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
Dom (mountain) the Festigletscher glacier towards the Festijoch pass (3,720 m). Then it follows the Hohberggletscher glacier to the summit above the north face. The Festigrat, traversed on the first ascent, is the north-western ridge going directly from the Festijoch to the summit. It is preferred by climbers who wish to avoid the long slopes of the north flank. The Mischabel Hut, on the east side below the Lenzspitze, is generally used for the ascent of lower summits in the district, such as the Nadelhorn, Lenzspitze, and other peaks on the Nadelgrat. Dom (mountain) The Dom is a mountain of the Pennine