Aiguille Verte
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Aiguille Verte

Height:  13,523 feet (4,122 meters)
Location:  Haute-Savoie (Mont Blanc), France, Europe
Lat/Lon:  45.98°N, 6.43°E
 
Last update: April 15th, 2002
   © Copyright by Rahel Maria Liu


  Aiguille Verte

Aiguille Verte from the South
 (Picture credit to: © Jean-Marie Malherbe )
Overview
The Aiguille Verte is one of the most prominant mountains of the Mont-Blanc range. It is very visible from Argentière.

Besides Mont Blanc and Grandes Jorasses, Aiguille Verte is one of the most beautiful mountains of the Mont Blanc Massif - because of the huge rigdes. Eberlein calls it even the most beautiful mountain of the Alps at all (Eberlein, 357). Besides the famous Couloirs (NE and NW), the big ridges are interesting for climbers. The most beautiful routes is probably the traverse Sans-Nom - Jardinridge. Even the Moineridge (SW-ridge) is not easy. Therefore the Aiguille Verte is the most difficult 4000m peak of the Alps.

First ascent: E. Whymper with Ch. Almer and F. Biner on 29. June 1865.
Routes Overview

1. Whympercouloir: 48° in the average, till 55°, 530 hm, AD, 3-6 h (Eberlein, p. 357f.)

2. Moineridge (Southwest-Ridge): III and II, AD, 500 hm, 6-7 h (Eberlein, p. 359f.)

3. Couloir en Y (Southwestface): IV, mostly easier, ice about 50°, D, 700 hm, 6 h (Eberlein, p. 360)

4. Sans-Nom-Ridge: IV+ (1passage), mostly IV and III, D+, 950 hm, 10-15 h (Eberlein, p. 361)

5. Nant-Blank-Flank (Charletroute 1935): IV, mostly III, mixed, ice till 58°, average 52°, D+, 900 hm (face), 7-12 h (Eberlein, 363)

6. Grands-Montet-Ridge: IV+, mostly III and IV, ice till 50°, D, 900 hm (ridge), 10-12 h from Col des Grands Montets (Eberlein, p. 364)

7. Northeastface:
a) Cordiercouloir: 55° average, D+, 1000 hm, 7-10 h (Eberlein, p. 367)
b) Contamineroute: V, mostly IV, ice till 50°, TD-, altogether 1050 hm (face), 600 hm rock climbing and mixed, 450 hm ice, 8-10 h (Eberlein, p. 367)
c) Couloir Couturier: 55° at 300 m, average: 49°, D-, 900 hm (face), 4-8 h (Eberlein, p. 369)

8. Jardinridge (E-ridge): IV (2 passages), mostly III and II, D-, 450 hm till Aig. Jardin; from here 300 hm, 8-10 h (Eberlein, p. 371)

9. Traverse Aiguille du Dru - Aiguille Verte: IV+, mostly IV and III, D+, 2 days (Eberlein, p. 372)
Getting There

1. To the Aiguille Verte
  • a. You can come from the Ref. d'Argentiere.
  • b. You can come from the Ref. de Couvercle. 
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2. To the Ref. d'Argentiere
  • In order to reach the hut, you have 3 possibilities:
  • a. 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 with SE-direction and reach over the moraine the hut.
  • b. 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.
  • c. 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 with 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. 
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3. To the Ref. de Couvercle
  • a. You reach the hut from Montenvers in 3,5 h over the glacier. From Montenvers to the starting point of the hiking way to the Ref. d'Envers des Aiguilles: You have to follow the way with direction to Les Echelles which goes slightly down to the western side of the Mer de Glace. But before you enter the Glacier, you have to follow the way on the western side of the glacier for about 20 min. Now you have to go up the glacier first more on the western side, then just through the middle with SE direction to Les Moulins. Now you do not follow the marking signs to the moraines but continue with S and then E direction to the steep passages at Les Egralets (partly a little bit like a way). You go the steep passages up and via a good way through grass hangs to a moraine, from which you reach the hut soon.
  • b. You can reach the hut via a new climbing track below the Flammes de Pierre and the ends of the Aig. du Moine to the Ref. du Couvercle. But because of ice avalanches, some passages of this route have become very dangerous. You have to ask for the actual conditions. 3,5 h from Montenvers to Couvercle.
  • To Montenvers:
  • a. With the special Montenvers-train from Chamonix. The train goes the whole year except from the middle of November till the middle of December. The first train starts during the season often not before 8 a.m., the last train down not after 6.30 p.m.
  • b. Or on foot from Chamonix on the marked way via Biollay in 2,5 h. 
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4. You reach the Chamonix Valley by train :
  • a. From Martigny (Switzerland) via Vallorcine.
  • b. From Geneva (airport) via Anncey (TGV till here) and St. Gervais.
5. You reach the Chamonix Valley by bus :
  • From/via Annecy, Geneva, Grenoble, Courmayeur, Aoste and Turin
6. You reach the Chamonix Valley by car :
  • a. From Geneva (from the NW) on the A40 till St. Gervais and from here on the N205.

  • b. From Martigny (from the NE, Switzerland) via Vallorcine and the Col des Montets on the road no. N506.
7. You reach the Val Ferret (Italy) by bus or car:
  • a. From Chamonix through the Mont Blanc Tunnel from the NW.
  • b. From Torino (from the SE) on the A5 via Villeneuve.
When To Climb
  • It depends on your capabilities ... (summer and winter).

    		•
    Camping and/or Accomodation
  • There is a campingplace in Chamonix .

    • Mountainhuts

    1.     Ref. d'Argentière (2771m):

    The Ref. 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.
      according to Eberlein :
    • 120 beds
    • serviced from 15. March to 15. September
    • winter room with 35 beds
    • phone: +33-450 531692
    • Email: refugeargentiere@wanadoo.fr
    • internet: Ref. d'Argentière
    • to the Ref. d'Argentière :
    • a. from Croix de Lognan (1970 m) in 3 - 3,5 h, to Croix de Lognan with cable car from Argentière
    • b. on foot from Argentière in 5 h
    • c. from Aiguille des Grands Montets (summit station of the cable car from Argentière) in 2 h
    2. Ref. du Couvercle (2687m):

    The Ref. du Couvercle is situated very nicely in the region of the Aiguille du Moine. It is visited frequently. Instead of the old hut, a new big house was built in 1952.
      according to Eberlein :
    • 137 beds
    • serviced during the season
    • phone: +33-450 531694
    • internet: Ref. du Couvercle
    • ascent to the hut from Montenvers in 3,5 h via moraines or via the Balcon du Mer de Glace in 3,5 h

    Mountain Conditions and General Information

    1. WEATHER INFOS:
     2. GENERAL INFOS:
     3. TRAIN (CHAMONIX VALLEY):
    4. BUS (CHAMONIX VALLEY):
    Maps

  • Institut Géographique National 
    		•
    Books
  • Damilano/Perroux, Neige, Glace Et Mixte: Mont Blanc.Editions Ice 1996.
    ISBN 2950986803
    (to order at cordee.co.uk )
  • Helmut Dumler/Willi P. Burkhardt, Viertausender der Alpen. 11th ed. Munich 1998.
    ISBN 3-7633-7427-2
    (to order at amazon.de )
  • Helmut Dumler/Willi P. Burkhardt, The High Mountains of the Alps.
    (to order at amazon.com )
    •
  • Hartmut Eberlein: Mont-Blanc-Gruppe. DAV-Gebietsführer. 9th ed. Munich 2000.
    ISBN 3-7633-2414-3
    (to order at amazon.de)
  • Laroche/Lelong: Die Gipfel des Montblanc. Munich 1999.
    ISBN 3-405-15693-9
    (to order at amazon.de)
  • Gaston Rébuffat: The Mont Blanc Massif. The 100 Finest Routes. London 1996
    ISBN 1-898573-03-4
    (to order at amazon.de or at amazon.com )
  • Erich Vanis, Im steilen Eis. 80 Eiswände in den Alpen. Munich et al. 1980.
    ISBN 3-405-12158-2
    (to order at http://www.online-buchvertrieb.de/blv/html/3-405-12158-2-152.htm )


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