Everest Attempt and Acclimatization Experiment. An original idea I had in 1987 was able to be carried out in 1989 on the north-northeast ridge of Mount Everest thanks to a system worked out by the ARPE under the direction of Drs. Richalet and Hery. Consequently, I was able to be on the Tibetan side of Everest with Christine Janin, Fred Ancey, Michel Fauquet and Swiss Stéphane Schaffter after practicing a new kind of acclimatization. This let us omit needing a period of acclimatization and to be able to climb onto Everest without a stay at Base Camp. Before our departure, we spent a week between the summit of Mont Blanc and the Vallot Observatory with medical tests and nights on the summit and then four days in a decompression chamber at simulated altitudes between 5000 and 8000 meters. We operated under the permission of Claude Jaccoux. We left France on August 27. Our excellent physical condition and the absence of headaches let us move as follows: Base Camp, Advance Base, North Col and Camp II at 5200, 6400, 7000 and 7800 meters on September 1,3,5 and 9. Snow and wind kept us from showing the real results of our acclimatization in our four attemps to climb higher than 8000 meters. We hope to carry on these experiments again in 1990.

Eric Escoffier, Groupe de Haute Montagne