Grande Aiguille Rousse

The Grande Aiguille Rousse is a mountain peak of the Graian Alps in Savoie, France, situated between the Maurienne and Tarentaise valleys near the Italian border. Reaching an altitude of 3,482 meters (11,424 feet), it exceeds its junior to the west, the Petite Aiguille Rousse, by just 50 m (160 ft). Not far from Levanna, the Grande Aiguille Rousse overlooks Serrù Lake and the Gran Paradiso National Park in Italy.

Grande Aiguille Rousse
View of the Grande Aiguille Rousse (right) and the Italian glaciers of Carro from the east.
Highest point
Elevation3,482 m (11,424 ft) [1]
Listing3000 m Alps
Coordinates45°25′58″N 7°06′35″E [1]
Naming
English translationGreat Red Needle
Language of nameFrench
Pronunciation[gʀɑ̃d egɥij ʀus]
Geography
Grande Aiguille Rousse
Location of the Grande Aiguille Rousse in the Alps.
LocationSavoie, France
Parent rangeGraian Alps
Geology
Mountain typeSchistes lustrés[2]
Climbing
First ascentÉdouard Rochat and Blanc le Greffier on July 31, 1878[3]

Geography

At the crossroads of the Maurienne and Tarentaise valleys, not far from the Col de l'Iseran, the Grande Aiguille Rousse lies in the region where the waters that flow through these great alpine valleys diverge.[1] It is part of a series of mountains that define the frontier between Savoie and the Italian regions of Piedmont and the Aosta Valley, including such peaks as the Pointe de Ronce, the Bessanèse, the Levanna, and the Pointe de la Galise. The Grande Aiguille Rousse is shared by the communes of Val-d'Isère and Bonneval-sur-Arc.

Northern view of the Grande Aiguille Rousse and its neighboring peaks, taken from the summit of the Grand Cocor at 3,034 m (9,954 ft).

Ascent

The most common route for hiking up the mountain is from Val-d'Isère via the Prariond Refuge, or alternatively from Bonneval-sur-Arc via the Carro Refuge or the Col du Montet mountain pass. To reach the summit from Italy, it is customary to begin at the Pian della Ballotta Refuge, take the Col de la Lose pass at 2,957 m (9,701 ft),[4] cross the border to the Sources de l'Isère Glacier at 2,800 m (9,200 ft), and finally arrive at the summit.[5]

Refuges

The mountain refuges which can be used as a starting point for the ascent or simply for a visit to the mountain are the following:

  • Prariond Refuge - 2,324 m (7,625 ft)[6]
  • Pian della Ballotta Refuge - 2,470 m (8,100 ft)[4]
  • Carro Refuge - 2,759 m (9,052 ft)[7]

References
  1. IGN maps available on Géoportail.
  2. "Prariond, Galise, sources de l'Isère : cirque des sources de l'Isère, autour du refuge du Prariond". Geol-Alp (in French). 9 April 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  3. Club alpin français (1901). Annuaire du club alpin français - vingt-septième année 1900 (in French). Paris: Hachette. p. 391. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  4. "Rifugio Pian della Ballotta (2470 m)". Intersezionale Canavese-Valli di Lanzo (in Italian). Archived from the original on 7 January 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  5. "Grande Aiguille Rousse". SummitPost. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  6. "Accès : Localisation" [Access: Location]. Refuge de Prariond (in French). 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  7. "Refuge du Carro". Club Alpin Français de Lyon-Villeurbanne (in French). 2011. Archived from the original on 7 February 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
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