A French expedition to Nepal

In 1950, Nepal had only just begun to allow foreign climbers. A French team led by Maurice Herzog set out to climb one of the world’s 8,000-metre peaks, none of which had yet been climbed.

The team included the top climbers Louis Lachenal, Lionel Terray and Gaston Rébuffat, along with a doctor, Jacques Oudot. The skilled sirdar Ang Tharkay led the Sherpa team.