Annapurna I was the first mountain above 8,000 metres to be climbed. Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal reached its 8,091-metre summit on 3 June 1950.
The ascent was made by a French expedition led by Maurice Herzog. Herzog and Lachenal climbed without modern high-altitude equipment such as lightweight synthetic clothing and advanced fixed-rope systems. Both suffered severe frostbite, and Herzog later lost fingers and toes after the expedition.
Annapurna I is part of the Annapurna massif in north-central Nepal. It is the tenth-highest mountain in the world by elevation, but its steep terrain, avalanches, and unstable weather have made it one of the most dangerous major peaks. Nanga Parbat was the first 8,000-metre mountain climbed by a soloist, while Everest was the highest mountain first climbed in 1953.