Jean Couzy was a French mountaineer. He studied aeronautical engineering at the École Polytechnique

École Polytechnique

The École Polytechnique is a state-run institution of higher education and research in Palaiseau, Essonne, France, near Paris. Polytechnique is renowned for its four year undergraduate/graduate Master's program...

. At age 27, he was a member of Maurice Herzog

Maurice Herzog

Maurice Herzog is a French mountaineer and sports administrator who was born in Lyon, France. He led the expedition that first climbed a peak over 8000m, Annapurna, in 1950, and reached the summit with Louis Lachenal. Upon his return, he wrote a best-selling book about the expedition...

's 1950 expedition to Annapurna

Annapurna

Annapurna is a section of the Himalayas in north-central Nepal that includes Annapurna I, thirteen additional peaks over and 16 more over ....

. Prior to this, his usual climbing partner was Marcel Schatz, another member of the expedition. Couzy made the first ascent

First ascent

In climbing, a first ascent is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route...

 of Makalu

Makalu

Makalu is the fifth highest mountain in the world at and is located southeast of Mount Everest, on the border between Nepal and China...

 with Lionel Terray

Lionel Terray

Lionel Terray was a French climber who made many first ascents, including Makalu in the Himalaya and Cerro Fitzroy in the Patagonian Andes ....

 on May 15, 1955.

In the Alps, Jean Couzy was the first to ascend the following routes:

• Aiguille de l'M near Chamonix
  Chamonix
  Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix is a commune in the Haute-Savoie département in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics, the first Winter Olympics...
  
  , a classical Severe (D) route named "la Couzy"
• An Extremely Severe (ED) route on the north-west face of the Olan
  Olan (mountain)
  The Olan is a mountain in the Massif des Écrins in the French Alps. It dominates the valleys of Valgaudemar, Valjouffrey, and Vénéon in the heart of Écrins National Park.- Climbing :...
  
  .
• The Couzy route on the North Face of the Cima Ovest, Dolomites
  Dolomites
  The Dolomites are a mountain range located in north-eastern Italy. It is a part of Southern Limestone Alps and extends from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Valley in the east. The northern and southern borders are defined by the Puster Valley and the Sugana Valley...
  
  .