Aiguille d'Argentière

Overview

In memory of Rahel Maria Liu, the former maintainer of this page. Rahel died on the Innominata Spur to Mont Blanc in a snowstorm on August 24th, 2004.

Aiguille d'Argentière - a peak in the Mont Blanc Massif

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. 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.

Aiguille d'Argentière - Photo by andrea.it

Historical notes

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

Routes Overview

* Panoramic View of Aiguille d'Argentière - Glacier du Milieu - Glacier d'Argentière - Photo by Rahel Maria Liu

* ROUTES - Photos by andrea.it - gabriele/Jeroen Vels - El Tigre Valderrama - schadik

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'Argentière. (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	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	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

* Climber's Logs

Getting There

Adenostyles (Grauer Alpendost) and Cicerbita (Blue Thistle) - Photo by H. Liu

To the Aiguille d'Argentière

You come from the Ref. d'Argentière.

To 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.

You reach the Chamonix Valley by train:

From Martigny (Switzerland) via Vallorcine. From Geneva (airport) via Anncey (TGV till here) and St. Gervais.

You reach the Chamonix Valley by bus:

From/via Annecy, Geneva, Grenoble, Courmayeur, Aoste and Turin

* Ascent 1860 - Mer de Glace - Crevasse 1890 (Photos from om)

Ascent 1860

Mer de Glace

Crevasse 1890

You reach the Chamonix Valley by car:

From Geneva (from the NW) on the A40 till St. Gervais and from here on the N205. From Martigny (from the NE, Switzerland) via Vallorcine and the Col des Montets on the road no. N506.

You reach the Val Ferret (Italy) by bus or car:

From Chamonix through the Mont Blanc Tunnel from the NW. From Torino (from the SE) on the A5 via Villeneuve.

Mountainhut

* Views of Aiguille d'Argentière - Photos by barrys, Jurgen Mesman, om, schadik

Summit View	SW Flank	N Side	W Side	E Face

Refuge d'Argentière (2271 m)

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

You reach the Refuge d'Argentière:

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

View of Aiguille d'Argentière - Glacier d'Argentière (Photo by H. Liu)

WEATHER INFOS

Météo France Phone: 0033/836680274 Snowinfo: 0033/836 681 020 (only in France) Chamonix Meteo Italy Courmayeur

GENERAL INFOS

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

TRAIN CHAMONIX VALLEY

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 Ticket shop

BUS CHAMONIX VALLEY

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

CABLE CARS

Chamonix Courmayeur Phone: 00390/165.846658, Fax 00390/165.842347

CAMPINGPLACE

There are campingplaces in Chamonix and Courmayeur

Map&Books

* Sunrise ... With this beautiful panorama of all the major mountains of the Mont Blanc Group - Photo by Jurgen Mesman

Mont Blanc - Aiguille Verte - Aiguille d'Argentiére

Institut Géographique National

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

Instituto Geografico Centrale

1:25000 no. 165107 IGC Monte Bianco Mappa Courmayeur cartina DAV Shop cordee.co.uk Hikr.org - Aiguille d'Argentière 4000er Karte - www.4000er.de UKC - Aiguille d'Argentière

* Ski route Glacier de Milieu Map - Photo from andrea.it

Milieu Map

* Google Earth<> Mont Blanc Area - Photo from Antonio Giani

Mont Blanc Area

BOOKS

<>Hartmut Eberlein, Mont-Blanc-Gruppe. Gebietsführer für Bergsteiger und Kletterer, 2000 or 2012. Helmut Dumler/Willi P. Burkhardt, The High Mountains of the Alps. Gaston Rébuffat: The Mont Blanc Massif. The 100 Finest Routes. London 1996. ISBN 1-898573-03-4. Erich Vanis, Im steilen Eis. 80 Eiswände in den Alpen. Munich et al. 1980. ISBN 3-405-12158-2. 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. Helmut Dumler/Willi P. Burkhardt, Viertausender der Alpen. 11th ed. Munich 1998. ISBN 3-7633-7427-2. Lindsay Griffin, Mont Blanc Massif, Vol. 2 - Published Alpine Club (2002) - ISBN 0-900523-58-1. Rother Skitourenführer - Hartmut Eberlein, Mont Blanc, 2009 (S. 100, 104, 106)

Link MountainArea

* Argentière (JA Linck, 1830) - Photo from om

MountainArea

Bureau des Guides - France Società Guide Alpine Courmayeur - Italy

* Glacier d'Argentière - Cicerbita Alpina - Glacier d'Argentière - Glacier de Saleina - Photos by Modi, Hiltrud Liu - Andy Kennedy and noah

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

Google Map

* Google Map Mont Blanc Area

Google Map - Photo from markhallam

Images

View Aiguille d'Argentière Image Gallery - 184 Images