Aiguille du Midi

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Aiguille du Midi
North face in winter
Elevation	3,842 metres (12,605 feet)
Location	France
Range	Mont Blanc
First ascent	August 4, 1818 by A. Malczewski, J.M. Balmat and 5 guides
Translation	Needle of Noon (French)

Aiguille du Midi is a 3842 metre rocky outcrop in the Mont Blanc mountain range in the French Alps.

The cable car, Téléphérique de l'Aiguille du Midi, was built to the summit in 1955 and held the title of the world's highest cable car for about two decades. In a spectacular ascent it is possible to travel from Chamonix up to the top of the Aiguille du Midi over 2800m vertical in just 20 minutes.

The Aiguille summit now contains a panoramic viewing platform, a cafe and a gift shop. The popular Vallée Blanche ski run begins here, and the nearby Cosmiques Refuge is the starting point for one of the routes to the Mont Blanc summit. From the Aiguille another cable car crosses the Glacier de Geant to Point Helbronner (3452m) at the Italian side of the Mont Blanc Massif. Point Helbronner is served with a cable car from Entrevés, a village near Courmayeur in the Aosta Valley (Italy).