Mount Mont Blanc is part of the Alps and is a crystalline formation approximately 50 km long. The height of the peak of the same name is 4810 m. However, this is not the only high mountain, Mont Blanc de Courmayeur and Rocher de la Turmet are only slightly inferior. The lowest peak reaches 3842 m.
Affiliation of Mont Blanc
For those wondering where Mont Blanc is located, it will be curious to know that the massif belongs to two states: Italy and France, but this was not always the case. Both countries claimed ownership of the beauties of the Alps, so over the years, White Mountain passed to one of them, then to the other.
On March 7, 1861, at the initiative of Napoleon III and Victor Emmanuel II of Savoy, Mont Blanc became a recognized border between the two states. At the same time, the line runs strictly along the peaks of the massif, the southeastern part belongs to Italy, and the second side is controlled by France.
Conquest of the peaks
Many climbers had an urge to reach the summit of Mont Blanc, especially from the fact that a reward was promised for the ascent. Horace Benedict Saussure was the first to appreciate the importance of this place for mountaineering, but he himself could not reach the peak. As a result, he established the prize, which went to the daredevils Jacques Balma and Michel Packard in 1786.
Despite the fact that this part of the Alps is not considered very difficult, it is fraught with many dangers. Proof of this is the huge number of accidents, their number exceeds even those on Everest. Nevertheless, even women managed to conquer the peak of Mont Blanc. The first of these was Maria Paradis, who reached the summit in 1808. The second adventurer was the famous sportswoman Anriette de Angeville, who repeated the feat of her predecessor 30 years later.
Today Mont Blanc is a developed climbing center. You can also go skiing or snowboarding here. In France, the resort of Chamonix is very popular, and in Italy - Courmayeur.
Interesting features of Mont Blanc
For many today, it is not worth thinking about how to get to the top, since a cable car is stretched from the foot, which will take everyone to the alpine restaurant. There you can enjoy the amazing beauty of the crystal peaks, take stunning photos, breathe the freshness of the air. It is this natural charm that is the main attraction, but that's not all ...
There is a tunnel under the mountain connecting Italy and France. Its length is 11.6 km, with most of it owned by the French side. The fare through the tunnel differs depending on which side you enter from, on what transport and how often.
Tragic stories
Mont Blanc is famous for the tragedies associated with plane crashes. Both of them were owned by an Indian airline. On November 2, 1950, the Lockheed L-749 Constellation plane crashed, and on January 24, 1966, a Boeing 707 collided with the peaks. Perhaps it was not for nothing that the locals were always afraid of these places.
We recommend reading about Mauna Kea Mountain.
An equally terrible event happened in 1999. Then a truck caught fire in the tunnel, from which the fire spread through the tunnel, which led to the death of 39 people. Due to the lack of oxygen, the fire could not be extinguished for 53 hours.
