1877 seasons. On 4 August 1877, Boileau de Castelnau and Gaspard tried a new ascent of the Meije by the south side, a route attempted the previous year by Henry Duhamel. With difficulty and thanks to Gaspard's audacity, they came to the end of the wall that Duhamel thought impassable, both climbing with bare feet.
Forced to abandon it due to lack of time, they left a
fixed rope
In mountaineering, a fixed rope or fixed line is the practice of fixing in place bolted ropes to assist climbers and walkers in exposed mountain locations. They are used widely on American and European climbing routes, where they may be called via ...
in place.
On 16 August, Boileau de Castelnau, Gaspard and his son reached the top, not without difficulty: the Meije was defeated. The descent was even more challenging than the ascent and they were obliged to bivouac, on the night of 16 August, on an uncomfortable ledge but managed to return to La Grave the following day.
W. A. B. Coolidge, who had hoped to be the first to climb the Meije, initially refused to believe that the relatively unknown Boileau de Castelnau had climbed it. Coolidge himself climbed the Meije by Boileau de Castelnau's route in July 1878 to confirm his account.
[Fleming](_blank)
pp. 313-316.
The Alpine career of the very young Boileau de Castelnau, interrupted by
military service
Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription).
Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require a ...
the following year, finally ended in 1879.
Post-alpine career
He subsequently devoted himself to managing his estates in
Languedoc
The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France.
Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately ...
near
Montpellier
Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...
.
He joined a foot-racing team and won the
Mile Race
The mile run (1,760 yards or exactly 1,609.344 metres) is a middle-distance foot race.
The history of the mile run event began in England, where it was used as a distance for gambling races. It survived track and field's switch to ...
in Germany. He attended the
Faculty of Medicine
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, but did not write a thesis or practice medicine. In later years he became interested in bicycling (finishing second in the Paris-
Tours
Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 ...
race of 1898), driving motorcars (befriending
Armand Peugeot
Armand Peugeot (; 18 February 1849 – 4 February 1915) was an industrialist in France, pioneer of the automobile industry and the man who transformed Peugeot into a manufacturer of bicycles and, later, of automobiles. He was accepted into the Au ...
, among other manufacturers, and finishing fifth in the first
Tour de France Automobile), and flying balloons and airplanes.
Family and death
Boileau de Castelnau was married with a son and daughter.
He died at his home in Montpellier in 1923 at the age of 65.
Ascents
![Pic de la Meije](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Pic_de_la_Meije.jpg)
* 1875 -
First ascent
In mountaineering, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books) is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain or the first to follow a particular climbing route. First mountain ascents are notable because they en ...
of the Tête des Corridors (), 21 August
* 1875 - Pic Central of the
Meije
La Meije is a mountain in the Massif des Écrins range, located at the border of the Hautes-Alpes and Isère ''départements''. It overlooks the nearby village of La Grave, a mountaineering centre and ski resort, well known for its off-piste ...
()
* 1876 - First ascent of the
Tête des Fétoules
Tête des Fétoules is a mountain in the French Alps. Located in the Massif des Écrins
The mountains of the Massif des Écrins (; Écrins Massif) form the core of Écrins National Park in Hautes-Alpes and Isère in the French Alps. , 29 August
* 1876 - First ascent of the aiguille d'Olan (), 2 September
* 1876 - First ascent of the
Tête de l'Étret, 4 September
* 1876 - First ascent of the Pic Nord des Cavales (), 10 September
* 1876 - First ascent of the Tête du Graou (), 18 September
* 1877 - First ascent of the
Dôme de Neige des Écrins (), 21 July
* 1877 - First ascent of the
Tête du Rouget (), 23 July
* 1877 - First ascent of the Petit
Pelvoux
Pelvoux (; Vivaro-Alpine: ''Pelvós'') is a former commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Vallouise-Pelvoux.
Pelvoux bid to ...
()
* 1877 - First ascent of the Grand Pic de
La Meije
La Meije is a mountain in the Massif des Écrins range, located at the border of the Hautes-Alpes and Isère ''départements''. It overlooks the nearby village of La Grave, a mountaineering centre and ski resort, well known for its off-piste ...
(), 16 August
Bibliography
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boileau de Castelnau, Emmanuel
1857 births
1923 deaths
Barons of France
French male cyclists
French male middle-distance runners
French mountain climbers
French racing drivers
Sportspeople from Montpellier
Sportspeople from Nîmes