View source for Mont Blanc

{{Short description|Highest mountain in the Alps (4,806.m)}}
{{About|the mountain}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2025}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Mont Blanc
| other_name = {{llang|it|Monte Bianco}}
| photo = Monte bianco.JPG
| photo_caption = Mont Blanc from the [[Aosta Valley]], Italy
| elevation_m = 4,805.59
| elevation_ref = <ref name="Beaumont">{{Cite news |last=Beaumont |first=Peter |date=2023-10-05 |title='Exceptional year': Mont Blanc shrinks by another 2 metres |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/oct/05/mont-blanc-height-peak-shrinks |access-date=2023-10-05 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=5 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005184033/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/oct/05/mont-blanc-height-peak-shrinks |url-status=live }}</ref>
| prominence = 4696&nbsp;m<span title="above the wind-gap"> ↓&nbsp;</span>by [[Lake Kubenskoye]]
| prominence_ref = <br /><small>[[List of peaks by prominence|Ranked 11th]]</small>
| parent_peak = [[Mount Elbrus]]<ref group = note>Although [[Mount Elbrus]] is normally considered the tallest mountain in continental Europe, the latter continent is part of the [[Eurasian]] land mass, which culminates at Mount Everest (highest col between Mont Blanc and Mount Everest: 113&nbsp;m [http://www.peakbagger.com/KeyCol.aspx?pid=9941] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160221115225/http://www.peakbagger.com/KeyCol.aspx?pid=9941 |date=21 February 2016 }}; highest col between Mount Elbrus and Mount Everest: 901&nbsp;m [http://www.peakbagger.com/KeyCol.aspx?pid=10381] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160221115148/http://www.peakbagger.com/KeyCol.aspx?pid=10381 |date=21 February 2016 }}).</ref>
| isolation = 2,812&nbsp;km<span title="to"> →&nbsp;</span>{{ill|Kukurtlu Dome|de|Kjukjurtlju}}<ref>[https://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=9941 ''Mont Blanc''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918095900/https://www.peakbagger.com/Peak.aspx?pid=9941 |date=18 September 2020 }} at peakbagger.com. Retrieved 19 August 2020.</ref>
| map = Alps#France#Italy#Europe
| map_caption = Location
| listing = [[List of countries by highest point|Country high point]]<br />[[Ultra prominent peak|Ultra]]<br />[[Seven Summits]]
| country = {{hlist|[[France]]|[[Italy]]}}
| location = [[Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes]], France<br>[[Aosta Valley]], Italy
| parent = [[Graian Alps]]
| coordinates = {{Coord|45|49|58|N|06|51|54|E|type:mountain|display=inline,title}}
| range_coordinates = 
| first_ascent = 8 August 1786 by {{ubl|[[Jacques Balmat]]|[[Michel-Gabriel Paccard]]}}
| easiest_route = 
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-zoom = 10
| mapframe-wikidata = yes
}}

'''Mont Blanc''' ({{IPAc-en|UK|ˌ|m|ɒ̃|ˈ|b|l|ɒ̃|(|k|)}}, {{IPAc-en|US|ˌ|m|ɒ|n|(|t|)|'|b|l|ɑː|ŋ|k}}{{efn|{{langx|fr|Mont Blanc}} {{IPA|fr|mɔ̃ blɑ̃||LL-Q150 (fra)-LoquaxFR-mont-blanc.wav}}; {{langx|it|Monte Bianco}} {{IPA|it|ˈmonte ˈbjaŋko||It-Monte Bianco.ogg}}; {{langx|frp|Mont Blanc}}; all three meaning 'white mountain'.}}) is a mountain in the [[Alps]], rising {{cvt|4805.59|m|4=0}}<ref name="Beaumont"/> above sea level, located right at the [[France-Italy border|Franco-Italian border]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-09-29 |title=Le mont Blanc a perdu un mètre en quatre ans et culmine désormais à 4807,81 mètres |url=https://www.francetvinfo.fr/meteo/climat/le-mont-blanc-a-perdu-un-metre-en-quatre-ans-et-culmine-desormais-a-4807-81-metres_4787791.html |access-date=2021-09-29 |website=Franceinfo |language=fr-FR |archive-date=29 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929101130/https://www.francetvinfo.fr/meteo/climat/le-mont-blanc-a-perdu-un-metre-en-quatre-ans-et-culmine-desormais-a-4807-81-metres_4787791.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It is the highest mountain in [[Europe]] outside the [[Caucasus Mountains]], the [[List of European ultra-prominent peaks|second-most prominent mountain]] in Europe (after [[Mount Elbrus]] in Russia), and the [[List of peaks by prominence|11th most prominent mountain]] in the world.<ref>the prominence of 4,696&nbsp;m for Mont Blanc is taken from the "Ultras Project" ([http://www.peaklist.org/WWlists/ultras/EuroCoreP1500m.html#1 peaklist.org] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190109222443/http://www.peaklist.org/WWlists/ultras/EuroCoreP1500m.html#1 |date=9 January 2019 }}), "List compiled 2004 by Petter Bjørstad, Jonathan de Ferranti, Eberhard Jurgalski, Vasja Kavcic and Aaron Maizlish".
See also [[list of Alpine peaks by prominence]].</ref>

The mountain gives its name to its range, the [[Mont Blanc massif]], which straddles parts of France, Italy, and Switzerland. Mont Blanc's [[topographical summit|summit]] lies on the [[drainage divide|watershed]] line between the valleys of [[Ferret Valley|Ferret]] and [[Val Veny|Veny]] in [[Italy]], and the valleys of Montjoie, and [[Arve Valley|Arve]] in [[France]]. Ownership of the summit area has long been disputed between France and Italy.

The Mont Blanc massif is popular for outdoor activities such as [[hiking]], [[climbing]], and [[trail running]] and [[winter sports]] such as [[skiing]] and [[snowboarding]]. The most popular climbing route to the summit of Mont Blanc is the [[Goûter Route]], which typically takes two days.

The three towns and their communes which surround Mont Blanc are [[Courmayeur]] in [[Aosta Valley]], Italy; and [[Saint-Gervais-les-Bains]] and [[Chamonix]] in [[Haute-Savoie]], France. The latter town was the site of the [[1924 Winter Olympics|first Winter Olympics]]. A [[Vallée Blanche Cable Car|cable car]] ascends and crosses the mountain range from Courmayeur to Chamonix through the [[Col du Géant]]. The {{cvt|11.6|km|mi|frac=4|adj=on|abbr=in}} [[Mont Blanc Tunnel]], constructed between 1957 and 1965, runs beneath the mountain and is a major transalpine transport route.

== Geology ==
Mont Blanc and adjacent mountains in the massif are predominantly formed from a large intrusion of [[granite]] (termed a [[batholith]]) which was forced up through a basement layer of [[gneiss]] and [[Schist|mica schists]] during the [[Variscan orogeny|Variscan mountain-forming event]] of the late [[Paleozoic|Palaeozoic]] period. The summit of Mont Blanc is located at the point of contact of these two rock types. To the southwest, the granite contact is of a more [[Intrusive rock|intrusive]] nature, whereas to the northeast it changes to being more [[Tectonics|tectonic]]. The granites are mostly very-coarse grained, ranging in type from microgranites to [[Porphyry (geology)|porphyroid]] granites. The massif is tilted in a north-westerly direction and was cut by near-vertical recurrent faults lying in a north–south direction during the Variscan orogeny. Further faulting with shear zones subsequently occurred during the later [[Alpine orogeny]]. Repeated tectonic phases have caused breakup of the rock in multiple directions and in overlapping planes. Finally, past and current glaciation caused significant sculpting of the [[landscape]] into its present-day form.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ravanel |first1=Ludovic |last2=Allignol |first2=Françoise |last3=Deline |first3=Philip |last4=Gruber |first4=Stephan |last5=Ravello |first5=Mario |date=December 2010 |title=Rock falls in the Mont Blanc Massif in 2007 and 2008 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226540399 |journal=Landslides |language=en |volume=7 |issue=4 |pages=493–501 |doi=10.1007/s10346-010-0206-z |bibcode=2010Lands...7..493R |s2cid=140203828 |issn=1612-510X}}</ref>

The first systematic account of the minerals of the Mont Blanc area was published in 1873 by [[Venance Payot]]. His list, entitled "Statistique minéralogique des environs du Mt-Blanc", catalogued 90 mineral types although it also included those present only as very small components of rocks.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Comte |first1=Armand |title=Resources minéralogiques du massif du Mont-Blanc et des régions limitrophes |trans-title=Mineralogical Resources of Mont Blanc and surrounding areas |url=http://www.mineralogie-chamonix.org/?op=html&page=30 |website=Club de minéralogie de Chamonix |language=fr |access-date=2 June 2016 |archive-date=14 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514212018/http://www.mineralogie-chamonix.org/?op=html&page=30 |url-status=live }}</ref> If these are excluded, it is known today that at least 68 separate mineral species occur across the wider range of the Mont Blanc massif.<ref>{{cite web |title=Monte Bianco Massif (Mont Blanc Massif) |url=http://www.mindat.org/loc-6922.html |website=Mindat.org |publisher=Hudson Institute of Mineralogy |access-date=13 February 2016 |archive-date=16 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216123158/http://www.mindat.org/loc-6922.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Miage Glacier, Veny Valley, Monte Bianco Massif |url=http://www.mindat.org/loc-7683.html |website=Mindat.org |publisher=Hudson Institute of Mineralogy |access-date=2 June 2016 |archive-date=12 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160612083541/http://www.mindat.org/loc-7683.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Les Droites (north face), Mont Blanc Massif, Chamonix |url=http://www.mindat.org/loc-5824.html |website=Mindat.org |publisher=Hudson Institute of Mineralogy |access-date=2 June 2016 |archive-date=5 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505145600/http://www.mindat.org/loc-5824.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Talèfre glacier, Mont Blanc Massif, Chamonix |url=http://www.mindat.org/loc-190088.html |website=Mindat.org |publisher=Hudson Institute of Mineralogy |access-date=2 June 2016 |archive-date=9 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509152637/http://www.mindat.org/loc-190088.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Climate==
{{Main|Mont Blanc massif#Climate}}
Located on the watershed between the [[Rhône]] and the [[Po (river)|Po]], the massif of Mont Blanc is also situated between the two different climatic regions of the northern and western Alps and that of the southern Alps. Climatic conditions on the Mer de Glace are similar to those found on the northern side of the [[Swiss Alps]].<ref name=Nussbaumer/>{{rp|26}}

The climate is cold and temperate ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Cfb''),<ref name=ChamWeather>{{cite web |title=Climate: Chamonix-Mont-Blanc |url=http://en.climate-data.org/location/66184/ |website=Climate-data.org |publisher=AmbiWeb |access-date=15 June 2022 |archive-date=11 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170511083356/https://en.climate-data.org/location/66184/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and is greatly influenced by altitude. Being the highest part of the Alps, Mont Blanc and surrounding mountains can create their own weather patterns. Temperatures drop as the mountains gain in height, and the summit of Mont Blanc is a permanent ice cap, with temperatures around {{cvt|-20|C|F}}. The summit is also prone to strong winds and sudden weather changes. Because of its great overall height, a considerable proportion is permanently glaciated or snow-covered and is exposed to extremely cold conditions.<ref name=Nussbaumer>{{cite journal |last1=Nussbaumer |first1=S.U. |last2=Zumbuhl |first2=H.J. |last3=Steiner |first3=D. |title=Fluctuations of the 'Mer de Glace' (Mont Blanc area, France) AD 1500–2050 |journal=Zeitschrift für Gletscherkunde und Glazialgeologie |date=2007 |volume=BAND 40 (2005/2006) |pages=1–137 |url=https://phzh.ch/MAPortrait_Data/131444/8/Nussbaumer_et_al_2007.pdf |access-date=15 June 2022 |issn=0044-2836 |archive-date=25 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160125060509/https://phzh.ch/MAPortrait_Data/131444/8/Nussbaumer_et_al_2007.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>{{rp|24}}

There is, however, significant variation in [[precipitation]] with altitude. For example, the village of Chamonix below Mont Blanc is at an elevation of approximately {{cvt|1030|m}}. It receives around {{cvt|1020|mm|in}} of annual precipitation, whilst the Col du Midi, which is at {{cvt|3500|m|ft}} above sea level, receives significantly more, totalling {{cvt|3100|mm|in|0}}. However, at an even higher altitude (near the summit of Mont Blanc), precipitation is considerably less, with only around {{cvt|1100|mm|in}} recorded, despite the latter measurements being taken at the height of {{cvt|4300|m|ft}}.<ref name=Reynaud>{{cite journal |author1=Reynaud, Louis |editor1-last=Williams |editor1-first=Richard S. |editor2-last=Ferrigno |editor2-first=Jane G. |title=The French Alps |journal=Satellite Image Atlas of Glaciers of the World |date=1993 |url=https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/p1386e/alps.pdf |access-date=18 January 2016 |series=Professional Paper 1386 |publisher=U.S.Geological Survey |archive-date=23 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423002718/http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/p1386e/alps.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>{{rp|23}}

== History ==
{{more citations needed section|date=August 2020}}
[[File:MonteBiancoAug052024 03.jpg|thumb|Mont Blanc as seen from the Chécrouit Lake, Italy]]

The Mont Blanc was the highest mountain of the [[Francia|Frankish Empire]] under [[Charlemagne]] and the highest mountain of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] until 1792.{{efn|Following the secession of the [[Duchy of Savoy]], the [[Ortler]] became the highest mountain of the Holy Roman Empire.}}

Pierre Martel's 1744 map and sketch of the Chamonix valley contains what is considered the first printed appearance of the name "Mont Blanc".<ref>{{cite web
|title=06. Pierre Martel's map and sketch of Mont Blanc, 1744
|url=https://digital.wpi.edu/concern/generic_works/k0698b058?locale=en

|website=Digital WPI
|publisher=Worcester Polytechnic Institute
|date=1744
|access-date=3 October 2025
}}</ref>

In 1760, Swiss naturalist [[Horace-Bénédict de Saussure]] began to go to [[Chamonix-Mont-Blanc|Chamonix]] to observe Mont Blanc.<ref>André Fournier, ''Mer de Glace'', La Fontaine de Siloé, Montmélian, 2005, {{ISBN|978-2-8420-6256-9}}.</ref> He tried to summit it with the [[Courmayeur]] mountain guide Jean-Laurent Jordaney, a native of [[Pré-Saint-Didier]], who accompanied De Saussure since 1774 on the Miage Glacier and Mont Crammont.

The first recorded ascent of Mont Blanc (at the time neither within Italy nor France) was on 8 August 1786 by [[Jacques Balmat]] and the doctor [[Michel-Gabriel Paccard|Michel Paccard]]. This climb, initiated by [[Horace-Bénédict de Saussure]], who rewarded the successful ascent, traditionally marks the start of modern mountaineering.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://climbing.about.com/od/mountainclimbing/a/MontBlanc.htm |title=Facts About Mont Blanc – Highest Mountain in Western Europe |last=Green |first=Stewart |work=climbing.about.com |access-date=7 August 2011 |archive-date=27 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110827160142/http://climbing.about.com/od/mountainclimbing/a/MontBlanc.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> The first woman to reach the summit was [[Marie Paradis]] in 1808.
[[File:A view of Mont Blanc from the Tour du Mont Blanc, 2007.jpg|thumb|right|Mont Blanc from the [[Tour du Mont Blanc|TMB]]]]

=== Ownership of the summit ===
At the scale of the [[Mont Blanc massif]], the border between Italy and France passes along most of the main Alpine watershed, from the [[Aiguille des Glaciers]] to [[Mont Dolent]], where it reaches the border with Switzerland. However, its precise location near the summits of Mont Blanc and nearby [[Dôme du Goûter]] is disputed.<ref>{{cite news |date=23 July 2019 |title=Monte Bianco, la Francia "invade" il confine italiano: si rischia il caso diplomatico |trans-title=Mont Blanc, France "invades" the Italian border: diplomatic case at risk |url=https://torino.repubblica.it/cronaca/2019/07/23/news/monte_bianco_la_francia_invade_i_confini_italiani_si_rischia_il_caso_diplomatico-231842103/ |language=Italian |work=[[La Repubblica]] |location= |access-date=25 January 2022 |quote=Un'ordinanza francese 'invade' il territorio del Monte Bianco che l'Italia considera come proprio e il caso rischia di riaprire il contenzioso, mai risolto, sui confini tra i due Paesi ed avere complessi sviluppi giudiziari. |trans-quote=A French order 'invades' the Mont Blanc territory that Italy considers as its own and the case risks reopening the dispute, never resolved, of the borders between the two countries with complex judicial developments. |archive-date=30 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130124726/https://torino.repubblica.it/cronaca/2019/07/23/news/monte_bianco_la_francia_invade_i_confini_italiani_si_rischia_il_caso_diplomatico-231842103/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=21 October 2020 |title=Monte Bianco, cresce la tensione tra Italia e Francia: Macron vuole la vetta |trans-title=Mont Blanc, the tension between Italy and France is growing: Macron wants the summit |url=https://torino.repubblica.it/cronaca/2020/10/21/news/monte_bianco_cresce_la_tensione_tra_italia_e_francia_macron_vuole_la_vetta-271373634/ |language=Italian |work=[[La Repubblica]] |location= |access-date=25 January 2022 |quote=L'ultimo motivo di attrito: due leggi a favore della biodiversità violano la sovranità italiana sul proprio territorio. Di Maio protesta formalmente: "Forte disappunto" |trans-quote=The last reason for friction: two laws in favor of biodiversity violate Italian sovereignty over its territory. Di Maio formally protests: "Strong disappointment" |archive-date=25 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125143918/https://torino.repubblica.it/cronaca/2020/10/21/news/monte_bianco_cresce_la_tensione_tra_italia_e_francia_macron_vuole_la_vetta-271373634/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=3 March 2021 |title=Parliamentary questions: Answer given by Ms Johansson on behalf of the European Commission |url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-9-2020-006010-ASW_EN.html |institution=European Parliament |quote=The Commission is aware of the ongoing dispute between Italy and France regarding their common border in the Mont Blanc area, particularly in the area of the Torino Hut, and would welcome a swift — and for both parties satisfactory — settlement. |access-date=25 January 2022 |archive-date=25 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125183302/https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-9-2020-006010-ASW_EN.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Italian officials claim the border follows the watershed, splitting both summits between Italy and France. In contrast, French officials claim the border avoids the two summits, placing them entirely with France. The size of these two (distinct) disputed areas is approximately {{convert|65|ha}} on Mont Blanc and {{convert|10|ha|spell=in}} on Dôme du Goûter.<ref name="Swisstopo">{{cite web |url=https://s.geo.admin.ch/894dc622d1 |title=Swiss National Map: Courmayeur (1:50,000) |website=map.geo.admin.ch |access-date=29 July 2020 |archive-date=24 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124011644/https://map.geo.admin.ch/?topic=ech&bgLayer=ch.swisstopo.pixelkarte-farbe&layers=ch.swisstopo.zeitreihen,ch.bfs.gebaeude_wohnungs_register,ch.bafu.wrz-wildruhezonen_portal,ch.swisstopo.swisstlm3d-wanderwege,ch.bav.haltestellen-oev&layers_visibility=false,false,false,true,true&layers_timestamp=20181231,,,,&layers_opacity=1,1,1,0.65,0.7&lang=en&E=2554626.15&N=1076553.19&zoom=7 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1723, the Duke of Savoy, [[Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia|Victor Amadeus II]], acquired the [[Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861)|Kingdom of Sardinia]]. The resulting state of Sardinia was to become preeminent in the [[Italian unification]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~31537~1150016:A-new-map-of-the-dominions-of-the-K |title=A new map of the dominions of the King of Sardinia. (with) Isle and kingdom of Sardinia. (with) Mont Blanc in Faucigni and the subjacent Alps and glaciers. From the original published at Turin with royal approbation, and dedicated to his Sardinian Majesty. By Francis de Caroly; translated with improvements and additions. London, Published by Laurie & Whittle, 53, Fleet Street, 12th May 1799. Engrav'd by B. Baker, Islington. – David Rumsey Historical Map Collection |website=www.davidrumsey.com |access-date=30 October 2020 |archive-date=1 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101140505/https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~31537~1150016:A-new-map-of-the-dominions-of-the-K |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:View of Mont Blanc from Aguille Rouge.jpg|thumb|View of the southern side of Mont Blanc (big summit on the left) from [[Aiguille Rouge]]]]

Citing the [[Treaty of Paris (1796)]], France claims that the historical border of Savoy and Piedmont diverged from the watershed line, fully encompassing the summit of Mont Blanc within Savoy and consequently, within French territory.<ref>{{cite web |title=Conférence : Le différend frontalier Franco-Italien au sommet du mont Blanc | website=[[YouTube]] |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_mQlHAdHhs |access-date=6 July 2024 |archive-date=6 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240706130403/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_mQlHAdHhs |url-status=live }}</ref>

After the Napoleonic Wars, the [[Congress of Vienna]] restored the King of Sardinia in Savoy, Nice, and Piedmont, his traditional territories, overruling the 1796 Treaty of Paris. Forty-five years later, after the [[Second Italian War of Independence]], it was replaced by a new legal act. This [[Treaty of Turin (1860)|act]] was signed in [[Turin]] on 24 March 1860 by [[Napoleon III]] and [[Victor Emmanuel II of Italy|Victor Emmanuel II of Savoy]], and deals with the annexation of [[Savoy]] (following the French neutrality for the plebiscites held in Tuscany, Modena, Parma and Romagna to join the Kingdom of Sardinia, against the Pope's will). A demarcation agreement, signed on 7 March 1861, defined the new border. With the formation of Italy, for the first time, Mont Blanc was located on the border of France and Italy, along the old border between the department of Savoy and that of Piedmont, formerly belonging to the [[Savoyard state]].<ref name="questions.assemblee-nationale.fr">{{cite web |url=http://questions.assemblee-nationale.fr/q13/13-76121QE.htm |title=FICHE QUESTION |website=questions.assemblee-nationale.fr |access-date=23 October 2017 |archive-date=2 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171102204702/http://questions.assemblee-nationale.fr/q13/13-76121QE.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

The 1860 act is still legally valid for both the French and Italian governments.<ref name="questions.assemblee-nationale.fr"/> Italy claims, that the border was moved by France in 1865, when surveys carried out by a cartographer of the French army, Captain JJ Mieulet, incorporated the summit into French territory, making the state border deviate from the watershed line, and giving rise to the differences with the maps published in Italy in the same period.<ref name="Colombo">{{cite web |last1=Colombo |first1=Claudio |title=La disfida del Monte Bianco |url=http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2005/dicembre/27/disfida_del_Monte_Bianco_co_9_051227086.shtml |website=corriere.it |access-date=30 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120801070918/http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2005/dicembre/27/disfida_del_Monte_Bianco_co_9_051227086.shtml |archive-date=1 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Ridateci il "nostro" Monte Bianco! |journal=Lo Scarpone |date=November 2011 |pages=6 |url=http://www.cai.it/uploads/media/LO_SCARPONE_NOVEMBRE_2011.pdf |access-date=30 October 2020 |publisher=Club Alpino Italiano |language=it |issn=1590-7716 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120012425/http://www.cai.it/uploads/media/LO_SCARPONE_NOVEMBRE_2011.pdf |archive-date=20 January 2013}}</ref>

Modern Swiss mapping, published by the [[Swisstopo|Federal Office of Topography]], plots a region of disputed territory (statut de territoire contesté) around the summits of both Mont Blanc and the Dôme du Goûter. One of its interpretations of the French-Italian border places both summits straddling a line running directly along the geographic ridgeline (watershed) between France and Italy, thus sharing their summits equally between both states. However, a second interpretation places both summits, as well as that of [[Mont Blanc de Courmayeur]] (although much less clearly in the latter case), solely within France.<ref name="Swisstopo"/><!--Same as IGN French map-->

[[NATO]] maps take data from the Italian national mapping agency, the [[Istituto Geografico Militare]], which is based upon past treaties in force.<ref>{{cite news |date=4 October 2019 |title=Scontro Italia-Francia sul Monte Bianco |trans-title=Italy-France clash on Mont Blanc |url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/ita/scontro-italia-francia-sul-monte-bianco/45276766 |language=Italian |work=[[Swissinfo]] |location= |access-date=25 January 2022 |quote=La cartografia ufficiale italiana, in uso alle Forze Nato e riconosciuta a livello internazionale, si basa sulla Convenzione del 1861... |trans-quote=The official Italian cartography, in use by the NATO forces and internationally recognized, is based on the 1861 Convention... |archive-date=25 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125143916/https://www.swissinfo.ch/ita/scontro-italia-francia-sul-monte-bianco/45276766 |url-status=live }}</ref>

{| style="margin:1em auto;"
|-
| [[File:1823 Mont Blanc 1.jpg|thumb|left|1832 Map of the Kingdom of Sardinia showing an administrative border passing through the summit of Mont Blanc. This was the same map annexed to the 1860 treaty to determine the current border between France and Italy.]]
| [[File:Carte Mieulet Mont Blanc+frontispice.jpg|thumb|Captain Mieulet map of 1865 placing the international border south of the watershed<ref name="Colombo"/>]]
| [[File:Mbianco.png|thumb|left|A Sardinian Atlas map of 1869 showing the international border on the watershed<ref>The map is based on measurements taken in 1856 before the convention of 7 March 1861 and is identical to the map attached to the Treaty of Turin. See [[Institut géographique national (France)|IGN]]</ref>]]
| {{CSS image crop |Image=292 Courmayeur.jpg |bSize=2100 |cWidth=300 |cHeight=200 |oTop=500 |oLeft=150 |Description=1:50'000 [[Swiss National Map]], with both disputed areas marked}}
|}

=== Vallot ===
[[File:Vallot.jpg|thumb|The original [[Vallot Hut|Vallot refuge]] (now rebuilt) near Mont Blanc summit, at an altitude of 4,362 m]]

=== Janssen observatory ===
In 1890, [[Pierre Janssen]], an [[astronomer]] and the director of the Meudon astrophysical observatory, considered the construction of an observatory at the summit of Mont Blanc. [[Gustave Eiffel]] agreed to take on the project, provided he could build on a rock foundation if found at a depth of less than {{convert|12|m|spell=in}} below the ice. In 1891, the Swiss surveyor Imfeld dug two {{convert|23|m|adj=on}} horizontal tunnels {{convert|12|m|spell=in}} below the ice summit but found nothing solid. Consequently, the Eiffel project was abandoned.

Despite this, the observatory was built in 1893. During the cold wave of January 1893, a temperature of {{convert|-43|C}} was recorded on Mont Blanc, being the lowest ever recorded there.

Levers attached to the ice supported the observatory. This worked to some extent until 1906, when the building started leaning heavily. The movement of the levers corrected the lean slightly, but three years later (two years after Janssen's death), a crevasse started opening under the observatory. It was abandoned. Eventually the building fell, and only the tower could be saved [[wikt:in extremis|''in extremis'']].<ref name="Janssen">[http://www.lesia.obspm.fr/perso/jean-marie-malherbe/Montagne/Obs_MtBlanc/Janssen.htm Janssen et l'observatoire du sommet du mont Blanc (1893–1909)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415073446/http://www.lesia.obspm.fr/perso/jean-marie-malherbe/Montagne/Obs_MtBlanc/Janssen.htm |date=15 April 2016 }}, JM. Malherbe, Observatoire de Paris, section de Meudon</ref>

=== Air crashes ===
The mountain was the scene of two fatal air crashes; [[Air India Flight 245]] in 1950<ref>[http://www.montblanc.to/uk/glacier/texte4.html The glacier des Bossons : plane crashes:] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090620064252/http://www.montblanc.to/uk/glacier/texte4.html |date=20 June 2009}}</ref> and [[Air India Flight 101]] in 1966. Both planes were approaching [[Geneva Airport]] and the pilots miscalculated their descent; 48 and 117 people, respectively, died.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/24/newsid_4056000/4056551.stm |title=1966: 117 die in Air India tragedy |date=23 October 1966 |access-date=23 October 2017 |via=news.bbc.co.uk |archive-date=23 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023230827/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/24/newsid_4056000/4056551.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> The passengers on flight 101 included [[nuclear scientist]] [[Homi J. Bhabha]], known as the "father" of India's nuclear programme.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-19645550 |title=Diplomatic bag contents revealed |work=BBC News |date=19 September 2012 |access-date=23 October 2017 |archive-date=21 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120921000406/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-19645550 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Tunnel ===
{{Main|Mont_Blanc_Tunnel|l1=Mont Blanc Tunnel}}
[[File:Tunel mont blanc.jpg|thumb|Entrance of the Mont Blanc Tunnel in Italy]]
In 1946, a drilling project was initiated to carve a tunnel through the mountain. The Mont Blanc tunnel would connect [[Chamonix]], France, and [[Courmayeur]], Italy, and become one of the major transalpine transport routes between the two countries. In 1965, the tunnel opened to vehicle traffic with a length of {{convert|11611|m|mi}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.atmb.com/atmb/en/tunnel/26/the-mont-blanc-tunnel/the-history-of-the-tunnel.html |title=Timeline of the Mont Blanc Tunnel |website=atmb.com |access-date=23 October 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104022749/http://www.atmb.com/atmb/en/tunnel/26/the-mont-blanc-tunnel/the-history-of-the-tunnel.html |archive-date=4 January 2014}}</ref>

==== 1999 disaster ====
{{main|Mont Blanc tunnel fire}}

In 1999, a transport truck caught fire in the tunnel beneath the mountain. In total, 39 people were killed when the fire raged out of control. The tunnel was renovated in the aftermath to increase driver safety. Renovations include computerised detection equipment, extra security bays, a parallel escape shaft, and a fire station in the middle of the tunnel. The escape shafts also have clean air flowing through them via vents. Any people in the security bays now have live video contact to communicate with the control centre. A remote site for cargo safety inspection was created on each side: Aosta in Italy and Passy-Le Fayet in France. Here all trucks are inspected before entering the tunnel. These remote sites are also used as [[staging area]]s to control commercial traffic during peak hours. The renovated tunnel reopened three years after the disaster.<ref name="tunneltalk">{{cite web |url=http://www.tunneltalk.com/Mont-Blanc-Tunnel-Sep11-An-historic-review-46-years-of-operation.php |title=Mont Blanc Tunnel |website=www.tunneltalk.com |access-date=23 October 2017 |archive-date=24 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171024101747/https://www.tunneltalk.com/Mont-Blanc-Tunnel-Sep11-An-historic-review-46-years-of-operation.php |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Elevation ==
[[File:Mt Blanc from the distance France.jpg|thumb|View of [[Mont Blanc]] from France.]]
[[File:Mont Blanc 2005 118.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Mont Blanc summit]]
The summit of Mont Blanc is a thick, perennial ice-and-snow dome whose thickness varies. Therefore, no exact and permanent summit elevation can be determined, though accurate measurements have been made on specific dates.
Its official elevation was {{cvt|4807|m}} for a long time. In 2002, the [[Institut géographique national|IGN]] and expert surveyors, with the aid of [[Global Positioning System|GPS]] technology, measured it to be {{cvt|4807.40|m|ftin}}.
[[File:MontBlanc052021.jpg|thumb|View from the Glacier des Bossons, May 2021]]
After the [[2003 European heat wave|2003 heatwave in Europe]], a team of scientists remeasured the height on 6 and 7 September. The team was made up of the glaciologist Luc Moreau, two surveyors from the GPS Company, three people from the [[Institut géographique national (France)|IGN]], seven expert surveyors, four mountain guides from [[Chamonix]] and [[Saint-Gervais-les-Bains|Saint-Gervais]] and four students from various institutes in France. This team noted that the elevation was {{cvt|4808.45|m|ftin}}, and the peak had shifted to a point {{cvt|75|cm}} away from where it had been in 2002.

After these results were published, more than 500 points were measured to assess the effects of [[climate change]] and the mountain's height fluctuations at different points. Since then, the mountain's elevation has been measured every two years.

The summit was measured again in 2005, and the results were published on 16 December 2005. The height was found to be {{cvt|4808.75|m|ftin}}, {{cvt|30|cm}} more than the previously recorded height. The rock summit was found to be at {{cvt|4792|m}}, some {{cvt|40|m}} west of the ice-covered summit.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ww2.cnrs.fr/en/309.htm?debut=256 |title=The rock summit of the Mont Blanc, 40 m west of the ice summit |last=Vincent |first=Christian |date=2 August 2004 |publisher=Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique |access-date=29 April 2015 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502231740/http://ww2.cnrs.fr/en/309.htm?debut=256 |archive-date=2 May 2013}}</ref>

In 2007, the summit was measured at {{cvt|4807.9|m|0}} and in 2009 at {{cvt|4807.45|m|0}}.<ref name="smh4807.45">{{cite web |url=http://www.smh.com.au/environment/mont-blanc-shrinks-by-45cm-in-two-years-20091106-i0kk.html |title=Mont Blanc shrinks by 45&nbsp;cm in two years |date=6 November 2009 |access-date=23 October 2017 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |archive-date=11 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100111020251/http://www.smh.com.au/environment/mont-blanc-shrinks-by-45cm-in-two-years-20091106-i0kk.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 2013, the summit was measured at {{cvt|4810.02|m|0}} and in 2015 at {{cvt|4808.73|m|0}}.<ref name="BFM4809">{{cite news |url=https://www.francetvinfo.fr/meteo/climat/le-mont-blanc-a-perdu-un-metre-en-quatre-ans-et-culmine-desormais-a-4807-81-metres_4787791.html |title=Le mont Blanc a perdu un mètre en quatre ans et culmine désormais à 4807,81 mètres |access-date=29 September 2021 |archive-date=29 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929101130/https://www.francetvinfo.fr/meteo/climat/le-mont-blanc-a-perdu-un-metre-en-quatre-ans-et-culmine-desormais-a-4807-81-metres_4787791.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
From the summit of Mont Blanc on a clear day, the [[Jura Mountains|Jura]], the [[Vosges]], the [[Black Forest]], and the [[Massif Central]] mountain ranges can be seen, as well as the principal summits of the Alps.
[[File:PanoMontBlancHDR edit 1.jpg|center|thumb|900px|Mont Blanc seen from the Rébuffat platform on Aiguille du Midi]] 
[[File:MonteBiancoPanoramica.jpg|center|thumb|900px|View from Vallee Blanche of Glacier du Géant and [[Dent du Géant]], looking down Glacier du Tacul towards the Mer de Glace, with Aiguille du Moine, les Drus and Aiguille Verte in centre-left]]

== Climbing routes ==
[[File:Mont Blanc 3D small.gif|thumb|upright=1.2|Mont Blanc 3D]]
Several classic climbing routes lead to the summit of Mont Blanc:<ref name="Topo">{{cite web|url=http://www.camptocamp.org/summits/37355/en/mont-blanc#description|title= Routes description|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725134140/http://www.camptocamp.org/summits/37355/en/mont-blanc#description |archive-date=25 July 2011|url-status=dead|website= camptocamp.org|access-date=27 January 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Boscoe |first1=Charlie |title=How to Climb Mont Blanc – The Two Easiest Routes |url=http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=5784 |website=www.ukclimbing.com |date=4 October 2013 |access-date=9 November 2015 |archive-date=5 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905063305/http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=5784 |url-status=live }}</ref>

*The most popular route is the [[Goûter Route]], also known as the ''Voie Des Cristalliers'' or the ''Voie Royale''. Starting from [[Saint-Gervais-les-Bains]], the [[Mont Blanc Tramway|Tramway du Mont-Blanc (TMB)]] is taken to get to the [[Gare du Nid d'Aigle]]. The ascent begins in the direction of the [[Refuge de Tête Rousse]], crossing the ''Grand Couloir'' or ''Goûter Corridor'', considered dangerous because of frequent rockfalls, leading to the [[Goûter Hut]] for night shelter. The next day the route leads to the [[Dôme du Goûter]], past the emergency Vallot cabin and l'Arête des Bosses.
*''La Voie des 3 Monts'' is also known as ''La Traversée''. Starting from [[Chamonix]], the [[Aiguille du Midi#Cable car|Téléphérique de l'Aiguille du Midi]] is taken towards the Col du Midi. The [[Cosmiques Hut]] is used to spend the night. The next day the ascent continues over [[Mont Blanc du Tacul]] and [[Mont Maudit]].
*The historic itinerary via the [[Grands Mulets Hut]], or the old normal route on the French side, which is most frequently traversed in winter by ski, or in summer to descend to Chamonix.
*The normal Italian itinerary is called ''La route des Aiguilles Grises''. After crossing the [[Miage Glacier]], climbers spend the night at the [[Gonella Hut|Gonella refuge]]. The next day, one proceeds through the Col des Aiguilles Grises and the Dôme du Goûter, concluding at L'arête des Bosses (Bosses ridge).
*The Miage – Bionnassay – Mont Blanc crossing is usually done in three days. It has been described as ''a truly magical expedition of ice and snow arêtes at great altitude''.<ref name="Dumler">Helmut Dumler and Willi P. Burkhardt, ''The High Mountains of the Alps'', London: Diadem, 1994</ref>{{rp|199}} The route begins from Contamines-Montjoie, with the night spent in the [[Conscrits Hut]]. The following day, the Dômes de Miages is crossed and the night is spent at the Durier cabin. The third day proceeds over [[Aiguille de Bionnassay|l'Aiguille de Bionnassay]] and the Dôme du Goûter, finally reaching the summit of Mont Blanc via the Bosses ridge.
[[File:Photo du mont Blanc depuis 9000 mètres d'altitude.jpg|alt=Aerial view of Mont Blanc from 9,000 meters above sea level, picture taken by Thomas Vautrin.|thumb|Aerial view of Mont Blanc from 9,000 meters above sea level]]
Nowadays, the summit is ascended by an average of 20,000 mountaineer tourists each year. It could be considered a technically easy yet arduous ascent for someone well-trained and acclimatised to the altitude. From l'[[Aiguille du Midi]] (where the cable car stops), Mont Blanc seems quite close, being {{cvt|1000|m}} higher. But while the peak looks deceptively close, the La Voie des 3 Monts route (known to be more technical and challenging than other more commonly used routes) requires more ascent over two other {{cvt|4,000|m}} mountains, [[Mont Blanc du Tacul]] and [[Mont Maudit]], before the final section of the climb is reached. The last {{cvt|1,000|m}} push to the summit is undertaken.

Each year climbing deaths occur on Mont Blanc. On the busiest weekends, normally around August, the local rescue service performs an average of 12 missions, mostly directed to aid people in trouble on one of the normal routes of the mountain. Some routes require knowledge of high-altitude mountaineering and a guide (or at least an experienced mountaineer), and all require proper equipment. All routes are long and arduous, involving delicate passages and the hazard of rockfall or avalanche. Climbers may also suffer [[altitude sickness]], occasionally life-threatening, particularly if they are not properly [[Altitude acclimatization|acclimatised]].<ref name="Acclimatization">{{cite journal |author1=Muza, SR |author2=Fulco, CS |author3=Cymerman, A |year=2004 |title=Altitude Acclimatization Guide. |url=http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/7616 |url-status=usurped |journal=US Army Research Inst. Of Environmental Medicine Thermal and Mountain Medicine Division Technical Report |issue=USARIEM-TN-04-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090423042451/http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/7616 |archive-date=23 April 2009 |access-date=5 March 2009}}</ref><ref name="MedicalProblems">{{cite web|author1=Cymerman, A |author2=Rock, PB |title=Medical Problems in High Mountain Environments. A Handbook for Medical Officers |url=http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/7976 |url-status=usurped |publisher=US Army Research Inst. of Environmental Medicine Thermal and Mountain Medicine Division Technical Report |volume=USARIEM-TN94-2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090423042510/http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/7976 |archive-date=23 April 2009 |access-date=5 March 2009}}</ref>

=== Fatalities ===
A 1994 estimate suggests there had been 6,000 to 8,000 alpinist fatalities in total, more than on any other mountain.<ref name="Dumler" />{{rp|208}} These numbers exclude the fatalities of [[Air India Flight 245]] and [[Air India Flight 101]], two planes that crashed into Mont Blanc. Despite [[circular reporting|unsubstantiated claims recurring in media]] that "some estimates put the fatality rate at an average of 100 hikers a year",<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 July 2012 |title=Why is Mont Blanc One of the World's Deadliest Mountains? |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/07/why-is-mont-blanc-one-of-the-worlds-deadliest-mountains/260143/ |website=[[The Atlantic]] |access-date=10 March 2017 |archive-date=25 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170125140404/http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/07/why-is-mont-blanc-one-of-the-worlds-deadliest-mountains/260143/ |url-status=live }}</ref> actual reported annual numbers at least since the 1990s are between 10 and 20: in 2017, fourteen people died out of 20,000 summit attempts, and two remained missing; with 15 in 2018 as of August.<ref>{{cite news |date=10 August 2018 |title=Body of one of Italian Mont Blanc climbing trio found |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-45150304 |access-date=11 September 2019 |archive-date=15 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715190854/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-45150304 |url-status=live }}</ref>

A French study on the especially risky "[[Goûter Route|Goûter couloir]], on the normal route on Mont Blanc" and necessary rescue operations found that, between 1990 and 2011, there were 74 deaths "between the Tête Rousse refuge (3,187 m) and the Goûter refuge (3,830 m)". There were 17 more in 2012–15, none in 2016, and 11 in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fondation Petzl |url=https://www.petzl.com/fondation/projets/accidents-couloir-gouter?language=en |access-date=13 January 2020 |archive-date=12 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212151559/https://www.petzl.com/fondation/projets/accidents-couloir-gouter?language=en |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Refuges ==
*Refuge [[Vallot Hut|Vallot]], 4362 m
*Bivouac Giuseppe Lampugnani, 3860 m
*Bivouac Marco Crippa, 3840 m
*Refuge [[Goûter Refuge|Goûter]], 3817 m
*Bivouac Corrado Alberico – Luigi Borgna, 3684 m
*Refuge [[Cosmiques Hut|Cosmiques]], 3613 m
*Refuge [[Tête Rousse Hut|Tête Rousse]], 3167 m
*Refuge Francesco Gonella, 3071 m
*Refuge [[Grands Mulets Hut|Grands Mulets]], 3050 m

=== Impacts of climate change ===
The recent temperature rises and heatwaves, such as those of the summers of 2015 and 2018, have significantly impacted many climbing routes across the Alps, including those on Mont Blanc. For example, in 2015, the Grand Mulets route, previously popular in the 20th century, was blocked by virtually impenetrable crevasse fields, and the [[Dôme du Goûter|Goûter Hut]] was closed by municipal decree for some days because of a very high rockfall danger, with some stranded climbers evacuated by helicopter.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gaventa |first1=Jonathan |title=The Ice and the Canary: A Story of Alpine Climbing in a Changing Climate |url=http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=7709 |website=www.ukclimbing.com |date=25 September 2015 |access-date=9 November 2015 |archive-date=13 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513072647/http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=7709 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2016 a [[crevasse]] opened at high altitude, also indicating previously unobserved glacial movements. The new crevasse forms an obstacle to be scaled by climbing parties on the final part of the itinerary to the top shared by the popular [[Goûter Route]] and the Grand Mulets Route.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ledauphine.com/haute-savoie/2016/07/07/mont-blanc-une-grande-crevasse-barre-la-voie-royale-du-toit-des-alpes |title=''Mont Blanc : une grande crevasse barre la voie royale du toit des Alpes!'' |access-date=5 January 2019 |archive-date=26 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226232950/https://www.ledauphine.com/haute-savoie/2016/07/07/mont-blanc-une-grande-crevasse-barre-la-voie-royale-du-toit-des-alpes |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tripadvisor.nl/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g187261-d195616-i216960869-Mont_Blanc-Chamonix_Haute_Savoie_Auvergne_Rhone_Alpes.html |title=''Passage de la crevasse sur l'arête des Bosses '' |access-date=13 January 2019 |archive-date=13 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190113182321/https://www.tripadvisor.nl/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g187261-d195616-i216960869-Mont_Blanc-Chamonix_Haute_Savoie_Auvergne_Rhone_Alpes.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Exploits and incidents ==
[[File:Mont Blanc view from a plane.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Aerial view]] of the south-eastern side of Mont Blanc, taken on a commercial flight]]
{{listen
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| description = {{center|Audio 00:39:46 ([https://archive.org/details/jacquesbalmator00oxlegoog full text])}}
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*{{Timeline-event|date=1786|event=The first ascent, by [[Michel-Gabriel Paccard]] and [[Jacques Balmat]]; see [[Exploration of the High Alps]].}}
*{{Timeline-event|date=1787|event=The fourth ascent, by Englishman [[Mark Beaufoy]], with at least six guides and a servant.}}
*{{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|1808|07|df=y}}|event=The first ascent by a woman, [[Maria Paradis]], with Balmat as her guide.}}
*{{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|1838|07|df=y}}|event=The second ascent by a woman, [[Henriette d'Angeville]].}}
*{{Timeline-event|date=1890|event=Giovanni Bonin, Luigi Grasselli and Fr. Achille Ratti (later [[Pope Pius XI]]) discovered the normal Italian route (West Face Direct) on descent.}}
*{{Timeline-event|date=1929|event=[[Dorothy Thompson (mountaineer)|Dorothy Thompson]] makes first ascent of the Brouillard Ridge by a woman.}}<ref>{{cite book | title = Women on the Rope - The Feminine Share in Mountain Adventure | date=1973|  first = Cicely| last = Williams | isbn= 9780047960406 |publisher =George Allen & Unwin  |pages= 112 | access-date = 26 August 2025 | url =https://archive.org/details/womenonropefe00will  }}</ref>
*1950: [[Air India Flight 245]] crashes into Mont Blanc.
*{{Timeline-event|date=1960|event=The airplane pilot Henri Giraud landed on the summit, which is only {{cvt|30|m}} long.}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Henri GIRAUD |url=http://www.flight-system.com/HGiraud01.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170721025052/http://www.flight-system.com/HGiraud01.htm |archive-date=21 July 2017 |access-date=23 October 2017 |website=www.flight-system.com}}</ref>
*1966: [[Air India Flight 101]] crashes into Mont Blanc.
*{{Timeline-event|date=1990|event=The [[Switzerland|Swiss]] Pierre-André Gobet, leaving from [[Chamonix]], completed the ascent and descent in 5 hours, 10 minutes and 14 seconds.}}
*{{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|2003|5|30|df=y}}|event=[[Stéphane Brosse]] and [[Pierre Gignoux]] tried to beat the record by ski-walking. They went up in 4 hours and 7 minutes and came back down in 1 hour and 8 minutes. In total, they did the ascent and descent in 5 hours and 15 minutes.}}
*{{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|2003|8|13|df=y}}|event=Seven French paraglider pilots landed on the summit. They reached a peak altitude of {{cvt|5200|m}}, thanks to the hot weather conditions, which provided strong hot air currents. Five had left from Planpraz, one from [[Rochebrune, Hautes-Alpes|Rochebrune]] at [[Megève]] and the last one from [[Samoëns]].}}
*{{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|2007|6|8|df=y}}|event=Danish artist [[Marco Evaristti]] draped the peak of Mont Blanc with red fabric, along with a {{cvt|20|ft|adj=on}} pole with a flag reading "Pink State". He had been arrested and detained earlier on 6 June for attempting to paint a pass leading up to the summit red. He aimed to raise awareness of environmental degradation.}}<ref>''[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/08/AR2007060802937.html Danish Artist Drapes Mont Blanc in Red] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922211628/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/08/AR2007060802937.html |date=22 September 2017 }}'', 8 June 2007</ref>
*{{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|2007|9|13|df=y}}|event=A group of 20 people set up a hot tub at the summit.}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jaccuzzi on mont-blanc summit |url=http://www.jaccuzzi.ch/index_e.html |website=www.jaccuzzi.ch |access-date=2020-05-29 |archive-date=7 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407055109/http://www.jaccuzzi.ch/index_e.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
*{{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|2012|8|19|df=y}}|event=Fifty paraglider pilots landed on the summit, beating the previous record of seven top landing pilots, set in 2003. This included the second-ever tandem landing on the summit.}}<ref>''[http://www.xcmag.com/2012/08/50-pilots-topland-mont-blanc-as-chamonix-sees-record-day/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922211304/http://www.xcmag.com/2012/08/50-pilots-topland-mont-blanc-as-chamonix-sees-record-day/|date=22 September 2012}}'', '50' pilots topland Mont Blanc as Chamonix sees record day, XC Mag, 19 August 2012</ref>
*11 July 2013: [[Kilian Jornet]] beat the fastest overall time for ascent and descent with 4 hours, 57 minutes and 40 seconds.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.climbing.com/news/extraordinary-speed-record-on-mont-blanc/ |title=Extraordinary Speed Record on Mont Blanc |website=climbing.com |date=21 July 2013 |access-date=23 October 2017 |archive-date=29 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171029020134/https://www.climbing.com/news/extraordinary-speed-record-on-mont-blanc/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chamonix.net/english/mountaineering/mont-blanc-speed-records |title=Mont-Blanc Speed Record: Ascent and Descent on Foot |last=chamonix.net |website=www.chamonix.net |access-date=23 October 2017 |archive-date=24 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171024152933/https://www.chamonix.net/english/mountaineering/mont-blanc-speed-records |url-status=live }}</ref>
*21 June 2018: [[Emelie Forsberg]] set a women's fastest known time up and down from Chamonix with 7 hours 53 minutes and 12 seconds, improving her previous record of 8 hours 10 minutes from 2013.<ref name="alpinrunning1">{{cite web |url=http://alpinrunning.org/summitsrecords |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150810122046/http://alpinrunning.org/summitsrecords |title=Summit Records |publisher=Alpinrunning |archive-date=10 August 2015 |access-date=2016-05-08 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
*17 June 2023: [[Hillary Gerardi]] set a new women's fastest known time with 7 hours, 27 minutes and 39 seconds, taking a longer but safer route via the Arête Nord due to serac fall.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-19 |title=NEWS: Hillary Gerardi breaks Women's Mont Blanc FKT |url=https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2023/06/hillary_gerardi_breaks_womens_mont_blanc_fkt-73373 |access-date=2023-06-22 |website=www.ukclimbing.com |language=en}}</ref>

=== Incidents involving children ===
In July 2014, an American entrepreneur and traveller [[Patrick Sweeney (entrepreneur)|Patrick Sweeney]] attempted to break the record with his nine-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter. They were caught in [[avalanche|an avalanche]], escaped death and decided not to pursue their attempt.<ref name="ind">{{cite news |author=Lizzie Dearden |date=2014-07-28 |title=American climber whose children almost died in Mont Blanc avalanche says he has 'no regrets' amid criticism |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/american-climber-whose-children-almost-died-in-mont-blanc-avalanche-says-he-has-no-regrets-amid-9633772.html |url-status=dead |access-date=2017-09-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151028205921/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/american-climber-whose-children-almost-died-in-mont-blanc-avalanche-says-he-has-no-regrets-amid-9633772.html |archive-date=28 October 2015}}</ref><ref name="figaro">
{{cite web |author=Constance Jamet |date=2014-07-28 |title=La présence d'enfants alpinistes sur le Mont-Blanc scandalise |url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/2014/07/28/01016-20140728ARTFIG00093-la-presence-d-enfants-alpinistes-sur-le-mont-blanc-scandalise.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728150816/http://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/2014/07/28/01016-20140728ARTFIG00093-la-presence-d-enfants-alpinistes-sur-le-mont-blanc-scandalise.php |archive-date=2014-07-28 |access-date=2017-09-09 |work=[[Le Figaro]] |language=fr}}</ref>

In August 2014, an unknown [[Austria]]n climber with his 5-year-old son were intercepted by [[Mountain rescue|mountain gendarmes]] at {{cvt|3,200|m}} and forced to turn back.<ref>{{cite web |author=Kim Willsher |date=2014-08-13 |title=Bodies of five climbers found on Mont Blanc after six go missing |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/13/climbers-bodies-found-mont-blanc-france |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140820165616/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/13/climbers-bodies-found-mont-blanc-france |archive-date=2014-08-20 |access-date=2017-09-09 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>

On 5 August 2017, 9-year-old [[Hungary|Hungarian]] twins and their mother were rescued from {{cvt|3,800|m}} by helicopter while their father and family friend continued their summit attempt.<ref>{{cite web |author=Nelly Assénat |date=2017-08-10 |title=Ils tentent de gravir le Mont-Blanc avec leurs jumeaux de 9 ans |url=https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/faits-divers-justice/ils-tentent-de-gravir-le-mont-blanc-avec-leurs-jumeaux-de-9-ans-1502371456 |access-date=2017-09-09 |publisher=[[France Bleu]] |language=fr |archive-date=10 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910041146/https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/faits-divers-justice/ils-tentent-de-gravir-le-mont-blanc-avec-leurs-jumeaux-de-9-ans-1502371456 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Cultural references ==

=== Cinema and television ===
*''La Terre, son visage'', is a documentary by Jean-Luc Prévost and published by Édition Société national de télévision française, released in 1984. It is part of the ''Haroun Tazieff raconte sa terre, vol. 1'' series. In it he talks about the west–east crossing of Mont Blanc.
*The film ''[[Malabar Princess]]''.
*The television-film ''Premier de cordée''.
*''[[Storm over Mont Blanc]]'' (''Stürme über dem Mont Blanc'', 1930) with [[Leni Riefenstahl]] and directed by [[Arnold Fanck]]
*''[[La Roue]]'' (''The Wheel'', 1923) is a 273-minute film by [[Abel Gance]] depicting rail operations, workers, and families in south-eastern France, including the Mont Blanc area.
*''[[The Tripods]]'' (1985/86) BBC TV adapatation of the first two novels in John Christopher’s Tripods trilogy (''The White Mountains'', ''The City of Gold and Lead''), which ran for 25 episodes over two seasons. The main characters are journeying to Mont Blanc where a group of humans free of the Tripods’ subjugation live.

=== Literature ===
*''Premier de cordée'' by Roger Frison-Roche
*''Hugo et le Mont Blanc'' by Colette Cosnie – Édition Guérin
*''Hymn Before Sunrise, in the Vale of Chamouni'' by [[Samuel Taylor Coleridge]]
*''[[Manfred (drama)|Manfred]]'' by [[Lord Byron]]
*''[[Frankenstein|Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus]]'' by [[Mary Shelley]]
*''[[Mont Blanc (poem)|Mont Blanc]]'' by [[Percy Shelley]]
*''[[Point Blanc]]'' by [[Anthony Horowitz]]
*''[[The Prelude]] Book VI'' by William Wordsworth
*''{{ws|[[s:Poems of Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L. E. L.) in The Bijou, 1829/Mont Blanc|Mont Blanc]]}}'', by [[Letitia Elizabeth Landon]], a poem to accompany an engraving of a painting by [[J. M. W. Turner]].
*''Kordian'' by [[Juliusz Słowacki]]
*''[[Eiger Dreams]]: Ventures Among Men and Mountains'' by [[Jon Krakauer]]
*''Running Water'' by [[AEW Mason]]
*''La neige en deuil'' by [[Henri Troyat]]
*''The Tripods trilogy'' by [[John Christopher]]

== Protection ==
The Mont Blanc massif is being put forward as a potential [[World Heritage Site]] because of its uniqueness and cultural importance considered the birthplace and symbol of modern mountaineering.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1431/ |title=Massif du Mont Blanc |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |access-date=10 January 2011 |archive-date=2 November 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061102231021/https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1431/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It would require the three governments of Italy, France and Switzerland to request [[UNESCO]] for it to be listed.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/2001/10/02/pour-l-inscription-du-massif-a-l-unesco_4191592_1819218.html |title=''Pour l'inscription du massif à l'Unesco'' |newspaper=Le Monde.fr |date=2 October 2001 |access-date=25 December 2018 |archive-date=27 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191227234423/https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/2001/10/02/pour-l-inscription-du-massif-a-l-unesco_4191592_1819218.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Mont Blanc is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world. For this reason, some view it as threatened.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/aug/24/climate-change-is-melting-the-french-alps-say-mountaineers |title=Climate change is melting the French Alps, say mountaineers |last=Birch |first=Simon |date=2018-08-24 |work=The Guardian |access-date=2019-03-20 |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=9 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209201244/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/aug/24/climate-change-is-melting-the-french-alps-say-mountaineers |url-status=live }}</ref> Pro-Mont Blanc (an international collective of associations for the protection of Mont Blanc) published in 2002 the book ''Le versant noir du mont Blanc'' (The black hillside of Mont Blanc), which exposes current and future problems in conserving the site.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pro-mont-blanc.org/fr_art_aff.php?id_article=21 |title=proMONT-BLANC >> (Le versant noir du Mont-Blanc) |date=9 October 2007 |access-date=23 October 2017 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009164929/http://pro-mont-blanc.org/fr_art_aff.php?id_article=21 |archive-date=9 October 2007}}</ref>

In 2007, Europe's two highest toilets (at 4,260 metres, 13,976 feet) were taken by helicopter to the top of Mont Blanc. They are also serviced by helicopter. They will serve 30,000 skiers and hikers annually, helping to alleviate the discharge of urine and faeces that spreads down the mountain face with the spring thaw.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2429287.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208143034/http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2429287.html |archive-date=8 December 2008 |publisher=Ananova |title=Europe's highest toilet |access-date=20 August 2011}}</ref>

[[Global warming]] has begun to melt glaciers and cause avalanches on Mont Blanc, creating more dangerous climbing conditions.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/environment/article/warming-threatens-safety-on-mont-blanc-jmsm6rknc32 |title=Warming threatens safety on Mont Blanc |work=[[The Times]] |location=London |date=28 May 2013 |access-date=29 May 2013 |archive-date=29 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130529022221/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/science/article3776375.ece |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Panorama ==
{{wide image|Mont Blanc Panorama beschriftet.jpg|4000px|360° panorama from Mont Blanc|alt=Panorama of Mont Blanc|dir=rtl}}
{{cubemap viewer|faces=Mont Blanc Spherical Panorama|caption=Spherical panorama from Mont Blanc|viewbox width=600|height=400|align=center|pitch=-1|yaw=30|rotate=2.5}}
{{clear}}

== See also ==
{{portal|Alps |left= |break= }}
*[[Exploration of the High Alps]]
*[[Haute Route]]
*[[Mont Blanc (Moon)]]
*[[Tête Rousse Glacier]]
*[[Mont Blanc massif]]
*[[Mont Blanc Tramway]]
*[[Mont Blanc Tunnel]]
*[[Tour du Mont Blanc]]
*[[Top of the Mont Blanc]]
*[[List of Alpine four-thousanders]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|35em|group = note}}
{{notelist|30em}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons and category}}
*Topographic map of Mont Blanc: [https://www.geoportail.gouv.fr/carte?c=6.8651732621637045,45.83374526755415&z=15&l0=GEOGRAPHICALGRIDSYSTEMS.MAPS::GEOPORTAIL:OGC:WMTS(1)&permalink=yes French IGN map], [https://s.geo.admin.ch/894ea21281 Swiss National Map (showing disputed areas)]
*{{4000er.de|83|Mont Blanc}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20191115173033/http://www.travelzenith.com/2014/04/mont-blanc-mountains/ Places to visit around Mont Blanc]
*[http://alpsmagic.com/mont-blanc-guide In-depth guide to Mont Blanc]
*[http://www.chamonet.com/webcam/chamonix/21 Mont-Blanc summit webcam]: Close up of the summit of the Mont Blanc and its glaciers at 4811m.
*[http://www.webcam-montblanc.com/ Mont-Blanc panoramic webcam]: See several points of view of the Mont-Blanc range and zoom on the top.
*{{cite peakware |id=184 |name=Mont Blanc}}
*[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/mtblanc/ Descent into the Ice] Companion website to the PBS NOVA program which follows a glaciologist and a climber into the glacier caves of Mont Blanc
*[http://www.planetware.com/map/chamonix-mont-blanc-map-f-cham.htm Chamonix-Mont-Blanc Map ]
*[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11252700 The scientific observatories on Mont Blanc.]
*[https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/07/why-is-mont-blanc-one-of-the-worlds-deadliest-mountains/260143/ Why Is Mont Blanc One of the World's Deadliest Mountains?]
*[http://peakclimber.com/map/summit/2746/mont-blanc Mont Blanc on Peakclimber]
*{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Blanc, Mont |volume=4 |last=Coolidge |first=William Augustus Brevoort |author-link=W. A. B. Coolidge |pages=39–40 |short=1 }}

{{Mont Blanc massif}}
{{Ultras of Europe}}
{{Seven Summits}}
{{Highest points of Europe}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blanc, Mont}}
[[Category:Mont Blanc| ]]
[[Category:Mountains of the Alps|Mont Blanc]]
[[Category:Mountains of Haute-Savoie|Mont Blanc]]
[[Category:Mountains of Aosta Valley]]
[[Category:Alpine four-thousanders]]
[[Category:Seven Summits]]
[[Category:France–Italy border]]
[[Category:International mountains of Europe]]
[[Category:Highest points of countries]]
[[Category:Ultra-prominent peaks of Europe]]
[[Category:Mountains of Italy by elevation]]