Aiguille d'Argentière

The Aiguille d'Argentière is a 3,898-metre peak straddling the French-Swiss border in the Mont Blanc massif above Chamonix. It was an early objective of modern alpinism — the first ascent was made in 1864 by a British party led by Edward Whymper, just one year before his celebrated first ascent of the Matterhorn. Several high-alpine and rock-climbing routes lead to the summit; the standard approach via the Glacier du Milieu requires glacier travel experience and crampons. The ridge offers sweeping views over the Argentière Glacier, one of the most closely studied glaciers in the Alps and a long-running reference site for tracking alpine ice retreat since the 19th century.