Georges Lépineux

Born

1920-05-09

Died

2005-02-13

Birthplace

Bagnères-de-Bigorre, France

Biography

Georges Lépineux, born May 9, 1920 in Bagnères-de-Bigorre (France) and died February 13, 2005, was a French speleologist who discovered the first access shaft with Guisseppe Occhialini in 1950 to the Pierre-Saint-Martin chasm. In 1951, Georges Lépineux with Haroun Tazieff, Marcel Loubens gave new life to the Pierre-Saint-Martin massif. Lépineux, filmed by Tazieff, rappels down the well that now bears his name. At 356 meters above the floor trodden by the Basque sheep, this abyss will be recognized as the deepest on the planet. A drama will make it known to the general public. A year after the first descent, on August 14, 1952, the cable responsible for bringing it to the surface dropped 15 meters from the bottom. The fall will be fatal to the adventurer. As he fell, he broke his jaw and spine and fell into a coma. His companions, Occhialini, Labeyrie and Tazieff, in contact with the surface by means of the telephone wire passed through the cable which connects them to the surface, try to organize the rescue of the unfortunate speleologist. This chasm becomes the tomb of Marcel Loubens.