Aiguilles d'Arves
Encyclopedia
The Aiguilles d’Arves is a mountain
in the Arves massif in the French Alps
. The mountain, comprising three separate peaks (in French Aiguille), is the highest point of the massif, and is located in the department of Savoie
.
Aiguille Septentrionale, also called the Tête de Chat (Head of Cat), is further split into two subsidiary peaks, Bec Sud at 3358 metres (11,017 ft) and Bec Nord at 3364 metres (11,037 ft).
, from New York. During the 1880s he claimed a number of first ascent
s and worked extensively in the Dauphiné Alps. He first climbed L’Auguille Centrale in 1874 and in 1878 climbed L’Aiguille Meridionale.
L’Aiguille Meridionale has claimed the lives of three climbers. Both Joseph Roche in 1898 and Robert de Wyss in 1907 were killed whilst climbing without a guide. The third death was that of Raymond Bicknell on 31 July 1927 who slid in an area above a frozen waterfall and broke his skull on rocks. Following identification of the body the rope attached was cut and the body allowed to fall into the glacier.
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
in the Arves massif in the French Alps
French Alps
The French Alps are those portions of the Alps mountain range which stand within France, located in the Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions....
. The mountain, comprising three separate peaks (in French Aiguille), is the highest point of the massif, and is located in the department of Savoie
Savoie
Savoie is a French department located in the Rhône-Alpes region in the French Alps.Together with the Haute-Savoie, Savoie is one of the two departments of the historic region of Savoy that was annexed by France on June 14, 1860, following the signature of the Treaty of Turin on March 24, 1860...
.
Geography
The three separate summits which make up the Aiguilles d'Arves are described in the following table.| Name | Translation | Height | First ascent |
|---|---|---|---|
| L’Aiguille Meridionale | The Southern Needle | 3514 metres (11,529 ft) | Coolidge W. A. B. Coolidge William Augustus Brevoort Coolidge was an American historian, theologian and mountaineer.Coolidge was born in New York as the son of Frederic William Skinner Coolidge, a Boston merchant, and Elisabeth Neville Brevoort of the Netherlands. He studied history and law at St... in 1878 |
| L’Auguille Centrale | The Central Needle | 3513 metres (11,526 ft) | Coolidge on 10 July 1874 |
| L’Aiguille Septentrionale | The Northern Needle | 3364 metres (11,037 ft) | |
Aiguille Septentrionale, also called the Tête de Chat (Head of Cat), is further split into two subsidiary peaks, Bec Sud at 3358 metres (11,017 ft) and Bec Nord at 3364 metres (11,037 ft).
Ascents
The Aiguilles d’Arves was first climbed by an American, W. A. B. CoolidgeW. A. B. Coolidge
William Augustus Brevoort Coolidge was an American historian, theologian and mountaineer.Coolidge was born in New York as the son of Frederic William Skinner Coolidge, a Boston merchant, and Elisabeth Neville Brevoort of the Netherlands. He studied history and law at St...
, from New York. During the 1880s he claimed a number of first ascent
First ascent
In climbing, a first ascent is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route...
s and worked extensively in the Dauphiné Alps. He first climbed L’Auguille Centrale in 1874 and in 1878 climbed L’Aiguille Meridionale.
L’Aiguille Meridionale has claimed the lives of three climbers. Both Joseph Roche in 1898 and Robert de Wyss in 1907 were killed whilst climbing without a guide. The third death was that of Raymond Bicknell on 31 July 1927 who slid in an area above a frozen waterfall and broke his skull on rocks. Following identification of the body the rope attached was cut and the body allowed to fall into the glacier.