Mount Foraker, South-Southeast Ridge. The south-southeast ridge of Foraker was climbed in May and June by Jean-Paul Bouquier, Gérard Créton, Jean-Marie Galmiche, Hervé Thivierge, my wife Isabelle, and I, French, and Werner Landry, American. The south face of the mountain, rising more than 10,000 feet, is divided by three ridges, of which the middle one is the longest and sharpest. It had not yet been climbed despite several attempts by American teams. Of the seven kilometers of ridge which the map shows, only the last two, from the foresummit to the summit, were technically easy. On the other hand, up to the foresummit the difficulties were sustained: difficult and very difficult rock and ice and a number of pitches of mixed and of snow which were very hard and extremely dangerous, especially on the long traverse of the Lacework. The 13,000 feet of rope which had been brought to fix were seen to be insufficient before we were beyond the middle of the ridge. We decided to bring up the rope fixed below Camp II, which became an advanced base completely cut off from below for three weeks. Thus, a total of 24,000 feet of the ridge were fixed with rope at one time or another. After the summit had been reached, the lower ropes were first replaced and then all were finally removed. We left on the mountain only a few pickets and pitons. We were dropped at our 6500-foot Base Camp on May 3, established Camp I at 8500 feet on May 8 and Camp II at 10,175 feet on May 16. After four days of storm, we placed Camp III at 12,150 feet on May 31 and a bivouac at 15,750 feet on June 3. On June 3 at 1:30 A.M. Galmiche and I reached the summit, followed at one P.M. by Créton and Thivierge. On the 4th at six A.M. Landry, Bouquier, my wife Isabelle and I stood on the top. That night, after the last of us had returned to Camp III, bad weather struck again and lasted for several days. It took us until June 14 before we had removed all our material from the mountain.

Henri Agresti, Groupe de Haute Montagne