Jaeger-LeCoultre forges a new extreme pathThe conquest of the Antoine LeCoultre’s Peak
Under the patronage of the Grande Maison in the Vallée de Joux, the team of three mountaineers – Swiss guide Stéphane Schaffter, renowned Apa Sherpa and Little Karim Balti – have successfully scaled a Nepalese virgin summit, christened Antoine LeCoultre’s Peak.
Three exceptional Jaeger-LeCoultre timepieces have been part of the adventure: the famous 1958 Geophysic Chronometer; the Master Compressor Extreme LAB; along with a third creation to be unveiled in January 2010. Despite extremely tough weather conditions including a base camp covered with 40 cm of snow and daily avalanche risks, our adventurers have accomplished their mission by reaching this 6,589-metre peak that required an extremely delicate technical approach.
In an age where it sometimes seems everything has already been discovered, conquering a virgin summit is an endeavour comparable to the famous expeditions undertaken in the mid-20th century with the aim of climbing the world’s greatest peaks one after the other.
Stéphane Schaffter, a Swiss alpinist who has scaled the fabled Bonatti Pillar, has been accompanied by Apa Sherpa, who has 19 ascensions of Everest under his belt; as well as Little Karim, who has accompanied many great sportsmen in their over 8,000-metre high-altitude expeditions. All three men, who have displayed an indomitable spirit of adventure throughout their lives and know that limits are there to be surpassed, have naturally chosen Jaeger-LeCoultre watches as the timekeeping instruments in their daring undertaking.