Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe, rising 4,807.81 m (15,774 ft) above sea level. It is the 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 de Bionnassay is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif of the Alps in France and Italy. It has been described as "one of the most attractive satellite peaks of Mont Blanc", and is located on its western side. The mountain's south and east ridges form the frontier between the two countries, and its summit is a knife-edge crest of snow and ice. Reaching it via any route provides a "splendid and serious snow and ice climb".
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. It is also the only railway in France reaching over 2,000 metres above sea level.
The Mont Blanc massif is a mountain range in the Alps, located mostly in France and Italy, but also straddling Switzerland at its northeastern end. It contains eleven major independent summits, each over 4,000 metres (13,123 ft) in height. It is named after Mont Blanc, the highest point in western Europe and the European Union. Because of its considerable overall altitude, a large proportion of the massif is covered by glaciers, which include the Mer de Glace and the Miage Glacier – the longest glaciers in France and Italy, respectively.
The Argentière Hut is a refuge in the Mont Blanc massif in the Alps. Built in 1974 by the Club Alpin Français, it is located above the north bank of the Argentière Glacier in France at an altitude of 2,691 meters above sea level.
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 Durier Hut is a mountain hut in the Mont Blanc massif of the Alps. It is located in Haute-Savoie department of France on the French/Italian border at an altitude of 3358 m.
Rifugio Elisabetta is a refuge in the Italian Alps at an altitude of 2,195 m, which provides a convenient overnight stage for walkers undertaking the Tour du Mont Blanc. It is located 3 km north-east of the Col de la Seigne, at the south-west end of the Mont Blanc massif, and provides good views of Mont Blanc and the Aiguille Noire de Peuterey. Because of its popularity, plus the fact that there are no other huts along this part of the Tour du Mont Blanc, walkers are advised to book in advance during the peak periods in July and August.
The Grands Mulets Hut is a mountain refuge in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps at an altitude of 3,051 m. It is owned by the Club Alpin Francais. The hut is located on a pyramidal rock island, at the junction of two streams of the Bossons Glacier on the north side of Mont Blanc. If the state of the glacier is not too severe, the hut is wardened in summer and can be used as an alternative route of ascent to the summit of Mont Blanc, following the original historic route by the first ascensionists. Nowadays the hut is used more frequently by ski-mountaineers in spring, or as a more sheltered and alternative route of descent from Mont Blanc than the much more popular Goûter route, though route-finding can be difficult in fog and requires prior knowledge of the crevassed state of the Bossons glacier below the hut.
The Leschaux Hut is a refuge in the Mont Blanc massif in the Alps. It is located at 2,431 m on the north side of the Glacier de Leschaux – a tributary of the Mer de Glace. It is owned by the CAF and can accommodate up to 19 people. The hut is used as a base by mountaineers climbing peaks such as Grandes Jorasses, Petites Jorasses and Mont Mallet. It is accessed by going up the Mer de Glace from Montenvers, and then up the Glacier de Leschaux. The first refuge was built in 1929. It was enlarged to 30 seats in 1934, but destroyed by an avalanche in 1954. A new hut was built in 1968 and was enlarged in 2003.
Refuge Mont-Blanc is a low-altitude refuge in the Alps in Val Veny, near Courmayeur, Italy. Despite its name, it is not used by climbers attempting to reach the summits of the Mont Blanc massif, but its location close to the valley bottom of Val Veny allows it to accommodate walkers undertaking the Tour du Mont Blanc, or winter skiers using the Courmayeur ski resort. It can be reached by car from Courmayeur.
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 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.
Val Veny is a lateral valley of the Mont Blanc massif, lying to the south-west of Courmayeur. The valley head is at the Seigne Pass.
The Gonella Hut is a high altitude mountain hut in the Aosta Valley in the Mont Blanc massif area of the Alps. It lies at an altitude of 3071 metres, above Val Veny near Courmayeur in Italy. The refuge is located on the Italian 'normal route' to Mont Blanc.
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.
The Col du Géant at 3,356 meters is the main passage of the Mont Blanc massif between Courmayeur in the Aosta Valley and Chamonix-Mont Blanc in the Arve Valley. On the French side, to the north is the Géant Glacier which overlooks the Mer de Glace.
