Mont Aiguille

Mont Aiguille
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 (el. 2085 m./6841 ft.) is a mountain in the Vercors Plateau of the French Prealps, located 58 km (36 mi) south of Grenoble. It has a flat top, on which a small plane once landed, but is surrounded by steep cliffs on all sides. 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 and other artificial aids. The ascent is described by François Rabelais in his Quart Livre. This was the first recorded climb of any technicality, and has been said to mark the beginning of mountaineering.^[1]

References

1. ^ Unsworth, Walt (1994). Hold the Heights: The Foundations of Mountaineering. Seattle: Penguin Books. pp. 19–20. 

External links

• Mont Aiguille on Peakware