Aiguille d'Argentière

Overview

Aiguille d'Argentière seen from Grands Montets (March 2001) - Photo by Rahel Maria Liu

Sunrise	Glacier du Milieu	Adenostyles	Sunset	Glacier du Milieu

The Aiguille d'Argentière (3902 m) is situated in the Mont Blanc Massif, in the North of some major peaks as the Mont Blanc and Les Droites and south-east of
Aiguille du Chardonnet.

It is a very beautiful and interesting mountain concerning its shape and with regard to the ascents.

Aiguille d'Argentière - Photo by andrea.it

According to Eberlein, there exist more than 50 ascents (although he does not name all).

Most famous are the Normal Route and the North Face ascents. But also the SW Ridge and the many ridge towers provide many interesting climbing routes. There only more in the Aiguilles of Chamonix.

First ascent: E. Whymper and A. Reilly with M. Croz, M. Payot and H. Charlet on the 15th of July 1864.

Routes Overview

Ski route W Side	North Face N Side	Y Couloir S Side	ESE & NE Ridge E Side

SW Flank - Glacier du Milieu:

steepest passage 50°, PD+, 400 hm (summit face), altogether 1200 hm, 4-5 h from Ref. d'Argentiere. (Eberlein, p. 411)

Photos by Hiltrud Liu - andrea.it



Route	Start	UpperGL	NarrowP	Summit	View

W Flank and NW Ridge - Ascent from Ref. d'Argentière:

mixed, steepest ice passage 45°, PD, 5 h (Eberlein, p. 411f.)

Photos by Hiltrud Liu - om - Tony Simkins - andrea.it - Modi



W Flank	W Side	NW R very right	NW Side	View

N Face - Ascent from the foot:

50° in the average, D, 600 hm (face), 3-6 h from the foot (Eberlein, 412)

Photos by Jeroen Vels/gabriele - schadik - gabriele - Jeroen Vels



View	Sunrise	North Wall	Climb	Ascent	Summit

NE Face - Ascent from Ref. d'Argentière:

average of steepness: 49°, steepest passage 55°, IV, mostly III, D, 700 hm (face), 4-6 h from the foot (Eberlein, 414)

Photos by noah - Huberschwiller -schadik - om



NE Ridge	View	Saleina Gl	E Side	NE Face

ESE Ridge - Ascent from Ref. d'Argentière:

III, mostly easier, ice till 50°, AD, 1000 lm, 350 hm, 5,5 h (Eberlein, p. 415)

Photos by Koen - andrea.it - schadik - pablo



Crevasses	View	Summit	Barbet F	SaleinaGl	View	Descent

Y Couloir (S Couloir) - Ascent from Ref. d'Argentière:

pure firn, 45° at 450 m, AD, 550 hm, 4,5 h (Eberlein, p. 416)

Photos by El Tigre Valderrama - Stuart Buchanan



Start	Climb	Summit	Biviing	Ascent	Summit

Jardin Ridge - Ascent from Ref. d'Argentière:

IV+, mostly IV and III, D, 900 hm, 1500 lm, 9 h (Eberlein, 416)

Photos by Hiltrud Liu - rasto krizan - ferro - Simnel - Nigel Braggins



JardinR	ArgGl	W Side	ArgGl	View

Ski Route - Glacier du Milieu

- Ascent from the Cable Car Station Grands Montets:

Photos by andrea.it



Milieu Gl	Route	Climb	Couloir	Summit	View

Getting There

You come from the Ref. d'Argentière.

In order to reach the hut, you have 3 possibilities:


From Croix de Lognan (1970 m) in 3 - 3,5 h, to Croix de Lognan with cable car from Argentière: From Croix de Lognan, you go on foot up over the morainecrest till about 2250m. Than you continue horizontally to the glacier, which you follow on the orographically left side. After about 1 km, the glacier becomes steeper and more torn. You climb onto the morain of the Rognons, first over a slippery shelf, than via a marked way which you follow until you reach the upper end of the ice break. You climb the glacier in SE direction and reach over the moraine the hut.

On foot from Argentière in 5 h: From the ground station of the cable car, you follow the wide aisle of the ski-run. You leave it at the height of about 1750m and reach the way of the middle station of the cable car (2 h). Now, you need 3 h to the hut.

From Aiguille des Grands Montets (summit station of the cable car from Argentière; last train up: 4:45 p.m.) in 2 h: From the summit station, you go via a stairway to the Col des Grandes Montets. You traverse a bergschrund (maybe with the help of a rope) and go up the steep hang to the Glacier Rognons. You go in ENE direction on the western side along P. 3000 to P. 2754m. You go down southeastern to the glacier d'Argentière, which you reach above the icebreak. From here in 2 h to the hut.

You reach Argentière by train (from Martigny/CH or Geneva or Annecy - TGV to St. Gervais), bus (from Annecy, Geneva, Grenoble, Courmayeur, Aoste and Turin) or car from Geneva or Martigny (Switzerland) via Vallorcine and the Col des Montets.

Summit View	SW Flank	N Side	W Side	E Face

Refuge d'Argentière is a modern big hut with a view directly to the northfaces on the opposite side: from Aiguille Verte to Mont Dolent. It is situated near the corner where the Glacier d'Argentière and the Glacier des Améthystes come together.

Tel: 33 (0)4 50 53 16 92 - Email: refugeargentiere@wanadoo.fr
Guarded: from the end of June to mid-September
Places number : 150

from Croix de Lognan (1970 m) in 3 - 3,5 h, to Croix de Lognan with cable car from Argentière

on foot from Argentière in 5 h

from Aiguille des Grands Montets (Summit Station of the cable car from Argentière) in 2 h

Infos

Météo France


Phone: 0033/836680274

Snowinfo: 0033/836 681 020 (only in France)


Chamonix

Meteo Italy

Courmayeur

Office de Haute Montagnes (OHM)


Phone: 0033450 532 208



Bureau des Guides in Chamonix


Phone: 0033/450530088



Chamonix

Guide Alpine Courmayeur

Società Guide Alpine Courmayeur

Courmayeur

Phone: 0033/450 53 1298 - 0033/8 36 35 35 35

0033/450530702 (Train station Chamonix)

Phone of the Montenvers-train: ++33(0)450/531254

Phone: 0033/450 53 0555 - 0033/450 53 0115

Chamonix

Courmayeur


Phone: 00390/165.846658, Fax 00390/165.842347

Map&Books

Institut Géographique National


1:25000 no. 3630 OT Chamonix - Massif du Mont Blanc



Instituto Geografico Centrale


1:25000 no. 165107 IGC Monte Bianco



www.dropbox.com


Mappa Courmayeur cartina

MapPlus by TYDAC

DAV Shop

cordee.co.uk

Hikr.org - Aiguille d'Argentière

UKC - Aiguille d'Argentière

BOOKS

Hartmut Eberlein, Mont-Blanc-Gruppe. Gebietsführer für Bergsteiger und Kletterer, 2000 or 2012, amazon.de (look at the contents Aiguille d'Argentière)

Helmut Dumler/Willi P. Burkhardt, The High Mountains of the Alps. amazon.com (look at the contents Aiguille d'Argentière)

Gaston Rébuffat: The Mont Blanc Massif. The 100 Finest Routes. London 1996. ISBN 1-898573-03-4. amazon.de or amazon.com (look at the contents)

Erich Vanis, Im steilen Eis. 80 Eiswände in den Alpen. Munich et al. 1980. ISBN 3-405-12158-2. amazon.de

Damilano/Perroux, Neige, Glace Et Mixte: Mont Blanc. Editions Ice 1996. ISBN 2950986803. UKClimbing.com

Laroche/Lelong: Die Gipfel des Montblanc. Munich 1999. ISBN 3-405-15693-9. amazon.de

Helmut Dumler/Willi P. Burkhardt, Viertausender der Alpen. 11th ed. Munich 1998. ISBN 3-7633-7427-2. amazon.de

Lindsay Griffin, Mont Blanc Massif, Vol. 2 - Published Alpine Club (2002) - ISBN 0-900523-58-1. amazon.com)

Glacier d'Argentière	View from Grands Montets	Cicerbita	Crossing the Glacier	Glacier de Saleina

Link - MountainArea

MountainArea

Images

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