Category: Mountain Field Guide

Tour Noir

Tour Noir Rising along the high frontier between France and Switzerland, Tour Noir is a striking dark-rock summit in the northeastern Mont Blanc massif. Positioned between Aiguille d’Argentière and Mont Dolent, the mountain forms part of a spectacular chain of glaciated peaks separating Haute-Savoie from Switzerland’s canton of Valais. At approximately 3,837 meters (12,589 feet), …

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Aiguille de Triolet

Aiguille de Triolet Rising along the border between France and Italy, Aiguille de Triolet is one of the great high-alpine summits of the eastern Mont Blanc massif. Its sharply defined ridges stand above four major glacial basins—the Argentière, Talèfre, Triolet, and Pré de Bar glaciers—placing the mountain at the center of an extraordinary landscape of …

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Aiguille d’Argentière

Aiguille d’Argentière Rising high above the great glaciers of the northern Mont Blanc massif, Aiguille d’Argentière is one of the most imposing mountains on the border between France and Switzerland. Its broad glaciated summit, steep granite ridges, dramatic north face, and the narrow Glacier du Milieu give the mountain a distinctive appearance among the sharper …

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Aiguille de Tré la Tête

Aiguille de Tré la Tête Rising near the southern end of the Mont Blanc massif, Aiguille de Tré la Tête is a complex, heavily glaciated mountain whose long crest forms part of the high terrain between France and Italy. Unlike a simple single-point summit, Tré la Tête is composed of several distinct aiguilles arranged along …

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Dent du Géant

Dent du Géant Rising like a colossal stone tooth from the high glaciers of the Mont Blanc massif, Dent du Géant is one of the most instantly recognizable mountains in the Alps. Its extraordinarily steep granite tower stands directly on the border between France and Italy, forming the western gateway to the famous Rochefort Ridge …

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Aiguille de Bionnassay

Aiguille de Bionnassay Rising immediately west of Mont Blanc, Aiguille de Bionnassay is one of the most elegant and intimidating 4,000-meter mountains in the Mont Blanc massif. Its summit is less a conventional peak than a narrow crest of snow and ice, with steep glaciated faces plunging toward France on one side and Italy on …

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Aiguille Verte

Aiguille Verte Rising above the glaciers and granite towers of the Chamonix Valley, Aiguille Verte is one of the defining mountains of the Mont Blanc massif. Its elegant, snow-covered summit rises to approximately 4,122 meters (13,524 feet), standing dramatically above the Aiguille du Dru and the great glacial basins of Argentière and Talèfre. The mountain’s …

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Dôme du Goûter

Dôme du Goûter Rising immediately northwest of Mont Blanc, Dôme du Goûter is a broad, heavily glaciated 4,000-meter summit that forms one of the most important landmarks on the normal route to the highest mountain in the Alps. Unlike the dramatic granite spires found elsewhere in the Mont Blanc massif, the Dôme appears as a …

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Mont Maudit

Mont Maudit Rising between Mont Blanc du Tacul and Mont Blanc, Mont Maudit is one of the highest and most consequential summits in the Mont Blanc massif. Its broad northern snowfields form part of the celebrated Trois Monts route to Mont Blanc, while the mountain’s southern side drops away in much steeper rock, ice, and …

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Aiguille du Midi

Aiguille du Midi Rising almost directly above Chamonix, Aiguille du Midi is one of the most recognizable peaks in the Mont Blanc massif and one of the world’s most extraordinary gateways to the high mountains. Its jagged granite summit reaches approximately 3,842 meters (12,606 feet), nearly 2,800 meters above the streets of Chamonix below. What …

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