Ice axe 1786, Jacques Balmat and Michel-Gabriel Paccard made the first ascent of Mont Blanc. Balmat, a chamois hunter and crystal collector, had experience with high mountain travel, and Paccard had made previous attempts to climb the peak. Illustrations show Balmat carrying two separate tools that would later be merged into the ice axe – an alpenstock (or baton) and a small axe that could be used to chop steps on icy slopes. According to the earliest manufacturer of ice axes, Grivel, these two tools were merged to create the first true ice axe around 1840. Early ice axes had a vertical
Jacques Viger (Member of the Assembly) His son, Jacques Viger, was the first mayor of Montreal and his nephew Louis-Michel Viger became a lawyer and also served in the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada. His nephew Denis-Benjamin later played an important role in the politics of the province. Jacques Viger (Member of the Assembly) Jacques Viger (November 23, 1735 – January 21, 1798) was a political figure in Lower Canada. He was born in Montreal on November 23, 1735, the son of the shoemaker Jacques Viger. On May 7, 1764, he married Amaranthe Prévost, the daughter of Eustache Prévost and Marie-Madeleine Sarrault. In 1796, Jacques Viger