Aiguille Verte

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Aiguille Verte
The Aiguille Verte (centre) and the Aiguille d'Argentière (far left)
Elevation	4,122 metres (13,524 ft)
Location	France
Range	Graian Alps
Prominence	689 m (2,260 ft)
Coordinates	45°56′9″N, 6°58′10″E
First ascent	29 June 1865 by Edward Whymper, Christian Almer and Franz Biner
Translation	Green needle (French)

The Aiguille Verte (4,122 m) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc Massif in the French Alps.

It was first climbed on 29 June 1865 by Edward Whymper, Christian Almer and Franz Biner, a fortnight before the fateful first ascent of the Matterhorn. Whymper was unable to climb with his usual guide, Michel Croz, who had to wait for a client in Chamonix. As a result, Whymper hired the services of Christian Almer, who had been with Alfred Wills on the Wetterhorn in 1854. Whymper describes the push for the summit:

At the top of the small gully [the eponymous Whymper couloir] we crossed over the intervening rocks into the large one. At last ice replaced snow, and we turned over to the rocks upon its left. Charming rocks they were; granitic in texture, gritty, holding the nails well. At 9.45 we parted from them, and completed the ascent by a little ridge of snow which descended in the direction of the Aiguille du Moine. At 10.15 we stood on the summit (13, 541 feet [sic]), and devoured our bread and cheese with a good appetite.^[1]

The second ascent was by Charles Hudson, T. S. Kennedy and Michel Croz via the Moine ridge.