The Aiguille Verte (; ), which is
French for "Green Needle", is a
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...
in the
Mont Blanc massif
The Mont Blanc massif (french: Massif du Mont-Blanc; it, Massiccio del Monte Bianco) is a mountain range in the Alps, located mostly in France and Italy, but also straddling Switzerland at its northeastern end. It contains eleven major indepen ...
in the
French Alps
The French Alps are the portions of the Alps mountain range that stand within France, located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions. While some of the ranges of the French Alps are entirely in France, others, such as ...
.
It was first climbed on 29 June 1865 by
Edward Whymper
Edward Whymper FRSE (27 April 184016 September 1911) was an English mountaineer, explorer, illustrator, and author best known for the first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865. Four members of his climbing party were killed during the descent. W ...
,
Christian Almer
220px, Christian Almer
Christian Almer (29 March 1826 – 17 May 1898) was a Swiss mountain guide and the first ascentionist of many prominent mountains in the western Alps during the golden and silver ages of alpinism. Almer was born and died i ...
and Franz Biner, a fortnight before the fateful first ascent of the
Matterhorn
The (, ; it, Cervino, ; french: Cervin, ; rm, Matterhorn) is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the main watershed and border between Switzerland and Italy. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the ...
. Whymper was unable to climb with his usual guide,
Michel Croz
Michel Auguste Croz (22 April 1830 in Le Tour, Chamonix valley – 14 July 1865, on the Matterhorn) was a French mountain guide and the first ascentionist of many mountains in the western Alps during the golden age of alpinism. He is chiefly reme ...
, who had to wait for a client in
Chamonix
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc ( frp, Chamôni), more commonly known as Chamonix, is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. It was the site of the first Winter Olympics in 1924. In 2019, it had ...
. As a result, Whymper hired the services of Christian Almer, who had been with
Alfred Wills
Sir Alfred Wills (11 December 1828 – 9 August 1912) was a judge of the High Court of England and Wales and a well-known mountaineer. He was the third President of the Alpine Club, from 1863 to 1865.
Early life
Wills was the second son of Wi ...
on the
Wetterhorn
The Wetterhorn (3,692 m) is a peak in the Swiss Alps towering above the village of Grindelwald. Formerly known as Hasle Jungfrau, it is one of three summits on a mountain named the "Wetterhörner", the highest of which is the Mittelhorn (3,704 ...
in 1854. Whymper describes the push for the summit:
The second ascent was by
Charles Hudson Charles Hudson may refer to:
* Sir Charles Hudson, 1st Baronet (1730–1813), English baronet
* Charles Hudson (American politician) (1795–1881), American historian and politician, Congressman in U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts
* ...
, T. S. Kennedy and Michel Croz via the Moine ridge. The first woman to climb the Aiguille Verte was
Lucy Walker in 1870. The first solo ascent of the Arête Sans Nom was accomplished by
Nicolas Jaeger
Nicolas Jaeger (20 October 1946 – 27 April 1980) was a French physician and mountaineering, alpinist.
Early life
Jaeger was born on 20 October 1946 in Boulogne-Billancourt, France, the son of photographer Janine Niépce. He made more than ...
in 1972.
Incidents
There have been a number of incidents where climbers have been killed or gone missing during climbing Aiguille Verte. The body of Patrice Hyvert, a French climber who went missing on 1 March 1982, was found on 9 July 2014.
See also
References
External links
Aiguille Verte on SummitPost.org
Gallery
File:Aiguille Verte 120 2062.JPG, The Aiguille Verte from Montagne de la Flégère
File:MassifduMont-Blanc AigVerte lesDrus depuis AigRouges Juillet2004.jpeg, The Aiguille Verte (centre) and the Aiguille du Dru
The Aiguille du Dru (also the Dru or the Drus; French, Les Drus) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps. It is situated to the east of the village of Les Praz in the Chamonix valley. "Aiguille" means "needle" in French.
The m ...
(right) from the Aiguilles Rouges
File:Aiguille Verte - P1020517.svg, The northern side of the Aiguille Verte, with the Couturier and Cordier couloirs marked
Alpine four-thousanders
Mountains of the Graian Alps
Mountains of Haute-Savoie
Mont Blanc massif
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