Piton Nord of Aiguille du Midi, Alpine summit in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France

Piton Nord is the northern peak of Aiguille du Midi, rising to 3,795 meters and framed by views of Mont Blanc and surrounding ice fields. The summit sits above Chamonix valley, offering a vantage point across the entire Alpine range.

The first cable car to the Aiguille du Midi was inaugurated in 1955, after construction began in 1951; its two sections climb 2,807 meters from Chamonix to the upper station at 3,777 meters. The final stretch to the Piton Nord was completed in 1960, when the summit terrace and the elevator through the rock were opened.

The summit serves as a starting point for mountaineers attempting the Three Monts route to Mont Blanc, connecting French alpine traditions with modern tourism.

The two-stage cable car leaves from the Chamonix centre station and climbs to the 3,842 m Aiguille du Midi station, where lifts and footways lead to the Piton Nord terrace. Temperatures at this altitude can fall below freezing even in summer, and the thin air makes exertion harder; allow time to acclimatise and watch for altitude symptoms.

The upper cable car station on Piton Nord was for years the highest in the world, at 3,777 meters. A lift bored through the rock and a 32-meter steel gallery wrapping the peak let visitors step out onto the terraces, where the drop toward the Chamonix valley is nearly vertical.