- Aiguilles Rouges
The Aiguilles Rouges (Red Needles) is a crystalline mountainous
massif of the northernAlps , opposite theMont Blanc massif. The name is justified by the characteristic color of the granite, which redden in the morning light. The highest peak of the massif is theaiguille du Belvédère at 2965 m.Le Brévent (2525 m) is at the southern end of the range and accessible by a cable car in two sections (Planpraz , Brévent).Morphology
Unlike the massif of the Mount Blanc, the Aiguilles Rouges have no significant
glacier . Thealpine stage begins around 1800 m with rough boulders, above which a series of broken needles springs, from thecol des Montets to Brévent. The northwestern part of the massif remains low in vegetation because of its weak exposure to the sun. The other face abounds in vegetation which developed thanks to a multitude ofbiotope s. It is possible to discover typical flora but alsosundew s,martagon s and manyorchid s. In order to protect this range, theRéserve naturelle des aiguilles Rouges was created in1974 and covers 3279 ha.The Aiguilles Rouges offer a splendid view of all the peaks of Chamonix, the glaciers of Mont Blanc and the roof of Europe. The French painter
Samivel laid down some of these splendid views of Mont Blanc. The peak of this range bears the name Belvédère ("panorama", literally "beautiful viewpoint") because it offers a 360° panoramic view of the mountains surrounding the Aiguilles Rouges; the pass betweenFlégère andPlanpraz , at the base of the Aiguilles Rouges, is called the "Grand Balcon Sud" (Grand Southern Balcony).On the eastern part of the massif, one finds many mountain lakes, of which the most remarkable is
lac Blanc at the foot of the Aiguille Belvédère.The massif shelters the principal
climbing schools of Chamonix; thepinnacles of Planpraz were made universally famous by the mountaineerGaston Rébuffat .To see in the Aiguilles Rouges
* the lacs cornus ("horned lakes"), lac Blanc
*Le Brévent
* the "Grand Balcon Sud"In Fiction
Ian Fleming , when writing the fictional biography ofJames Bond (character) , mentioned that Bond's parents were killed in a
James Bondmountain climbing accident in the Aiguilles Rouges nearChamonix , when the future secret agent was eleven-year-old.External links
* [http://perso.wanadoo.fr/asters/ ASTERS, organization in charge of the management of the Aiguilles Rouges Natural Reserve]
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