Pic de Neige Cordier

Last updated
Pic de Neige Cordier

Pic de neige cordier Face E.jpg

East face, April 2008
Highest point
Elevation 3,614 m (11,857 ft)
Coordinates 44°57′22″N6°23′20″E / 44.95611°N 6.38889°E / 44.95611; 6.38889 Coordinates: 44°57′22″N6°23′20″E / 44.95611°N 6.38889°E / 44.95611; 6.38889
Geography
France relief location map.jpg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Pic de Neige Cordier
France
Location Hautes-Alpes, France
Parent range Massif des Écrins
Climbing
First ascent 3 August 1877

Pic de Neige Cordier is a mountain in the Massif des Écrins range, located in the Hautes-Alpes département of France. The mountain is named after the French alpinist Henri Cordier.

Mountain A large landform that rises fairly steeply above the surrounding land over a limited area

A mountain is a large landform that rises above the surrounding land in a limited area, usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill. Mountains are formed through tectonic forces or volcanism. These forces can locally raise the surface of the earth. Mountains erode slowly through the action of rivers, weather conditions, and glaciers. A few mountains are isolated summits, but most occur in huge mountain ranges.

Massif des Écrins mountain range

The mountains of the Massif des Écrins form the core of the Écrins National Park in France.

Mountain range A geographic area containing several geologically related mountains

A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills ranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arisen from the same cause, usually an orogeny. Mountain ranges are formed by a variety of geological processes, but most of the significant ones on Earth are the result of plate tectonics. Mountain ranges are also found on many planetary mass objects in the Solar System and are likely a feature of most terrestrial planets.

Contents

Paul Guillemin Paul Guillemin.jpg
Paul Guillemin

First ascent

The first ascent of Pic de Neige Cordier was made on 3 August 1877 by French climber Paul Guillemi along with Émile Pic and Pierre Estienne.

First ascent first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain, or specific route

In mountaineering, a first ascent is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route. First mountain ascents are notable because they entail genuine exploration, with greater risks, challenges, and recognition than climbing a route pioneered by others. The person who performs the first ascent is called the first ascensionist.

2011 accident

On 26 June 2011 a British hiker discovered the bodies of six climbers around 2,700 m (8,858 ft) while following a similar route taken by the group on the previous day. The local mayor, Xavier Cret, told the AFP news agency that the six mountaineers had been roped together in two groups and they have appeared to have died as the result of a mixed avalanche of snow and rocks. A local official stated that the victims included two men and three women between 42 and 64 and a 16-year-old boy. Police reported that the climbers appeared to have died while making an ascent in good weather. [1]

Mountaineering sport of mountain climbing

Mountaineering is the set of activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, hiking, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing and bouldering are usually considered mountaineering as well.

Avalanche sudden, drastic flow of snow down a slope

An avalanche is an event that occurs when a cohesive slab of snow lying upon a weaker layer of snow fractures and slides down a steep slope. Avalanches are typically triggered in a starting zone from a mechanical failure in the snowpack when the forces of the snow exceed its strength but sometimes only with gradual widening. After initiation, avalanches usually accelerate rapidly and grow in mass and volume as they entrain more snow. If the avalanche moves fast enough, some of the snow may mix with the air forming a powder snow avalanche, which is a type of gravity current.

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Mount Everest Earths highest mountain, part of the Himalaya between Nepal and China

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Shishapangma mountain in China

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Pierre Gaspard (mountaineer) French mountaineer and Alpine guide

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David Lama Austrian rock climber and mountaineer

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Claude Kogan (1919–1959) was a pioneering French mountaineer who, after climbing a number of peaks in South America, turned to the Himalayas. After notable feats such as the first ascent of Nun, she died in October 1959 while leading a women-only expedition to climb Cho Oyu.

2014 Mount Everest ice avalanche

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References

  1. "France: Six mountaineers die in Alps avalanche". BBC News. 26 June 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-26.