Aiguille d'Argentière
3,898 m
Switzerland, France
Also known as Aiguille d’Argentière, ეგიუი-დ’არჟანტიერი, +1Also known as
Aiguille d’Argentière · ეგიუი-დ’არჟანტიერი · Эгюий-д'Аржантьер
- Elevation
- 3,898 m
- Prominence
- 470 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Apr
- Routes
- 2
Lift closedReported 4 May 2026 · until 30 Nov 2026
The Plan Joran gondola (Lognan – Grands Montets) is closed for the whole 2026 summer season for work on the new Grands Montets cable car, with no pedestrian access to the works site.
en.chamonix.comAdvisoryReported 8 Apr 2026
Spring 2026 reports describe the narrows above the Glacier du Milieu bergschrund as mixed rock, ice and hard snow, harder to climb than guidebooks suggest, with a 30 m rappel in descent (about 15 m a few years earlier).
skitour.frWorksReported 29 Apr 2026
Rebuild of the Grands Montets cable car: the Argentière–Lognan gondola was announced for summer 2026, but the section to the summit (3,300 m) is postponed to December 2027 after storm damage in 2024.
sallanches.info
Routes
2Showing West flank and north-west ridge (Whymper route): the ’s line is approximate.
Sources differ: AD- (Camptocamp) · PD (SAC, from the Cabane de Saleina side; Wikipedia)
The 1864 first-ascent line: from the Refuge d'Argentière towards the Col du Chardonnet, up the upper Chardonnet glacier to a 45° couloir onto the north-west ridge, then a steep (45–50°, often icy) slope on the north face to the west summit and an airy, corniced ridge to the top.
About 100% of this line is approximate (no mapped trail; drawn from the terrain). Check it against a map before relying on it.
Why? 4 check notes
- 100% approximate geometry
- low confidence 0.4
- Refuge d'Argentière → Aiguille d'Argentière: dem (snap_failed, 2.3 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Glacier du Chardonnet plateau, North-west ridge, West summit
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 2.3 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,139 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 3,898 m
- Time Up
- 4h 06m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 2h 35m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the Refuge d'Argentière traverse level to the foot of the Arête Straton, turn it at its lowest point and follow the route to the Col du Chardonnet as far as the plateau at about 3,050 m. Bear right onto the upper Chardonnet glacier and climb it to the bergschrund (about 3,500 m, can be awkward). Above, take the most obvious couloir (about 45° for 150 m, fairly narrow) to the north-west ridge at about 3,650 m. Follow the ridge to a rock step with unstable rock at about 3,750 m, then move onto the north face and climb a broad, steep slope (45–50° for about 100 m, unfortunately often ice) to the west summit. The aerial summit ridge, with cornices, leads to the main summit. Descend the same way or by the Glacier du Milieu. Camptocamp describes this historic line as having been superseded by the Glacier du Milieu.
Start
Refuge d'Argentière2,766 m
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Refuge d'Argentière → Aiguille d'Argentière | 2.3 | 1,139 | 6 | 4h 06m |
Waypoints
- Hut: Refuge d'Argentière2,766 m
- Summit: Aiguille d'Argentière3,898 m
Key Passages
- Bergschrund of the upper Chardonnet glacier
- 45° couloir onto the north-west ridge
- 45–50° north-face slope to the west summit
- Corniced summit ridge
Equipment
0/5 packedDownloads
Route confidence 40%Overview
A 3,898 m granite and ice peak on the France–Switzerland border at the head of the Argentière glacier basin. The normal route up the Glacier du Milieu is a PD+ snow and ice climb, now with a rock-and-ice narrows that needs a rappel, and a famous spring ski descent.
The Aiguille d'Argentière stands on the frontier ridge between the Glacier d'Argentière in France and the Saleina and Trient glaciers in Valais. Seen from the Refuge d'Argentière it is a broad, glaciated mountain with a row of granite towers on its south ridge (the Yatagan, Minaret and Casque) and the rock tower of the Flèche Rousse (3,878 m) just south-east of the main summit. Opposite rise the great north faces of the Aiguille Verte, Droites and Courtes.
The Glacier du Milieu, a steep glacier tongue between two ridges, is the usual line from France and one of the classic ski-mountaineering descents of the Chamonix valley. In summer it is a straightforward but serious glacier climb; with glacier retreat the gully near the top has become a rock-and-ice step that typically needs a 30 m rappel. From Switzerland, routes from the Cabane de Saleina and Cabane du Trient climb the north-west ridge and north side.
Access has become harder: the Grands Montets cable car, which used to make the hut a two-hour walk, has been closed since the 2018 fire, and the summer approach from Lognan crosses a crevassed glacier and ladders.
Climbing Notes
You need solid glacier skills, competence on 40–45° snow and ice, and the ability to climb and rappel a short mixed step; fitness for about 1,130 m from the hut at close to 3,900 m. Many parties hire an IFMGA guide from Chamonix or Argentière.
Typical itinerary: day one, walk from Argentière via Lognan and the Glacier d'Argentière to the Refuge d'Argentière (check whether any Grands Montets lift is running; in 2026 none reached the glacier in summer); day two, climb the Glacier du Milieu and return to the hut or the valley. The south-west aspect softens late in the morning, so the best conditions are spring (on ski) and early summer; avoid the route late in the season when the glacier is bare ice. Ask the hut or the Office de Haute Montagne in Chamonix about the narrows and the ladders before going.
The Refuge d'Argentière is staffed only from mid-June to mid-September and early March to early May; a winter room is open otherwise.
History
Edward Whymper and Anthony Adams Reilly, with the guides Michel Croz, Michel Payot and Henri Charlet, made the first ascent on 15 July 1864 by the west flank and north-west ridge, after an attempt on 6 July. The Glacier du Milieu was first descended on 14 August 1880 by Lionel Dècle and J. A. Hutchison with the guides Abraham Imseng and Laurent Lanier, and first climbed on 17 July 1895 by Victor Attinger, Auguste Dubois and the guides François Biselx and Maurice Joris. The Flèche Rousse ridge was opened on 3 August 1893 by George Henry Morse, John Herbert Wicks and Claude Wilson.
Season
Best Apr- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Good
- April: Best (best window)
- May: Good
- June: Best
- July: Good
- August: Possible
- September: Possible
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; hut unstaffed
- Feb
- Winter; hut unstaffed
- Mar
- Ski-mountaineering season; hut staffed from early March
- Apr
- Best for the ski ascent and descent of the Glacier du Milieu
- May
- Late ski season; hut staffed to early May
- Jun
- Best for the classic summer climb; hut opens mid-June
- Jul
- Narrows drying out; glacier increasingly icy
- Aug
- Often bare ice on the Glacier du Milieu; more rockfall
- Sep
- Hut closes mid-September
- Oct
- Hut unstaffed; early-winter conditions
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Refuge d'Argentière (FFCAM): book via refugedargentiere.ffcam.fr; when unstaffed, booking of the winter refuge is advised.
- Fees
- Refuge d'Argentière overnight fees
- Grands Montets lift tickets when running
- Rules
- Sleeping-bag liner obligatory at the Refuge d'Argentière; no picnic room for self-catering
- Getting There
Argentière (Chamonix)
Geneva (GVA)
- Train on the Saint-Gervais-Le Fayet – Martigny line (Mont-Blanc Express) to Argentière
- By car to the Grands Montets car park in Argentière
- Grands Montets lifts: summit section closed until December 2027 (planned); check whether the Argentière–Lognan gondola is running
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Altitude
- Avalanche
- Weather
- Cornices
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,769 m
Refuge d'ArgentièreRefugeStaffedBooking required
94 beds · Staffed early March to early May and mid-June to mid-September; winter refuge open otherwise; winter refuge with 16 places