Claude Kogan

Claude Kogan (1919–1959) was a French mountaineer who, after climbing a number of peaks in South America, turned to the Himalayas. After notable feats such as the first ascent of

Biography

Kogan was born in Paris in 1919. Born to a poor mother, she quit school at 15 and got a job as a seamstress. Her first climbing experience was in the

Media related to 1959 women-only international expedition to climb Cho Oyu at Wikimedia Commons

The expedition to Cho Oyu in 1959 was noteworthy not just because it consisted of female climbers but also because it was international: besides the French Kogan it included the British Dorothea Gravina and the Belgian Claudine van der Straten-Ponthoz. In 1954, Kogan, with Raymond Lambert, had been forced to turn back 500 meters from the summit, and she was eager to prove herself.^[2]

Kogan and van der Straten-Ponthoz and two Sherpa porters perished in an avalanche.^[1][4][5] Dorothea Gravina then took charge of the expedition.

Ascents and attempts

• Aiguille du Dru, north face, 1946^[1]
• Alpamayo, claimed first ascent, 1951
• Kitarahu, second ascent, 1951^[1]
• Salcantay, first ascent, 1952^[1]
• Nun, first ascent, 1953^[1]
• Yangra in Ganesh Himal, first ascent, 1955^[1]

See also

• List of deaths on eight-thousanders

References