Bernard Mellet

Biography

Bernard Mellet is a French mountaineer. In 1971, he made the first ascent of the West Pillar of Makalu, reaching the summit on May 23rd alongside Yannick Seigneur. In 1979, he led the French national expedition to K2, a team composed of Maurice Barrard, Pierre Beghin, Jean-Marc Boivin, Dominique Chaix (a physician), Patrick Cordier, Jean Coudray, Xavier Fargeas, Marc Galy, Ivano Ghirardini, Thierry Leroy, Dominique Marchal, Daniel Monaci, Jean-Claude Mosca, and Yannick Seigneur. Reaching the world's second-highest peak, K2, on the Sino-Pakistani border, via its southwest ridge, the most difficult, was the goal Bernard Mellet set for himself after two years of meticulous preparation. It was the last French national expedition. A budget of $3 million, 1,400 porters, 25 tons of equipment, including 850 kg of oxygen... All financed by the remains of the Annapurna treasure and sales of Maurice Herzog's book. To conquer the 8,760 meters of this royal but still untouched route, he selected fourteen men from among the elite of the time. During the expedition, Jean-Marc Boivin took off by hang-glider from Camp IV of K2, at an altitude of 7,600 meters. This feat would ultimately be the only one of this expedition completed in bad weather, at 8,500 meters, and would lay the foundations for high-level mountaineering in the 1980s and 1990s: versatility... This expedition illustrated his role as a leader and organizer in the high mountain world. Bernard Mellet also shared his experience through the book "K2, la victoire suspendue...", published in 1980, in which he explores the challenges and issues of expedition mountaineering. His career is marked by a quest for excellence and a notable contribution to the history of French mountaineering.