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80-601: Despite a prominence of well over 300 metres, Lyskamm is sometimes considered to be part of the extended Monte Rosa group (in fact the Dufourspitze is only 107 metres higher). But visually Lyskamm is a huge massif, composed of two summits: the Eastern Lyskamm and the lower Western Lyskamm , separated by a 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) long ridge, both lying on the border between the Swiss canton of Valais (north) and

160-460: A considerable proportion is permanently glaciated or snow-covered and is exposed to extremely cold conditions. There is, however, significant variation in precipitation with altitude. For example, the village of Chamonix below Mont Blanc is at an elevation of approximately 1,030 m (3,380 ft). It receives around 1,020 mm (40 in) of annual precipitation, whilst the Col du Midi, which

240-462: A guide (or at least an experienced mountaineer), and all require proper equipment. All routes are long and arduous, involving delicate passages and the hazard of rockfall or avalanche. Climbers may also suffer altitude sickness , occasionally life-threatening, particularly if they are not properly acclimatised . A 1994 estimate suggests there had been 6,000 to 8,000 alpinist fatalities in total, more than on any other mountain. These numbers exclude

320-597: A large intrusion of granite (termed a batholith ) which was forced up through a basement layer of gneiss and mica schists during the Variscan mountain-forming event of the late Palaeozoic period. The summit of Mont Blanc is located at the point of contact of these two rock types. To the southwest, the granite contact is of a more intrusive nature, whereas to the northeast it changes to being more tectonic . The granites are mostly very-coarse grained, ranging in type from microgranites to porphyroid granites. The massif

400-691: A number of ridges that radiate afar and gradually subside into the plain of northern Italy, covering a relatively large area. There is no convenient mode of subdividing the range. However, the natural limits of the district can be defined on the north side by the two branches of the Visp torrent. Following the west branch through the Mattertal , crossing the Theodul Pass , descending by the Valtournanche to Châtillon and to Ivrea , and passing around

480-666: A second interpretation places both summits, as well as that of Mont Blanc de Courmayeur (although much less clearly in the latter case), solely within France. NATO maps take data from the Italian national mapping agency, the Istituto Geografico Militare , which is based upon past treaties in force. In 1890, Pierre Janssen , an astronomer and the director of the Meudon astrophysical observatory, considered

560-433: A whole (as well as the western summit) was first traversed three years later by Leslie Stephen , Edward N. Buxton, Jakob Anderegg and Franz Biener. The first attempt to climb the imposing north-east face was made in 1880 by the brothers Kalbermatten. They were carried down to the glacier by an avalanche but they survived the accident. On 9 August 1890, L. Norman-Neruda with guides Christian Klucker and J. Reinstadler were

640-605: Is a summer ski resort, with snow all year round due to the altitude. The Plateau Rosa is connected via aerial tramway to Cervinia and to Zermatt via the Klein Matterhorn . The western fringes of the massif reach the Zermatt ski domain. Gressoney , Champoluc , Alagna Valsesia and Macugnaga (under the east face, intensely glaciated and 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) high) are the main mountain and ski resorts that surround Monte Rosa along its southern side. Monte Rosa

720-642: Is approximately 65 hectares (160 acres) on Mont Blanc and ten hectares (25 acres) on Dôme du Goûter. In 1723, the Duke of Savoy, Victor Amadeus II , acquired the Kingdom of Sardinia . The resulting state of Sardinia was to become preeminent in the Italian unification . Citing the Treaty of Paris (1796), France claims that the historical border of Savoy and Piedmont diverged from the watershed line, fully encompassing

800-418: Is at 3,500 m (11,500 ft) above sea level, receives significantly more, totalling 3,100 mm (122 in). However, at an even higher altitude (near the summit of Mont Blanc), precipitation is considerably less, with only around 1,100 mm (43 in) recorded, despite the latter measurements being taken at the height of 4,300 m (14,100 ft). The Mont Blanc was the highest mountain of

880-470: Is being put forward as a potential World Heritage Site because of its uniqueness and cultural importance considered the birthplace and symbol of modern mountaineering. It would require the three governments of Italy, France and Switzerland to request UNESCO for it to be listed. Mont Blanc is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world. For this reason, some view it as threatened. Pro-Mont Blanc (an international collective of associations for

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960-617: Is controversial and is sometimes assigned to the Sub-Penninic nappes. Rocks in the paragneiss of the Monte Rosa Nappe record eclogite -facies metamorphism. The deformation of the Monte Rosa granites indicates a depth of subduction of about 60 km (40 mi). They were brought to the surface by tectonic uplift , which still continues today. The summit is a sharp, jagged edge of mica schist connected by an arête with

1040-458: Is greatly influenced by altitude. Being the highest part of the Alps, Mont Blanc and surrounding mountains can create their own weather patterns. Temperatures drop as the mountains gain in height, and the summit of Mont Blanc is a permanent ice cap, with temperatures around −20 °C (−4 °F). The summit is also prone to strong winds and sudden weather changes. Because of its great overall height,

1120-609: Is not technically difficult to climb, but can be quite dangerous due to its great altitude and sudden weather changes, as well as crevasses in its extensive glaciers – one of the major glaciated areas in the Alps . Many alpinists who died climbing Monte Rosa are buried in the Old Church cemetery in Macugnaga. The Monte Rosa tour can be completed by trekkers in about 10 days. The circuit follows many ancient trails that have linked

1200-523: Is the Dufourspitze . On the Swiss side the town centre of Zermatt is about 13 km (8.1 mi) north-west and 3,000 m (9,800 ft) below it. On the Italian side of the massif are located 9 km (5.6 mi) north-east Macugnaga in the Valle Anzasca ,11 km (6.8 mi) south-east-south Alagna Valsesia in the Valsesia and 13 km (8.1 mi) Gressoney-La-Trinité in

1280-594: Is the highest mountain in both Switzerland and the Pennine Alps and is also the second-highest mountain in the Alps and in Europe outside of the Caucasus . The north-west side of the central Monte Rosa massif, with its enormous ice slopes and seracs , constitutes the boundary and upper basin of the large Gorner Glacier , which descends towards Zermatt and merges with its nowadays much larger tributary,

1360-563: Is the second-most prominent mountain in Europe, after Mount Elbrus , and the 11th most prominent mountain in the world. It gives its name to the Mont Blanc massif , which straddles parts of France, Italy and Switzerland. Mont Blanc's summit lies on the watershed line between the valleys of Ferret and Veny in Italy , and the valleys of Montjoie, and Arve in France . Ownership of

1440-730: Is the highest mountain wall of the Alps. The group is on the watershed between the Rhône and Po basins and has a topographic prominence of 2,165 metres (7,103 ft) which is ranked fifth in the Alps. The Monte Rosa massif has four faces. Three are in Italy: the Liskamm heading above the Val de Gressoney; the Valsesian face above Alagna Valsesia at the upper part of the Valle della Sesia ; and

1520-470: Is tilted in a north-westerly direction and was cut by near-vertical recurrent faults lying in a north–south direction during the Variscan orogeny. Further faulting with shear zones subsequently occurred during the later Alpine orogeny . Repeated tectonic phases have caused breakup of the rock in multiple directions and in overlapping planes. Finally, past and current glaciation caused significant sculpting of

1600-542: The 2003 heatwave in Europe , a team of scientists remeasured the height on 6 and 7 September. The team was made up of the glaciologist Luc Moreau, two surveyors from the GPS Company, three people from the IGN , seven expert surveyors, four mountain guides from Chamonix and Saint-Gervais and four students from various institutes in France. This team noted that the elevation was 4,808.45 m (15,775 ft 9 in), and

1680-600: The Belvedere Glacier at its base. The southeast face, culminating at the Signalkuppe , overlooks the piedmontese Valsesia and the Val de Gressoney in the autonomous region of Aosta Valley. The mountain is mainly covered by eternal snows and glaciers, except for its summit which is a rocky ridge orientated west–east, near to and perpendicular to the main watershed between Switzerland and Italy (the river basins of

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1760-671: The Breithorn and the Matterhorn ; on the north are the Weisshorn and the Dom . The Gornergrat summit, lying 8 km (5.0 mi) on the north-west at 3,100 metres (10,200 ft), is a popular viewpoint of the massif, since it is accessible by train from Zermatt, using the highest open air railway line in Europe. The extended range of Monte Rosa, which appears to originate in the intersection of two axes of great elevation, throws out

1840-535: The Findel Glacier ) by a ridge which gradually emerges from the névé, and finally presents a rather bold front to the glaciers on either side. The highest points of this ridge, appearing insignificant by contrast with the grand objects around, is the Stockhorn (3,532 m, 11,588 ft) and the lower Gornergrat at 3,090 m (10,138 ft). On their south sides is the lower Gorner Glacier, formed by

1920-705: The Frankish Empire under Charlemagne and the highest mountain of the Holy Roman Empire until 1792. In 1760, Swiss naturalist Horace-Bénédict de Saussure began to go to Chamonix to observe Mont Blanc. He tried to summit it with the Courmayeur mountain guide Jean-Laurent Jordaney, a native of Pré-Saint-Didier , who accompanied De Saussure since 1774 on the Miage Glacier and Mont Crammont. The first recorded ascent of Mont Blanc (at

2000-579: The Gornergrat on the northwest side of the massif to see a panorama that extends over some of the highest peaks in the Alps. Although Italian rosa and French rose both mean 'pink' or 'rose', the name is unrelated to these words and is instead derived from the Franco-Provençal Valdôtain patois word rouése 'glacier'. On old maps as late as 1740, the mountain was named Monte Bosa and even Monte Biosa by

2080-676: The Grenzgletscher ( lit. 'Border Glacier'), right below the Monte Rosa Hut on the lower end of the visible western wing. The Grenzgletscher is an impressive glacier formation between the western wing of the mountain and Liskamm , a ridge on its southwestern side on the Swiss-Italian border. On the eastern side, in Italy, the mountain falls away in an almost vertical 2,400-metre-high (7,900 ft) wall of granite and ice,

2160-766: The Matter Valley . The ridge called Weissgrat connecting the Nordend with the Schwarzberghorn ( Italian : Corno Nero ) presents a wall of formidable precipices towards the east, but falls away in a gentle slope to the west. For a breadth of a few kilometres the upper snow-fields of the Weissgrat lie almost unbroken upon this slope, but as they begin to descend towards the Matter Valley they are divided into two ice streams (the upper Gorner Glacier and

2240-587: The Parrotspitze (4,432 m, 14,541 ft), the Ludwigshöhe (4,431 m, 14,537 ft) and the Vincentpiramid (4,215 m, 13,829 ft). All of them originally have German names, since even the Italian valleys used to be by German-based Walsers inhabited valleys. Several perpendicular secondary ridges are connected to the central massif dividing the glaciers that descend towards

2320-440: The Pennine Alps , on the border between Italy ( Piedmont and Aosta Valley ) and Switzerland ( Valais ). The highest peak of the massif, amongst several peaks of over 4,000 m (13,000 ft), is the Dufourspitze (4,634 m, 15,203 ft), the second highest mountain in the Alps and western Europe, after Mont Blanc . The east face of the Monte Rosa towards Italy has a height of about 2,400 metres (7,900 ft) and

2400-584: The Rhône and the Po on the Swiss and Italian side, respectively). The connecting point between them is the Grenzgipfel (English: Border Summit ) right on the border, and therefore also the highest peak on the Italian side. Thus Monte Rosa is the highest mountain in the Alps whose summit is not on the main alpine watershed , although it is off by only 150 metres (490 ft). The Silbersattel (English: Silver Saddle ) and Grenzsattel (English: Border Saddle ) are

2480-590: The Savoyard state . The 1860 act is still legally valid for both the French and Italian governments. Italy claims, that the border was moved by France in 1865, when surveys carried out by a cartographer of the French army, Captain JJ Mieulet, incorporated the summit into French territory, making the state border deviate from the watershed line, and giving rise to the differences with the maps published in Italy in

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2560-492: The landscape into its present-day form. The first systematic account of the minerals of the Mont Blanc area was published in 1873 by Venance Payot . His list, entitled "Statistique minéralogique des environs du Mt-Blanc", catalogued 90 mineral types although it also included those present only as very small components of rocks. If these are excluded, it is known today that at least 68 separate mineral species occur across

2640-431: The "father" of India's nuclear programme. In 1946, a drilling project was initiated to carve a tunnel through the mountain. The Mont Blanc tunnel would connect Chamonix , France, and Courmayeur , Italy, and become one of the major transalpine transport routes between the two countries. In 1965, the tunnel opened to vehicle traffic with a length of 11,611 metres (7.215 mi). In 1999, a transport truck caught fire in

2720-636: The Alps, including those on Mont Blanc. For example, in 2015, the Grand Mulets route, previously popular in the 20th century, was blocked by virtually impenetrable crevasse fields, and the Gouter Hut was closed by municipal decree for some days because of a very high rockfall danger, with some stranded climbers evacuated by helicopter. In 2016 a crevasse opened at high altitude, also indicating previously unobserved glacial movements. The new crevasse forms an obstacle to be scaled by climbing parties on

2800-459: The Eiffel project was abandoned. Despite this, the observatory was built in 1893. During the cold wave of January 1893, a temperature of −43 °C (−45 °F) was recorded on Mont Blanc, being the lowest ever recorded there. Levers attached to the ice supported the observatory. This worked to some extent until 1906, when the building started leaning heavily. The movement of the levers corrected

2880-630: The Gnifetti Hut (3,650 m) or from the Monte Rosa Hut (2,883 m). The route follows the route taken by the first ascensionist. The mountain is often climbed as a traverse from the Feliksjoch (West), to the Lisjoch (East) or vice versa. The traverse consists mostly of a narrow, snow-covered ridge, with some scrambling over rocks. In good conditions, this route is fairly easy and objectively safe, however in bad snow conditions and/or bad visibility,

2960-463: The Italian region of the Aosta Valley (south). The northern side of the mountain is an impressive 1,100 metres (3,600 ft) ice-covered wall, rising up from the Grenzgletscher . The gentler southern side rises only a few hundred metres above the glacier of the same name: Lysgletscher . The eastern and higher of the two peaks is 4,532 m, and was first ascended in 1861 from the Lisjoch up

3040-530: The Monte Rosa massif: Mont Blanc Mont Blanc ( BrE : / ˌ m ɒ̃ ˈ b l ɒ̃ ( k )/ ; AmE : / ˌ m ɒ n ( t ) ˈ b l ɑː ŋ k / ) is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe , and the highest mountain in Europe outside the Caucasus Mountains , rising 4,805.59 m (15,766 ft) above sea level, located on the Franco-Italian border . It

3120-536: The Nordend, but cut off from the Zumsteinspitze to the south by nearly vertical rocks about 120 m (390 ft) in height. Being the highest point in Switzerland, Monte Rosa is also one of the most extreme places. The average air pressure is about half of that of the sea level (56%) and the temperature can reach as low as −40 °C (−40 °F). Owing to the frequent prevalence of a high wind from

3200-592: The Swiss and Italian valleys for centuries. The circuit includes larch forests, alpine meadows, balcony trails and a glacial crossing. It connects seven valleys embracing different cultures: the German-speaking high Valais, the Walser German and Arpitan /French-speaking Aosta Valley , and the valleys of Lombardy and Piedmont . Usually these peaks are considered to be part of the Monte Rosa massif: Usually these glaciers are considered to be part of

3280-475: The Val de Gressoney, respectively, away from the summit. The different sides of the mountain greatly differ from each other. The Swiss west side is almost completely covered by large glaciers, tributaries of the 57 km (22 sq mi) large Gorner Glacier , descending progressively with gentle slopes and forming a large uninhabited glacial valley. The Italian east side consists of a 2,400-metre-high (7,900 ft) wall overlooking Macugnaga, whose snows feed

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3360-477: The altitude. From l' Aiguille du Midi (where the cable car stops), Mont Blanc seems quite close, being 1,000 m (3,300 ft) higher. But while the peak looks deceptively close, the La Voie des 3 Monts route (known to be more technical and challenging than other more commonly used routes) requires more ascent over two other 4,000 m (13,000 ft) mountains, Mont Blanc du Tacul and Mont Maudit , before

3440-618: The annexation of Savoy (following the French neutrality for the plebiscites held in Tuscany, Modena, Parma and Romagna to join the Kingdom of Sardinia, against the Pope's will). A demarcation agreement, signed on 7 March 1861, defined the new border. With the formation of Italy, for the first time, Mont Blanc was located on the border of France and Italy, along the old border between the department of Savoy and that of Piedmont, formerly belonging to

3520-627: The base of the mountains by Arona , along Lake Maggiore , and up the valley of the Toce , to Vogogna , then ascending by the Val Anzasca to the Monte Moro Pass, the circuit is completed by the descent through the Saastal to Stalden . Within the line so traced, exceeding 450 km (280 mi) in length, all the ranges properly belonging to this group are included. The direction of

3600-431: The biggest in Europe, overlooking Macugnaga and several smaller glaciers. Monte Rosa was studied by pioneering geologists and explorers, including Leonardo da Vinci in the late fifteenth century and Horace-Bénédict de Saussure in the late eighteenth century. Following a long series of attempts beginning in the early nineteenth century, Monte Rosa's summit, then still called Höchste Spitze ( lit. 'highest peak'),

3680-588: The border. These changes were ratified by the two countries in 2009 and will continue to be subject to change as melting continues. The entire massif consists mainly of granite and granite gneiss (a metamorphic rock with foliations). The Monte Rosa Nappe lies below the Zermatt-Saas zone and is part of the Penninic nappes in the Briançonnais microcontinent zone, although its paleographic origin

3760-456: The confluence of all the major (Gornergletscher and Grenzgletscher) and minor tributaries descending from the north, west and south sides of the central Monte Rosa massif, while on the north side the Findel Glacier descends near to the hamlet of Findeln . Monte Rosa is one of the high mountains surrounding the 40-kilometre-long (25 mi) Matter Valley south of Stalden . On the southwest to west are Liskamm , Zwillinge with Castor and Pollux,

3840-402: The construction of an observatory at the summit of Mont Blanc. Gustave Eiffel agreed to take on the project, provided he could build on a rock foundation if found at a depth of less than twelve metres (39 ft) below the ice. In 1891, the Swiss surveyor Imfeld dug two 23-metre (75 ft) horizontal tunnels twelve metres (39 ft) below the ice summit but found nothing solid. Consequently,

3920-457: The disaster. The summit of Mont Blanc is a thick, perennial ice-and-snow dome whose thickness varies. Therefore, no exact and permanent summit elevation can be determined, though accurate measurements have been made on specific dates. Its official elevation was 4,807 m (15,771 ft) for a long time. In 2002, the IGN and expert surveyors, with the aid of GPS technology, measured it to be 4,807.40 m (15,772 ft 4 in). After

4000-450: The east or north-east, and the slow pace at which it is possible to move when near the top, precautions against cold are particularly necessary when climbing Monte Rosa. The snow line is located at about 3,000 m (9,800 ft). The Monte Rosa massif is popular for mountaineering, hiking, skiing and snowboarding. It hosts several ski resorts with long pistes . Plateau Rosa , about 3,500 metres (11,500 ft) high above sea level,

4080-428: The east ridge by a 14-man team (seven Englishmen, one Scotsman, and six Swiss guides) led by J. F. Hardy and including William Edward Hall . Others in the party included A. C. Ramsey, F. Sibson, T. Rennison, J. A. Hudson, C. H. Pilkington and R. M. Stephenson. The guides were Franz Josef Lochmatter (1825-1897) of St. Niklaus in the canton Valais, J.-P. Cachet, K. Kerr, S. Zumtaugwald, P. and J.-M. Perren. The ridge as

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4160-449: The especially risky " Goûter couloir , on the normal route on Mont Blanc" and necessary rescue operations found that, between 1990 and 2011, there were 74 deaths "between the Tête Rousse refuge (3,187 m) and the Goûter refuge (3,830 m)". There were 17 more in 2012–15, none in 2016, and 11 in 2017. The recent temperature rises and heatwaves, such as those of the summers of 2015 and 2018, have significantly impacted many climbing routes across

4240-459: The fatalities of Air India Flight 245 and Air India Flight 101 , two planes that crashed into Mont Blanc. Despite unsubstantiated claims recurring in media that "some estimates put the fatality rate at an average of 100 hikers a year", actual reported annual numbers at least since the 1990s are between 10 and 20: in 2017, fourteen people died out of 20,000 summit attempts, and two remained missing; with 15 in 2018 as of August. A French study on

4320-752: The final part of the itinerary to the top shared by the popular Goûter Route and the Grand Mulets Route. In July 2014, an American entrepreneur and traveller Patrick Sweeney attempted to break the record with his nine-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter. They were caught in an avalanche , escaped death and decided not to pursue their attempt. In August 2014, an unknown Austrian climber with his 5-year-old son were intercepted by mountain gendarmes at 3,200 m (10,500 ft) and forced to turn back. On 5 August 2017, 9-year-old Hungarian twins and their mother were rescued from 3,800 m (12,500 ft) by helicopter while their father and family friend continued their summit attempt. The Mont Blanc massif

4400-425: The final section of the climb is reached. The last 1,000 m (3,300 ft) push to the summit is undertaken. Each year climbing deaths occur on Mont Blanc. On the busiest weekends, normally around August, the local rescue service performs an average of 12 missions, mostly directed to aid people in trouble on one of the normal routes of the mountain. Some routes require knowledge of high-altitude mountaineering and

4480-422: The first to reach the summit (Lyskamm East) by the north face, by what is now known as the "Norman-Neruda route". The first winter ascent of this route was made on 11 March 1956 by C. Fosson and O. Frachey. In 1907, Geoffrey Winthrop Young and his guide traversed the whole ridge two times. Young wanted to traverse the ridge from the Nordend to the Breithorn . They started from Riffelalp at midnight and finished

4560-405: The inhabitants of Val Sesia. The name Mon Boso , which appears in Leonardo da Vinci 's notebooks, very likely designated the same mountain. From Zermatt the mountain was formerly known under the name Gornerhorn ( lit. 'large/strong horn') in Walliser German , later shortened to de Gorner . In standard German, the name Gorner is still used for the western ridge protruding from

4640-563: The lean slightly, but three years later (two years after Janssen's death), a crevasse started opening under the observatory. It was abandoned. Eventually the building fell, and only the tower could be saved in extremis . The mountain was the scene of two fatal air crashes; Air India Flight 245 in 1950 and Air India Flight 101 in 1966. Both planes were approaching Geneva Airport and the pilots miscalculated their descent; 48 and 117 people, respectively, died. The passengers on flight 101 included nuclear scientist Homi J. Bhabha , known as

4720-489: The main Alpine watershed, from the Aiguille des Glaciers to Mont Dolent , where it reaches the border with Switzerland. However, its precise location near the summits of Mont Blanc and nearby Dôme du Goûter is disputed. Italian officials claim the border follows the watershed, splitting both summits between Italy and France. In contrast, French officials claim the border avoids the two summits, placing them entirely with France. The size of these two (distinct) disputed areas

4800-444: The main mass ( Gornergrat ) and the glacier that lies at its foot ( Gornergletscher ) but not used for the mountain itself anymore. Nowadays, in German, the Italian name Monte Rosa is used instead ( Monte Rosa-Gletscher , Monte Rosa-Hütte , etc.). Monte Rosa cover areas on both sides of the border between the Swiss canton of Valais and the Italian regions of Piedmont and Aosta Valley . The main summit of Monte Rosa

4880-417: The mountain itself, to the Vincent Pyramide, and thence through the range that bounds the Valle di Gressoney, nearly to Ivrea, with the transverse range lying between the Dent d'Herens and the Pizzo Bianco near Macugnaga . The minor ridges on the north side of the border are parallel to this latter range, with their corresponding depressions occupied by the glaciers of Gorner and Findelen . On clear days

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4960-437: The mountainous massif of Monte Rosa provides a striking view from the Po plain , particularly its upper reaches in western Lombardy and eastern Piedmont . It dominates the horizon , towering between other lesser Alpine peaks as a prominent, multi-pointed, razor-sharp bulge, its permanent glaciers shining under the sun. The massif is the border between Switzerland and Italy, though glacial melt has caused some alterations to

5040-452: The passes located north and south to the summit. The three main secondary summits of Monte Rosa are (from north to south): the Nordend (4,609 m, 15,121 ft; north of the Dufourspitze), the Zumsteinspitze (4,563 m, 14,970 ft; south of the Dufourspitze) and the Signalkuppe (4,554 m, 14,941 ft; Italian : Punta Gnifetti ), all of them being positioned right on the Swiss-Italian border. Other secondary summits are

5120-443: The peak had shifted to a point 75 cm (30 in) away from where it had been in 2002. After these results were published, more than 500 points were measured to assess the effects of climate change and the mountain's height fluctuations at different points. Since then, the mountain's elevation has been measured every two years. The summit was measured again in 2005, and the results were published on 16 December 2005. The height

5200-423: The protection of Mont Blanc) published in 2002 the book Le versant noir du mont Blanc (The black hillside of Mont Blanc), which exposes current and future problems in conserving the site. In 2007, Europe's two highest toilets (at 4,260 metres, 13,976 feet) were taken by helicopter to the top of Mont Blanc. They are also serviced by helicopter. They will serve 30,000 skiers and hikers annually, helping to alleviate

5280-403: The ranges and the depressions offers a marked contrast to that prevailing throughout the adjoining regions of the Alps. Unless in a small part of the Italian valleys, the direction here is either parallel or perpendicular to the meridian. Monte Rosa itself lies near the intersection of a great north and south ridge, extending from the Balfrin through the Mischabelhörner , and the highest peaks of

5360-416: The ridge can be challenging because of large, sometimes double, cornices, mainly on the southern side of the ridge. Monte Rosa Monte Rosa ( Italian: [ˈmonte ˈrɔːza] ; Lombard : Mont Roeusa [ˌmũː(t) ˈrøːza] ; French : Mont Rose [mɔ̃ ʁoz] ; Walser : de Gletscher or de Gorner ; German : Monte Rosa ) is a mountain massif in the eastern part of

5440-467: The same period. Modern Swiss mapping, published by the Federal Office of Topography , plots a region of disputed territory (statut de territoire contesté) around the summits of both Mont Blanc and the Dôme du Goûter. One of its interpretations of the French-Italian border places both summits straddling a line running directly along the geographic ridgeline (watershed) between France and Italy, thus sharing their summits equally between both states. However,

5520-405: The security bays now have live video contact to communicate with the control centre. A remote site for cargo safety inspection was created on each side: Aosta in Italy and Passy-Le Fayet in France. Here all trucks are inspected before entering the tunnel. These remote sites are also used as staging areas to control commercial traffic during peak hours. The renovated tunnel reopened three years after

5600-677: The steep, big east wall above Macugnaga in the Valle Anzasca . The Swiss north-western face has several glaciers (with one of the largest Alpine glaciers) flowing towards the Mattertal with Zermatt . Its main summit, named Dufourspitze in honor of the surveyor Guillaume-Henri Dufour and wholly located in Switzerland , culminates at 4,634 m (15,203 ft) and is followed by the five nearly equally high subsidiary summits of Dunantspitze , Grenzgipfel , Nordend , Zumsteinspitze , and Signalkuppe . Some other peaks over 4,000 m (13,000 ft), such as Piramide Vincent , Punta Giordani , and Corno Nero , are wholly in Italy. Monte Rosa

5680-529: The summit area has long been disputed between France and Italy. The Mont Blanc massif is popular for outdoor activities like hiking , climbing , trail running and winter sports like skiing , and snowboarding . The most popular climbing route to the summit of Mont Blanc is the Goûter Route , which typically takes two days. The three towns and their communes which surround Mont Blanc are Courmayeur in Aosta Valley , Italy; and Saint-Gervais-les-Bains and Chamonix in Haute-Savoie , France. The latter town

5760-678: The summit of Mont Blanc on a clear day, the Jura , the Vosges , the Black Forest , and the Massif Central mountain ranges can be seen, as well as the principal summits of the Alps. Several classic climbing routes lead to the summit of Mont Blanc: Nowadays, the summit is ascended by an average of 20,000 mountaineer tourists each year. It could be considered a technically easy yet arduous ascent for someone well-trained and acclimatised to

5840-829: The summit of Mont Blanc within Savoy and consequently, within French territory. After the Napoleonic Wars, the Congress of Vienna restored the King of Sardinia in Savoy, Nice, and Piedmont, his traditional territories, overruling the 1796 Treaty of Paris. Forty-five years later, after the Second Italian War of Independence , it was replaced by a new legal act. This act was signed in Turin on 24 March 1860 by Napoleon III and Victor Emmanuel II of Savoy , and deals with

5920-429: The time neither within Italy nor France) was on 8 August 1786 by Jacques Balmat and the doctor Michel Paccard . This climb, initiated by Horace-Bénédict de Saussure , who rewarded the successful ascent, traditionally marks the start of modern mountaineering. The first woman to reach the summit was Marie Paradis in 1808. At the scale of the Mont Blanc massif , the border between Italy and France passes along most of

6000-493: The traverse of the Monte Rosa massif at midday. But after the traverse of the Lyskamm and Castor the guide was too tired. Young, who was very disappointed, convinced him to go back by the Lisjoch before descending to Zermatt, implying a second traverse on the Lyskamm. Young even wanted to continue back to the Nordend but his guide refused to prolong the journey. The normal route starts from the Lisjoch, which can be accessed from

6080-401: The tunnel beneath the mountain. In total, 39 people were killed when the fire raged out of control. The tunnel was renovated in the aftermath to increase driver safety. Renovations include computerised detection equipment, extra security bays, a parallel escape shaft, and a fire station in the middle of the tunnel. The escape shafts also have clean air flowing through them via vents. Any people in

6160-555: The wider range of the Mont Blanc massif. Located on the watershed between the Rhône and the Po , the massif of Mont Blanc is also situated between the two different climatic regions of the northern and western Alps and that of the southern Alps. Climatic conditions on the Mer de Glace are similar to those found on the northern side of the Swiss Alps . The climate is cold and temperate ( Köppen climate classification Cfb ), and

6240-619: Was first reached in 1855 from Zermatt by a party of eight climbers led by three guides. The great east wall was first climbed in 1872, from Macugnaga. Each summer many climbers set out from the Monte Rosa Hut on the mountain's west wing for one of its summits via the normal route or for the Margherita Hut on the Signalkuppe ( Italian : Punta Gnifetti ), used as a research station. Many tourists and hikers also come to

6320-497: Was found to be 4,808.75 m (15,776 ft 9 in), 30 cm (12 in) more than the previously recorded height. The rock summit was found to be at 4,792 m (15,722 ft), some 40 m (130 ft) west of the ice-covered summit. In 2007, the summit was measured at 4,807.9 m (15,774 ft) and in 2009 at 4,807.45 m (15,772 ft). In 2013, the summit was measured at 4,810.02 m (15,781 ft) and in 2015 at 4,808.73 m (15,777 ft). From

6400-455: Was the site of the first Winter Olympics . A cable car ascends and crosses the mountain range from Courmayeur to Chamonix through the Col du Géant . The 11.6 km ( 7 + 1 ⁄ 4  mi) Mont Blanc Tunnel , constructed between 1957 and 1965, runs beneath the mountain and is a major transalpine transport route. Mont Blanc and adjacent mountains in the massif are predominately formed from

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