Mont Aiguille
Mont Aiguille (left) from the north
Mont Aiguille (right) from the southwest
Mont Aiguille in Winterbdep2
The Mont Aiguille is a 2087 m high mountain in the French Alps. He is known especially for his first ascent in 1492.
Topography
The Mont Aiguille is 58 km south of Grenoble in the Vercors mountain range, a group of mountains on the edge of the Dauphiné Alps in the western Alps.
The mountain is characterized by its striking mesa -like shape. He has a narrow, flat summit plateau, which lies approximately 500 meters extends from the highest point in a southwesterly direction and has two additional side peak with 2071 m and 2024 m. Below this plateau of Mont Aiguille falls in all directions from 300 meters high steep rock walls. The tree line is around 1500 m.
Climbing history
With its steep walls of the Mont Aiguille was long considered unersteigbar and was also known under the name Mons Inaccessibilis. King Charles VIII of friendly or courtly, the bizarre shape of the mountain was described in 1492 ordered his chamberlain Antoine de Ville, to attempt an ascent. On June 26, 1492 reached de Ville and more than ten other members of the expedition, including two priests and a notary, with the help of ladders and other climbing equipment from the Col de l' Aupet ( 1627 m ) in the west of the summit. There, a mass was said and the mountain officially renamed " Aiguille -Fort ", a name, but who could not prevail. In addition, the summit crosses and a small hut were built. The expedition spent six days at the summit and settled homage in Grenoble from below by the common people and members of the specially alerted Parliament.
The first ascent is now next to the first ascent of Mont Ventoux by Francesco Petrarch as a birth of alpinism. It was described by François Rabelais in Quart Livre.
Only in 1834 was the Mont Aiguille of the shepherd Jean Liotard, a descendant of one of the first climbers, climbed for the second time.
1878 was built by the Club Alpin Français way the first Steiger partly to a fixed rope from which is still regarded as normal route to the summit. There are now on the mountain several difficult climbing routes and he has even been on skis.