Mont Blanc

(Local Name: Monte Bianco) Mont Blanc (in Italian: Monte Bianco, 4,810m/15,873ft), the highest peak in the Alps, over which the Italian-French frontier runs was first climbed in 1786 by Jacques Balmat of Chamonix and the village doctor, Michel Paccard; then in 1787 again by the Geneva scientist Horace-Bénédict de Saussure, accompanied by Balmat and 16 porters. The best starting point for the climb (10-12 hours, with guide) is Les Houches, a village 10km/6mi southwest of Chamonix.