Annapurna Northwest Ridge Attempt and Tragedy. Our expedition was composed of Jean-Paul Vion, Georges Payot, Godefroy Perroux, François Marsigny, Benoît Grison, Jacques Latarjet and me as leader. Our expedition was the excuse for Maurice Herzog’s return to his Base Camp of 1950; despite his age and amputations of hands and feet, he came back on foot to the foot of the north face of Annapurna. We headed for the unclimbed northwest ridge up a 600-meter couloir. After arriving at the normal Base Camp at 4000 meters on September 13, we left on the 17th for Camp I at 5000 meters on the main north-face glacier. On September 21 we placed Camp II at the foot of the couloir which joins the northwest ridge at 6000 meters. Rope was fixed the whole length of the couloir. On September 23, Grison ascended to fix the upper third. He fell to his death probably as he descended. We gave up the expedition after getting this terrible news. We had hoped to place Camp III at the top of the couloir, Camp IV at 7500 and go for the summit from there, possibly with a bivouac.

Jérôme Greggory, Club Alpine Français