Argentière

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The view from a country cottage in Argentière.

Argentière is a mountaineering village in the French Alps, part of the commune of Chamonix. Altitude: 1252m (4101 ft.).

[edit] Geography

Argentière is located near the head of the valley of Chamonix. It is connected with Switzerland by the pass over the Col des Montets, and the Col de la Forclaz to Martigny in the Rhône valley. Argentière is the starting point for the cable car up to Les Grands Montets (3,295m), a skiing area famous for its steep and demanding slopes, both on-piste as well as off-piste. In total, the skiing area is served by 1 cable car (2 sections), 1 gondola, 5 chair-lifts and some skilifts. Along with the Vallée Blanche, Les Grands Montets draws skiers from all around the world to the Chamonix Valley every year.

The Argentière glacier lies to the south-east of the village, and is bound on its north-east side by the Aiguille du Chardonnet, the Aiguille d'Argentière and the Tour Noir, and on its south-west by the Aiguille Verte, Les Droites and Les Courtes. This area is generally known as the Argentière basin.