Mont Blanc is one of the world’s deadliest mountains, and today, Google’s Doodle celebrates the first ascent

Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Western Europe, reaches over 15,770 feet with magnificent valleys of its massif stretching into France, Italy, and Switzerland.
[National Geographic / Adventures]

There’s a reason that August 8, 1786, is worth remembering. Mont Blanc’s peaks are some of the deadliest in the world, but two mountaineers, Jacques Balmat and Michel Paccard, tackled them anyway.
[Vox / Phil Edwards]

Now, 229 years after the pair reached the summit, unofficially sparking modern mountaineering, the accomplishment is being celebrated in the August 8 Google Doodle.
[Heavy / Laura Amato]

Indeed, many guiding companies describe Mont Blanc as more of a “long walk” than any kind of challenging climb, although it does require crampons and ice axes to summit.
[The Atlantic / Lane Wallace]

Above image: Mont Blanc or Monte Bianco is the highest mountain in Western Europe. This mountain has a height of about 4,810 meters (15,780 feet).
Credit: Google