Mont-Blanc is the highest peak in the Alps and in Western Europe. Its elevation is around 4807 to 4810 meters depending on the snowpack and snowdrift. It was first climbed in 1786 by Jacques Balmat and Michel Paccard. A touchy issue between France and Italy is the exact location of the border. Between the two countries, the ridgeline (which is a line formed along the highest points of a mountain ridge) of the Mont-Blanc massif separates the two countries but the Mont-Blanc summit is included entirely in France on French maps. Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France and Courmayeur, Aosta Valley, Italy.
Southwestern rocky side of the Mont-Blanc Massif with (left to right) Aiguille du Goûter (3863m), Dôme du Goûter (4304m), and Mont-Blanc (4810m). Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
Mont Maudit (elevation: 4465m), in the lower right the two buildings are the historic Vallot Observatory (4350m), it is a research center and the Vallot Hut (4362m), it is an emergency shelter for mountaineers on the way to the summit of Mont-Blanc. Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
Mont-Blanc du Tacul (4248m) in the foreground with, in the distance, Mont-Blanc (tallest at 4810m) and to its right, Dôme du Goûter (4304m). Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
Mont Blanc du Tacul (4248m) viewed from the southeast. Aiguille du Midi (3842m) in the distance on the right. Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
Aiguille du Goûter (elevation: 3863m) and the Goûter Hut. The new futuristic ovoid Goûter Hut was opened in 2013. It is the highest mountain hut in France, and a most welcomed respite for mountaineers on the way to the summit of Mont-Blanc. Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
The Grands Mulets Hut (elevation: 3051 meters) is located on a rocky islet on a sea of ice. Reaching it involves climbing on a very treacherous terrain of deep crevasses. The Glacier des Bossons, which surrounds completely the mountain hut is one of the tallest glacier in the world starting from just below the summit of Mont-Blanc (4810m) and ending, in 2024, at an elevation of 1600 meters. Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
The Grandes Jorasses. Chamonix, France and Courmayeur, Italy.
The Grandes Jorasses summit (elevation: 4208m at Pointe Walker). For alpinists in search of a challenge, the north face of The Grandes Jorasses will provide. It is one of the three toughest north face climbs in the Alps, the other two are the Eiger and the Matterhorn. Its north face (in the shade) is in France whereas the sunny side is in Italy. In the distance, 68km away is Monte Rosa, the Alps' second highest summit with an elevation of elevation of 4634 meters. Chamonix, France and Courmayeur, Italy.
A little bit of Antartica in the heart of Europe. The Géant Glacier starts around Mont-Blanc du Tacul, its compacted snow feeds into the Mer de Glace making a combined length of 12km, it is the longest glacier in France. Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
Of all the iconic peaks of the Mont-Blanc Massif, the Dent du Géant (elevation: 4013m, height above its base: 160m) is the most distinctive due to its sheer height and its striking overhang. Chamonix, France and Courmayeur, Italy.
Dent du Géant (elevation: 4013 meters) casting its morning shadow on the eponymous Glacier. On the right, the Aiguille du Midi (elevation: 3842 meters) overlooking the famed Vallée Blanche. Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
Viewed from the east, the iconic Dent du Géant does not appear slanted which is its famous trademark. On the top, 3 climbers barely visible give a sense of scale to this incredible granite peak. Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
Les Drus (elevation: 3754 meters) in the morning light casting its long westerly shadow towards Les Praz (elevation: 1060 meters), a hamlet in the Chamonix Valley. This vertiginous granite peak was first climbed by a party of British alpinists in 1878. Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
Les Aiguilles de Chamonix are a spectacular range of numerous jagged peaks stretching for over 5 kilometers, reaching heights up to 3842 meters at the Aiguille du Midi. Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
The Mont-Blanc massif is a wonderful playground for many thrill seakers; not just rock climbers but extreme skiers, speed riders, wingsuit flyers, paragliders, and so on. It is one of the most visited natural site in the world. Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
Summit of Aiguille du Midi (3842m) and its unrivaled, breathtaking view of Mont-Blanc (elevation: 4810m). Luckily, this amazing view does not require anyone to be an expert at rock climbing. A cable car can whisk 75 people in about 20 minutes from Chamonix (1035m) to the chilly thin rarefied air at nearly 4-kilometer-high. From such great heights, a viewer can contemplate the Bossons Glacier's toe a dizzying 2.4 kilometers below him. Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
The Aiguille du Midi overlooking the famed Vallée Blanche to the east. This incredible view has been easily accessible from Chamonix (1035m) by means of an aerial cable-car as early as 1955. In 1957, a new aerial cable-car was built to "fly" above the Vallée Blanche from Aiguille du Midi to Gros Rognon (the rocky islet in the lower left) with a second section from Gros Rognon to Pointe Helbronner (3462m) in Italy. Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
The Aiguille du Midi (elevation: 3842m) with, on its east facing slope, the famed Vallée Blanche. In the winter months, Vallée Blanche offers one of most attractive backcountry skiing in a grandiose landscape. From the Aiguille du Midi, skiers can reach Montenvers (elevation: 1930m) or even Chamonix (elevation: 1035m) depending on the snowpack, in one of the most spectacular scenery in the entire Alps. This ski run is on a glacier which is not groomed or patrolled, it is not technically difficult but dangerous because of hidden crevasses. Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.