First ascent
The first ascent is the first successful and documented ascent that reaches the summit of a mountain (see also first ascent ).
First ascents are noteworthy insofar as years of preparation and a thorough exploration of the area are necessary. In many cases, the first attempts at ascent fail. Due to a lack of experience with weather and terrain, the risk is also significantly higher.
The first ascent of Mont Blanc in 1786 is now regarded as the birth of modern alpinism .
The camera was quickly the most important evidence of the ascent. The summit photo is the indispensable sign of summit success. Objects left behind can also serve as evidence. So could the ice pick by Hermann Buhl , who at the summit of Nanga Parbat was left behind, found in 1999 by a Japanese expedition. Witnesses are another option .
The first ascent of Mount Everest , the conquest of the “third pole”, is of historical importance . There is still an ongoing discussion here as to whether George Mallory and Andrew Irvine did not reach the summit in 1924 . However, they did not return from this attempt. In 1999 the remains of George Mallory were discovered, but his camera was not.
In the context of the first ascent, there were always intrigues and showers. In 1906, for example, Frederick Cook claimed to have reached the summit of Denali . Only years later could photos of an expedition prove that Cook then presented a picture of a lower summit between 4000 and 5000 meters high as a photo evidence.
