It all started so well. On October 6, the trio of Léo Billon, Nicolas Jean and Benjamin Védrines set off to climb the north face of Jannu Est, 7468 m, in Nepal, alpine style. After a bivouac in the middle of the face, the second day proved to be a tough one – too tough for the ailing Léo Billon. The team turned back and, by an incredible coincidence, were joined by Sam Hennessey, one of the two Americans who had also attempted the North Face. His friend Mike Gardner has disappeared into the void, victim of a fatal fall. Sam, on the other hand, was in one piece: the French rope party brought him back. No Jannu, but one more rescue for Benjamin Védrines, who recounts his memorable last hours.
Benjamin Védrines: It’s Tuesday, October 8, at the Jannu base camp. The weather is fine today. The summit taunts us. There’s been the hurricane, there’s been a lot of ups and downs, and this time it’s the human element that’s failed us. We made an attempt over two days, Sunday and Monday. We were very optimistic about our acclimatization, which we couldn’t have done much better given the weather we were offered. We set off hoping to reach the summit in three days, then come back down before the strong winds and jet stream that are due to arrive.
The start
We got up at 1:30 a.m. and set off at around 2:20 a.m., taking around 3 hours to