Mont Aiguille

Mont Aiguille
Mont Aiguille (right)
Elevation	2,085 m (6,841 ft)
Location
Mont Aiguille Isère, Rhône-Alpes,  France
Range	Vercors Plateau
Coordinates	44°50′N 05°33′E / 44.833°N 5.55°E / 44.833; 5.55Coordinates: 44°50′N 05°33′E / 44.833°N 5.55°E / 44.833; 5.55
Climbing
First ascent	1492 by Antoine de Ville
Easiest route	basic rock climb

Mont Aiguille (2,085 m (6,841 ft)) is a mountain in the Vercors Plateau of the French Prealps, located 58 km (36 mi) south of Grenoble, in the commune of Chichilianne, and the département of Isère. The mountain, known as one of the Seven Wonders of Dauphiné, is a relatively flat limestone mesa surrounded by steep cliffs which give it a clean prominence of 465 m (1,526 ft).^[1] The mountain lies within an area designated in 1985 as the Vercors Regional Natural Park. Mont Aiguille's limestone cliffs, especially on the northwest side, are popular with climbers.

Geomorphology

Mont Aiguille from le Grand Veymont

Geomorphologically, the mountain is a mesa-like outlier, that is to say, the remains of a plateau that has been otherwise eroded to leave only a single pillar of rock. This has resulted in several unique features of Mont Aiguille, including the cliffs, which are almost identical to those on the eastern edge of the Vercors Plateau such as those on the edge of the Grand Veymont, which is the highpoint of the range. Another feature resulting from this is the presence of meadows on the summit plateau, which are similar to those to the west on the rest of the Vercors plateau.

Geology

Mont Aiguille is a limestone mesa, previously connected to the main body of the high plateau of the Vercors Massif. The summit is of the Urgonian and Barremian strata, from the Cretaceous era.^[2][3] This is the same as the plateau to the west, but not as the immediate environs. The lower slopes are of the Hauterivian strata, which is older than the summit strata.^[3]

History

In the medieval period, Mont Aiguille was traditionally called "Mount Inaccessible", and typically depicted as an "inverted pyramid" or "mushroom".^[2] The mountain is most noted for its first ascent in 1492. Charles VIII ordered that the peak be climbed, so one of his servants, Antoine de Ville, made the ascent using a combination of ladders, ropes and other artificial aids.^[4] He was visited in the following days by many local members of the nobility and aristocracy.^[5] The team bivouaced on the summit for eight days, erecting small crosses and a stone shelter. The ascent is described by François Rabelais in his Quart Livre.^[5] This was the first recorded climb of any technical difficulty, and has been said to mark the beginning of mountaineering.^[6] The mountain was not climbed again until 1834, nearly 350 years later, when it was ascended by a local pastor, accompanied for one-quarter of the way by local explorers. In 1940, the top 11 m (36 ft) of the mountain collapsed, reducing the height to 2,085 m (6,841 ft). Seventeen years later, on 27 August 1957, the stunt pilot Henri Giraud landed a Piper J-3 Cub on the summit, after creating an 80 m (260 ft)-long, 20 m (66 ft)-wide runway using materials and men lifted to the summit previously by helicopters. In the following 18 years, he staged a further 51 landings on the summit before his final landing in 1975, many carrying paying passengers, and often made using skis.^[7]

Gallery

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mont Aiguille

External links

• Mont Aiguille on Peakware

References