Pierre Allain is born

On 7 January 1904, Pierre Allain, a formidable French climber and one of the finest in France during the 1930s and 1940s, was born in Paris. His main ‘playground’ was the Mont Blanc massif and the Dauphiné: he is credited with the first ascent of the north face of the Petit Dru in 1935, together with Raymond Leininger. He also a great innovator in the field of climbing equipment; he invented climbing shoes with the PA (Pierre Allain) sole, which he perfected over the years.