Aiguille du Moine, Alpine summit in Mont Blanc massif, France.

Aiguille du Moine is a rock and ice summit reaching 3412 meters in the Mont Blanc massif. The peak sits wedged between three major glaciers - Mer de Glace, Leschaux, and Talèfre - that shape its surroundings.

The first ascent was made on 22 September 1871 by Isabella Straton and Emmeline Lewis Lloyd with the Chamonix guides Joseph Simond and Jean-Estéril Charlet. The normal route today starts from the Refuge du Couvercle and climbs the south face via the Glacier du Moine.

The name comes from the chain of rock points above it, which climbers named after church figures: the Aiguille Verte ridge descends through the Pointe du Cardinal (3647 m), de l'Enfant de Chœur (3477 m), de l'Évêque (3469 m) and de la Nonne (3340 m) before reaching the Moine. The Refuge du Couvercle stands at its foot on the sunny side, the usual starting point for the normal route up the south face via the Glacier du Moine.

The Couvercle shelter offers accommodation at altitude for climbers preparing for the summit. Start your approach early and carry sufficient water and safety gear, as conditions change quickly on this exposed terrain.

Professional mountaineer Jean-Marc Boivin made the first ski descent of the southeast face on April 17, 1987. This daring feat highlighted how extreme mountaineering can push the boundaries of what seems possible on steep alpine terrain.