Aiguille Noire de Peuterey

The Aiguille Noire de Peuterey, 3,773 metres, is a dark granite spire on the Italian side of the Mont Blanc massif, above the Val Veny in the Aosta Valley. It forms the first great tower of the Peuterey ridge, the longest and most storied ridge line leading toward the summit of Mont Blanc.

Its brooding shape and steep, sun-starved rock earned it the name Black Needle, and it has a fearsome reputation among alpinists for the seriousness of its climbing. The peak stands apart from the massif's glacier giants as a pure rock objective of great character.

The mountain is a rock-climber's peak with no easy way to the top. The classic South Ridge is one of the great granite ridge climbs of the Alps, a long and sustained route graded around TD with pitches to grade V and VI, demanding many hours of exposed climbing, sound trad technique and, for most parties, a bivouac. Every route is technical and committing, and the descent by abseil is itself an undertaking.

The Rifugio Monzino and the Borelli bivouac serve the approach from Courmayeur, the main valley base. The season is short, from July to September, and settled weather is essential given the length and altitude of the climb. Guides operate from Courmayeur for experienced clients. This is terrain for accomplished alpinists; the ridge is regarded as a serious mountaineering test rather than a casual objective, but it rewards the effort with superb granite and a grandstand view of the Peuterey ridge sweeping up toward Mont Blanc.