Description of the route

The Mont Blanc range is the most famous in the Alps and the highest in Western Europe, with 40 peaks above 4,000 metres and a vast area that does not drop below 3,000 metres.

The main summit is Mont Blanc (4,810 m), marking the border between Italy and France, between the Graian and Pennine Alps. The Italian side rises as a steep wall, while the French side slopes more gently. Geologically, Mont Blanc consists of a granite core surrounded by metamorphic rocks (gneiss, micaschist, and calcareous schist). Above 3,000 metres it is covered by a permanent cap of snow and ice, feeding major glaciers such as the Miage and Brenva on the Italian side. The Col du Géant (3,359 m) is the lowest and most difficult pass.

Huge glaciers descend from the massif, dropping from 4,000 metres down to 1,300–1,400 metres, with lengths reaching 20 km. On the Italian side, the Aiguille Noire de Peuterey (3,773 m) stands out, an elegant spire along whose ridge runs one of the most famous and demanding climbing routes: the Peuterey Ridge, leading to the summit over a 6 km stretch.

Other famous peaks of the range include:

  • Dent du Géant / Dente del Gigante (4,013 m), a 160‑metre-high rock needle, first climbed in 1882 using artificial climbing techniques.
  • Grandes Jorasses, with six main summits, five of which exceed 4,000 metres, and a summit ridge extending for about one kilometre.
  • Mont Dolent (3,820 m), a pyramidal peak marking the meeting point of France, Italy and Switzerland.
  • Mont Maudit (4,468 m), the north‑eastern satellite of Mont Blanc, located approximately 1.8 kilometres from the main summit.

Groups that make up the Mont Blanc Massif

Glaciers, Trélatête, Miage, Bionnassay, Goûter, Italian Buttresses, Mont Maudit, Mont Blanc du Tacul, Tour Ronde, and Mont Blanc itself, which includes the actual summit of the mountain and the underlying faces.
This sector is naturally delimited by the high passes at the origin of the ridges radiating from the massif and is bounded by the Col du Dôme, Col de la Brenva, Col Moore, Col de Peutérey, Col Eccles, Col Emile Rey, and by the col above Punta Pfann. It also includes Mont Blanc de Courmayeur, the Grand Pilier d’Angle, and the Picco Luigi Amedeo.

The conquest of the summit

The first attempts date back to 1741, when Englishmen Pococke and Windham explored the Mer de Glace glacier. In 1761, Swiss naturalist De Saussure circumnavigated Mont Blanc and offered a reward to the first to reach the top. On 8 August 1786, Jacques Balmat and Michel Paccard completed the first ascent from the French side. The first ascent from the Italian side was accomplished in 1865 by the Englishman Moore with three companions.

Modern infrastructures

In 1957, the first cable car from La Palud to Punta Helbronner (3,462 m) and the Aiguille du Midi was completed, linking Italy to Chamonix.
Today, the modern Skyway Monte Bianco offers the same route with cutting-edge technology and breathtaking views.
On 16 July 1965, the Mont Blanc Road Tunnel (11.6 km) was inaugurated, becoming a major link between Italy and France.

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