Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe, rising 4,808 m (15,774 ft) above sea level. It is the second-highest and second most prominent mountain in Europe, after Mount Elbrus, and it is the eleventh most prominent mountain summit in the world. The mountain stands between the regions of Aosta Valley, Italy, and Savoie and Haute-Savoie, France. It gives its name to the Mont Blanc massif, which itself forms part of a larger range referred to as the Graian Alps. The location of the summit of Mont Blanc is on the watershed line between the valleys of Ferret and Veny in Italy and the valleys of Montjoie, and Arve in France, on the border between the two countries. Ownership of the summit area has long been a subject of historical dispute between the two countries.
The Aiguille du Midi is a 3,842-metre-tall (12,605 ft) mountain in the Mont Blanc massif within the French Alps. It is a popular tourist destination and can be directly accessed by cable car from Chamonix that takes visitors close to Mont Blanc.
The Mont Blanc Tramway or Tramway du Mont-Blanc (TMB) is a mountain railway line in the Haute-Savoie department of France. It is the highest in France and the fourth highest in Europe.
The Montenvers Railway or Chemin de fer du Montenvers is a rack railway line in the Haute-Savoie department of France. The line runs from a connection with the SNCF, in Chamonix, to the Hotel de Montenvers station, at the Mer de Glace, at an altitude of 1,913 m (6,276 ft).
Courmayeur is a town and comune in northern Italy, in the autonomous region of Aosta Valley.
Le Havre tramway is a modern two-line tram system in the city of Le Havre in Normandy, France. The modern tramway opened on 12 December 2012.
The Nice tramway is a 27.5-kilometre (17.1 mi), triple-line tramway in the city of Nice in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France. It is operated by the Société nouvelle des transports de l'agglomération niçoise division of Transdev under the name Lignes d'azur.
Saint-Gervais-les-Bains is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. The village is best known for tourism and has been a popular holiday destination since the early 1900s. It has 445 km of pistes, the third largest domain exclusively in France, and is one of the least busy ski areas of its size. In 1892, two hundred people were killed when a water pocket in a glacier above the town suddenly burst open and caused flooding.
The Strasbourg tramway, run by the CTS, is a network of six tramlines, A, B, C, D, E and F that operate in the city of Strasbourg in Alsace, France, and Kehl in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The first tramline in Strasbourg, which was originally horse-drawn, opened in 1878. After 1894, when an electric-powered tram system was introduced, a widespread network of tramways was built, including several longer-distance lines on both sides of the Rhine.
The Lyon tramway comprises seven lines, six lines operated by TCL and one by Rhônexpress in the city of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France. The original tramway network in Lyon was developed in 1879, and the modern network was built in 2001.
Daigle or D'Aigle is a modification of the French surname Daigre. The first appearance of the last-name Daigle in the Americas was in Beaubassin, Nova Scotia in 1727. The last name Daigre originated in France and is likely the surname of peoples migrating from Aigre, France to New France in the Americas during the 16th and 17th centuries. Olivier Daigre (Daigle) is the first Daigre to appear on record in Nova Scotia when he arrived in 1663, and in 1666 when he married Marie Gaudet, daughter of Denis G. and Martine Gauthier. Olivier and Marie had 10 children, including two sons who all lived in the Port Royal and Grand Pre areas of Nova Scotia for three generations until the expulsion of Acadians from Canada by England.
The Cosmiques Hut is a mountain hut in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps at an altitude of 3,613 m. It is a large structure capable of accommodating 148 mountaineers. It was constructed in 1990 on a rock promontory situated between the Col du Midi and the base of the Cosmiques Arête which descends southwards from the Aiguille du Midi. It gives access to a number of classic alpine mountaineering routes, and has proved to be extremely popular with mountaineers, so much so that in the summer months prior booking a few days beforehand is essential in order to secure a bed. The Hut is wardened between mid-February and mid-October. In winter the nearby Abri Simond Hut is left unlocked, although this has no cooking facilities, heating or water.
The Quintino Sella Hut is a very remote bivouac hut in the Mont Blanc massif of the Alps in Aosta Valley, Italy. Built in the 1920s, it is perched on rocks on the south-western flank of the Rocher du Mont Blanc at an altitude of 3,396 m. It is owned by the CAI and can accommodate up to sixteen people with bunk and blankets provided, but no stove or warden.
The Torino Hut is a high mountain refuge in the Alps in northwestern Italy. Located near the border with France, it is about 15 km (10 mi) southwest of Mont Dolent, the tripoint with Switzerland. The refuge is in the Mont Blanc massif above the town of Courmayeur in the Aosta Valley, Italy. It can be most easily accessed from the Italian side by the Skyway Monte Bianco cable car from La Palud in Courmayeur, with a change at the Pavilion du Mont Fréty. It can also be reached from Chamonix via the Aiguille du Midi, either by cable car which crosses the massif, or by a long crossing of the Glacier du Gèant. The refuge lies nearly directly above the 11.6 km (7.2 mi) Mont Blanc Tunnel, which passes deep underground, and connects Courmayer to Chamonix.
The Tête Rousse Hut is a mountain hut in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps. It is located beside the Tête Rousse Glacier at an altitude of 3,167 m. Owned by the Club Alpin Francais (CAF), it is normally reached after an approximately two hour climb from Nid d'Aigle, the highest stop on the Mont Blanc Tramway. It is commonly used by mountaineers attempting to climb the 'normal route' on the French side to the summit of Mont Blanc. Staying here, rather than continuing to the higher Goûter Hut adds an extra 2–3 hours to the ascent of Mont Blanc, but is less cramped than the latter and also avoids having to climb the dangerous 'Grand Couloir' later in the day when the risk of injury from stonefall is at its greatest.
The Vallot Hut is a refuge in the Mont Blanc massif on the upper slopes of Mont Blanc in the Alps. It is located below the Bosses Ridge between the Dome du Gouter and Mont Blanc summit, at an altitude of 4,362 metres. Intended only as an emergency shelter, and not as a base for ascending Mont Blanc, this unheated duralumin box was designed to accommodate up to 12 people, but often contains considerably more.
The Tête Rousse Glacier is a small but significant glacier located in the Mont Blanc massif within the French Alps whose collapse in 1892 killed 200 people in the town of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains.
Saint-Gervais-les-Bains-Le Fayet is a railway station serving the town Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, Haute-Savoie department, southeastern France. It is the southeastern terminus of the railway from La Roche-sur-Foron, the southwestern terminus of the Saint-Gervais–Vallorcine railway and the western terminus of the Mont Blanc Tramway. It is expected to be the terminus for one of the lines of Léman Express, a suburban rail network for the Grand Genève, when it opens in 2019.
The Goûter Hut, is a mountain refuge in the French department of Haute-Savoie. It is located at a height of 3,835 metres (12,582 ft) on the Arete du Goûter in the municipality of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains. It overlooks the Glacier de Bionnassay, and is the highest wardened mountain hut in France.
The Goûter Route is one of the two normal mountaineering routes used to reach the summit of Mont Blanc in the Alps, ascending to a height of 4,808 metres (15,774 ft). The route lies on the north side of the mountain, in France. Usually reckoned as the easiest route up Mont Blanc, it is extremely popular with mountaineers, seeing thousands of ascents per year.
