Michel-Gabriel Paccard 1784, he made several attempts with Jacques Balmat before they made the first ascent of Mont Blanc together on 8 August 1786. Balmat and Paccard's ascent of Mont Blanc was a major accomplishment in the early history of mountaineering. C. Douglas Milner wrote "The ascent itself was magnificent; an amazing feat of endurance and sustained courage, carried through by these two men only, unroped and without ice axes, heavily burdened with scientific equipment and with long iron-pointed batons. The fortunate weather and a moon alone ensured their return alive." Eric Shipton wrote "Theirs was an astounding achievement of courage and
The Night Climbers of Oxford The Night Climbers of Oxford The Night Climbers of Oxford is a secret society, dedicated to nocturnally scaling College and town Buildings in Oxford, England. The society is particularly renowned for its political activism, controversial acts ,and urban exploration. The society was likely inspired by their Cambridge counterparts, The Night Climbers of Cambridge Their activities are forbidden by the University authorities, meaning that acts are completed under the cover of darkness, to avoid detection. Acts of nocturnal climbing in Oxford are reported to date back as early as the 1930's, with members of the Alpine Club and Oxford University Mountaineering