Nicolas Jaeger (20 October 1946 – 27 April 1980) was a French physician and
alpinist.
Early life
Jaeger was born on 20 October 1946 in
Boulogne-Billancourt
Boulogne-Billancourt (; often colloquially called simply Boulogne, until 1924 Boulogne-sur-Seine, ) is a wealthy and prestigious Communes of France, commune in the Parisian area, located from its Kilometre zero, centre. It is a Subprefectures in ...
, France, the son of photographer Janine Niépce. He made more than 100 solo ascents in the
Mont Blanc massif
The Mont Blanc massif (french: Massif du Mont-Blanc; it, Massiccio del Monte Bianco) is a mountain range in the Alps, located mostly in France and Italy, but also straddling Switzerland at its northeastern end. It contains eleven major indepen ...
, including more than a dozen first ascents.
Career
Jaeger became a
mountain guide in 1975. On 15 October 1978, he participated in the first French ascent of
Mount Everest
Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow heig ...
. The team leader was
Pierre Mazeaud
Pierre Mazeaud (; born 24 August 1929) is a French jurist, politician and alpinist.
In February 2004, he was appointed president of the Constitutional Council of France by President of France Jacques Chirac, replacing Yves Guéna, until he w ...
. Other team members included Jean Afanassieff and
Kurt Diemberger. Jaeger and Afanassieff were the first to climb and then ski down one of the
14 mountains on Earth higher than . From 27 July to 27 September 1979, he spent 60 days alone at altitude on
Huascarán to study the effects of "super-acclimatisation" on himself. He published an account of his experience in ''Carnets de Solitude'' the same year.
On 27 April 1980, Jaeger was seen for the last time at altitude during an attempted ascent of
Lhotse Shar
Lhotse Shar is a subsidiary mountain of Lhotse, at high. It was first climbed by Sepp Mayerl and Rolf Walter on 12 May 1970.
Climbing routes and dangers
Lhotse Shar is located far from the main summit's standard route of ascent via the South C ...
in Nepal, and is presumed dead.
First solo ascents
* 1972 – Arête Sans Nom on the
Aiguille Verte
* 1972 – North spur of
Les Droites
* 1973 – North–south traverse of the Chamonix Aiguilles
* 1975 –
Bonatti–Gobbi route on the
Grand Pilier d'Angle
The Grand Pilier d'Angle (4,243 m) is a buttress on the southern side of Mont Blanc in the Mont Blanc massif in the Aosta Valley, Italy.
The first ascent from the valley was by James Eccles with guides Michel Payot and Alphonse Payot on 30 July 1 ...
See also
*
List of 20th-century summiters of Mount Everest
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jaeger, Nicolas
1946 births
1980 deaths
Alpine guides
French mountain climbers
High-altitude medicine physicians
Lost explorers
Missing person cases in Nepal
Mountaineering deaths
Sport deaths in Nepal