Makalu - Part One: The Journey to Nepal

By Esther Bordet 

@estherbordetpainting

Original photographs by Pierre Bordet and Esther Bordet

In 1954 and 1955, my great-uncle Pierre Bordet, geologist, was selected to join the French mountaineering expeditions to Makalu, the fifth highest mountain in the world. While the French alpinists successfully reached the Nepalese summit on May 15th, 1955, my great-uncle was one of the first geologists to map parts of the Himalayan mountain range. His travels to Makalu initiated over 20 years of geological research and mapping expeditions across Nepal and Afghanistan. His journal Mémoires de mon marteau (Memories of my hammer), as well as hundreds of original photographs, are part of my family legacy. These archival treasures, together with my own travel to Makalu in April 2019, inspired my first graphic novel: Makalu.

This book combines the opening chapters of the graphic novel. It provides some historical context about the 1954 and 1955 French expeditions to the Himalayas, and follows the alpinists from Europe to Nepal, in the fall of 1954. This "approach hike" is an epic adventure. I hope it will capture your interest and convince you to read the rest of the story, with an anticipated publication date in early 2025.