INNOVATION IN THE SERVICE OF EXPLORATION

First tubular carabiner.

First ascent of Annapurna, first 8000er to be climbed.

First axe with hammer and interchangeable picks: Magnone.

First ascent of Fitz Roy.

First ascent of Everest – 8848m (with Hillary).

First ascent of Huascaran – 6768m (Paragot, Seigneur, Jaccoux, Payot).

First entirely metal ice axe: Metallic 720.

First ascent of the north couloir of the Drus – (Jager).

First ascent of west pillar of Makalu – 8470m.

Mont Blanc – Grand Pilier d’Angle – north face – first direct (Cecchinel, Nominé).

First 100% asymmetric rigid crampon: Makalu.

Drus – central couloir on north face – first integral and first winter ascent (Cecchinel, Jager).

First axe with hammer and curved pick: Chacal.

Grande Rocheuse – north face – new direct route (Gabarrou, Marin).

First carabiner with monobloc gate: 3000.

Grandes Jorasses – first winter ascent of the east face – (Marmier, Rudolf).

Kangchenjunga – solo ascent of south-west face – (Beghin).

Free ascent of the American direct on the Drus – (Renaud, Profit, Escoffier, Etienne).

First crampons with tool-free adjustment: Jorasses.

Mont-Blanc - Intégrale de Peuterey - first winter and first solo ascent, 32 hours (Profit).

North face of the Grandes Jorasses – first winter ascent in 13 hours – (Escoffié).

First ergonomically shaped Zicral carabiner: Cliff.

First sit harness with ventilated heat-molded back panel.

Everest – to summit and back in 22hrs 29mins (Batard).

Christophe Profit & Pierre Beghin reach summit of K2 via NW ridge – FFME (French Rock Climbing and Mountaineering Federation) Cristal award 1991.

First grade 7 on ice – La Dame du Lac (Renaud).

Chantal Mauduit reaches summit of K2 without bottled oxygen - Cristal FFME award 1992.

First F9a - Hugh (Fred Rouhling).

Collection of climbs in the Pamir-Alai mountains by a French team from the CAF (French Alpine Club) – Piolet d’Or 1993.

François Marsigny & Andy Parkin on Cerro Torre's 'Col de l'Espérance' – Piolet d’Or award 1994.

Fred Rouhling claims first F9b (Akira).

François Marsigny & Jean–Marc Clerc link series of routes in the Dolomites – FFME Cristal award 1995.

First axe without head: Naja.

Team of young climbers from FFME on Alaska’s Mt Wake – FFME Cristal award 1996.

First (repeat?) ascent of No Siesta (Marsigny, Larios).

First carabiner with dynamic locking (patented monobloc system): Spider.

First climbing helmet with visor: Bumper.

Jérôme Thinière and team on Pakistan's Chushubalstering – FFME Cristal award 1999.

First axe with drop handle: Scud.

François Lombart becomes World Champion at the Ice World Cup.

Valery Babanov solos Meru in India – Piolet d’Or award 2001.

First curved and tapered Carving shaft: Anaconda cup.

First repeat ascent of Isis Face on Denali (Pellissier, Guy).

Valery Babanov & partner on the south pillar of Nupse – Piolet d’Or award 2003.

First belay device with integrated system for giving slack when rope under tension: Toucan.