Photo : Bdenis / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Le Mont Aiguille
Mont Aiguille rises to 2,087 metres in the Vercors, in the commune of Chichilianne, in Isère. It is a butte témoin: an isolated block that erosion detached from the rest of the plateau. Its flat summit is protected by a layer of hard limestone, while softer marl layers at its base have been carried away, leaving vertical cliffs.
It is one of the seven wonders of the Dauphiné and in the Middle Ages fed legends that described it as an inaccessible Eden, where mysterious white linens could be seen (in fact remains of spring snow).
Its first ascent took place on 26 June 1492: Antoine de Ville, accompanied by seven companions, reached the summit on the king's orders. This feat is often considered the birth of mountaineering. Several routes now lead to the summit, from the normal route, not very difficult, on the north-west face, to routes graded TD to TD+. For most visitors, the simplest is to walk round it and admire it from the surrounding paths.
