Blanc

Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)

Mont, the highest and in many respects the most remarkable mountain in Europe. Its chief summit is 15,781 feet above the sea. Geographically Mont Blanc is a part of Switzerland, but on the political map, the greater part of the mountain, including its chief summit, is in France. It was ascended in 1786 by Jacques Balmat, whose monument stands in the village of Chamounix. A scientific exploration under the celebrated Saussure ascended in 1787 and took many observations. At the present time the business of making ascents is so thoroughly systematized by the guides of Chamounix that the trip may be made without serious danger. A rude inn, or sort of camping place and depot of provisions, has been established near the summit. The first day is spent in reaching this chalet; the second in completing the ascent and viewing the surrounding country if the air be clear. The party returns to camp at night and to Chamounix on the third day. The entire cost of the trip, including the charges for guides and entertainment at the inn, is about $75. In trips of this sort, one guide goes ahead, another brings up the rear. They carry the ends of a long rope, to which the tourists are required to fasten themselves as a precaution lest they slip from the footpath into the snowy chasms along which it is necessary for the party to thread its way. A rack and pinion railroad was begun in 1906. See Alps ; Switzerland ; Chamounix Mont Blanc is the monarch of mountains; They crowned him long ago On a throne of rocks, in a robe of clouds, With a diadem of snow. --Byron, Manfred. 2026 Editor's Note: Mont Blanc has no fixed height: its summit is a dome of snow, resurveyed every two years and varying by several feet with the seasons — a modern measure puts it near 15,774 feet. A road tunnel bored beneath it in 1965 became the scene of a catastrophic fire in 1999, and the classic route to the top is now so crowded that climbers must book a hut place in advance. (Ed: BR 2026-06-28)