Aiguille de la Vanoise, Mountain summit in Vanoise National Park, France

Aiguille de la Vanoise is a 2,796 m summit in the Vanoise massif above Pralognan-la-Vanoise, Savoie. Its narrow grey rock tower tilts slightly at the tip, with grass and low vegetation on the broadening ridge below and snow patches on the steep left flank. The mountain is a recumbent anticline of Aalenian marble, its fold axis visible on the shady side as dark wedge-shaped rocks framed by paler stone. Its north face rises 300 to 400 m.

The mountain became part of France's first national park in 1963, marking a turning point for Alpine conservation. This designation introduced protections that have shaped how the region is managed and used ever since.

The peak's name, "Aiguille" (needle), refers to its tapering grey rock tower. Its north face carries named climbing routes such as Les larmes du soleil, La Desmaison and Salut Ginette, opened by Lionel Daudet in January 1993 as a solo winter climb. The mountain is an overturned anticline of Aalenian marble; on its shaded north side, dark wedge-shaped rocks lie between lighter ones, marking the fold's axis.

The peak lies about 4 km in a direct line north-east of Pralognan-la-Vanoise, reached by the D915 road running east then south from Moûtiers. The north face, 300 to 400 m high, holds routes from D to ED+ and demands technical skill; the easiest line is the south face Bérard Rigotti route at D, 4b/c. The first ascent, on 12 September 1911, was made by the Traverse of the Ridges, graded AD.

The north face is an overturned anticline of Aalenian marble; on the shaded slope, dark wedge-shaped rocks lie between lighter ones, showing the fold's axis and direction. The first ascent was made on 12 September 1911 by Marie-Antoinette Vernay and Marcellin Amiez via the Traverse of the Ridges.