Aiguilles Rouges

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Aiguilles Rouges (Red Needles) is a crystalline mountainous massif of the northern Alps, opposite the Mont Blanc massif. The name is justified by the characteristic color of the granite, which redden in the morning light. The highest peak of the massif is the aiguille du Belvédère at 2965 m. Le Brévent (2525 m) is at the southern end of the range and accessible by a cable car in two sections (Planpraz, Brévent).

[edit] Morphology

Unlike the massif of the Mount Blanc, the Aiguilles Rouges have no significant glacier. The alpine stage begins around 1800 m with rough boulders, above which a series of broken needles springs, from the col des Montets to Brévent. The northwestern part of the massif remains low in vegetation because of its weak exposure to the sun. The other face abounds in vegetation which developed thanks to a multitude of biotopes. It is possible to discover typical flora but also sundews, martagons and many orchids. In order to protect this range, the Réserve naturelle des aiguilles Rouges was created in 1974 and covers 3279 ha.

The Aiguilles Rouges offer a splendid view of all the peaks of Chamonix, the glaciers of Mont Blanc and the roof of Europe. The French painter Samivel laid down some of these splendid views of Mont Blanc. The peak of this range bears the name Belvédère ("panorama", literally "beautiful viewpoint") because it offers a 360° panoramic view of the mountains surrounding the Aiguilles Rouges; the pass between Flégère and Planpraz, at the base of the Aiguilles Rouges, is called the Grand Balcon Sud (Grand Southern Balcony).

On the eastern part of the massif, one finds many mountain lakes, of which the most remarkable is lac Blanc at the foot of the Aiguille Belvédère.

The massif shelters the principal climbing schools of Chamonix; the pinnacles of Planpraz were made universally famous by the mountaineer Gaston Rébuffat.