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Aiguille Verte Pointe Helbronner

Mountain·FranceFrance

Aiguille du Dru

3,754m

Mont Blanc massif

Summit weather

Rémih · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Elevation
3,754m
Relief
2,677mabove the lowest point within 5 km
Steepest slope
75°within 1 km of the summit
Snow at the summit
All yearSee month by month ↓
Summit
45.9342°N, 6.9603°E

Mountain

Aiguille du Dru is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif (France). Its summit stands 3,754 m above sea level.

From the lowest point within 5 km (1,077 m), it rises 2,677 m. The steepest side is the west face: 50° on average over the first kilometre. In places the ground near the top reaches 75° — terrain for climbers, not walkers.

The nearest town is Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, 7 km away at 1,060 m: 2,694 m below the summit.

Read more on Wikipedia

Scores

Aiguille du Dru for skiers and climbers

Two scores out of 10, built only from open data — every part is shown. They describe what the mountain offers, not how safe it is.

Hiking & mountaineering

9.9/10

Difficulty to the top

Alpine climb

Most path sections around the top are T4 on the SAC hiking scale. Glaciers around the top.

Indicative only — never a safety assessment. Conditions change: ask local guides and check the forecast.

  • 2.5/2.5103 waymarked routes and 293 path sections nearby
  • 1.5/1.522 huts and shelters
  • 2.0/22,694 m of ascent from the valley
  • 1.4/1.51,606 m of prominence
  • 1.5/1.56 months with summit afternoons above −5 °C
  • 1.0/1via ferratas, climbing and glaciers

Ski score

9.8/10

  • 3.8/4226 km of downhill runs
  • 1.5/1.568 ski lifts
  • 1.5/1.52,742 m between the lowest and highest lift station
  • 3.0/38 months of snow at about 2,406 m

Runs by difficulty

  • Beginner 14 km
  • Easy 54 km
  • Intermediate 66 km
  • Difficult 28 km
  • Freeride 62 km

Snow season on the slopes (estimate)

Around 2,406 m, in the middle of the ski area: snow from November to June (some years from October to June).

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec
  • Snow on the ground all month
  • Snow some of the time
  • No snow
  • This month

68 lifts · lift stations from 1,035 to 3,777 m · 59 km cross-country

How these scores are made

Ski (where OpenStreetMap has skiing within 12 km): up to 4 points for the length of downhill runs (300 km or more = 4), 1.5 for the number of lifts (40+), 1.5 for the vertical between lift stations (1,500 m) and 3 for the snow season — a month counts when the estimated mean temperature at the height of the ski area is −1 °C or lower and snow falls or lies there (NASA POWER, 2001–2020). Hiking & mountaineering: up to 2.5 for waymarked routes and paths, 1.5 for huts, 2 for the ascent from the valley (2,000 m), 1.5 for prominence (3,000 m), 1.5 for the season (months with summit afternoons above −5 °C) and 1 for via ferratas, climbing and glaciers. OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: where few things are mapped, a score can be lower than reality.

Plan your visit

Stay, climb and get there

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Snow

When there is snow on Aiguille du Dru

At the summit, snow all year round. Month by month below, at different heights on the way up.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Summit3,754 msnow all year round
Snow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all month
Halfway up2,407 msnow from November to June (some years from October to June)
Snow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthNo snowNo snowNo snowSnow some of the timeSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all month
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc1,060 msnow from December to April
Snow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowSnow on the ground all month
  • Snow on the ground all month
  • Snow some of the time
  • No snow
  • This month

Estimate for a normal year: average temperature and precipitation from NASA POWER, carried to each height, in a simple model of snow building up and melting. In a given year snow can come earlier or stay longer. It does not replace the local snow and avalanche bulletin.

Summit weather

Aiguille du Dru, month by month

Not a forecast: long-term averages (1991–2020), carried up to the summit. The orange line is where an average afternoon reaches 0 °C; above the dashed blue line it freezes even at dawn.

On an average July afternoon the summit reaches about 5 °C; on January nights it falls to about -24 °C. In 8 months of the year it stays below freezing at the top even in the afternoon. In July the 0 °C line climbs to about 4,480 m, above the summit: the top thaws on an average afternoon. Across the region, April is the driest month (74 mm) and May the wettest (117 mm).

0 m1,000 m2,000 m3,000 m4,000 mSUMMIT · 3,754 mCHAMONIX-MONT-BLANC · 1,060 mJanuary: 1,330 mFebruary: 1,410 mMarch: 1,900 mApril: 2,820 mMay: 3,540 mJune: 4,210 mJuly: 4,480 mAugust: 4,450 mSeptember: 3,900 mOctober: 3,270 mNovember: 2,220 mDecember: 1,560 mJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0 °C on an average afternoon 0 °C at dawn the summit
MonthSummit high °CSummit low °CChamonix-Mont-Blanc high °C0 °C line (m)Rain & snow (mm)Wet daysSun h/day
January-16-2421,330107123.3
February-15-2421,41077114.5
March-12-2061,90094135.5
April-6-15122,82074136.3
May-1-11163,540117186.6
June3-7204,210105168.5
July5-5224,480103158.8
August4-6224,450105147.9
September1-9183,90076136.9
October-3-13143,27086135.0
November-10-1882,22094143.1
December-14-2231,560110142.6

Estimate: the NASA POWER climate of a ~55 km cell (average height 1,714 m), adjusted to the summit by −6.5 °C per 1,000 m. Rain, wet days and sunshine are those of the region. Mountain weather changes fast — always check a local forecast. ★ = mildest months at the top.

Relief

The mountain in profile

Two cuts through the summit, 16 km long, from the 30 m Copernicus elevation model. True scale: no vertical exaggeration.

West – east
3,754 m1,050 m0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 km14 km16 kmWE
South – north
3,754 m1,653 m0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 km14 km16 kmSN
Steepness by direction
30°N: 31°NNE: 18°NEE: 0°ESE: 22°SES: 34°SSW: 42°SWW: 50°WNW: 47°NW

Average slope of the first kilometre from the summit. The orange petal is the steepest side.

Around the mountain

Huts, lifts and trails around Aiguille du Dru

Counted around the summit in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. The satellite plate shows 14 × 14 km.

Aiguille du Dru seen from above (Sentinel-2) N 5 km

Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 14 × 14 km, north up. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.

A lift reaches Aiguille du Midi 2 at 3,777 m — just 0 m below the summit.

  • 22mountain huts and shelters

    Rifugio Cesare Dalmazzi (2,584 m), Refuge de la Charpoua (2,841 m), La Flégère, Cabane du Trient (3,170 m) and 18 more

  • 25cable cars, gondolas, chairlifts and rack railways

    TPH Plan de l'Aiguille, Brévent, Col Cornu, Charlanon and 21 more

  • 12ski areas

    La Poya (Chamonix), Tremplin du Grepon, Courmayeur, Brévent/Flégère (Chamonix) and 8 more

  • 103waymarked hiking routes

    Sentier des Gardes, Plan de l'Aiguille - Montenvers, Rocher des Mottets - Montenvers, Chalet du Chapeau and 99 more

  • 5via ferratas

    Via Corda Alpina, Via Ferrata des Evettes and 3 more

  • 64climbing crags and routes

    Memoire du Glacier, Aiguille des 2 Aigles - Secteur du Plan, Aiguille du Midi - Versant Nord, Aiguille des Pèlerins - Secteur du Plan and 60 more

  • 61named glaciers

    Glacier des Rognons, Glacier des Grands Montets, Glacier du Chardonnet, Glacier du Trident and 57 more

  • 44viewpoints

    Signal Forbes, Point de vue du glacier d'Argentière, Prise d'eau Émosson, Les Sources de l'Arveyron and 40 more

  • 9campsites

    Bivouac du Rognon des Drus, Camping Les Arolles, Boerne, Bivouac Chéserys and 5 more

  • 85hotels, B&Bs and chalets

    Hôtel Eden, Le Morgane, Le Refuge des Aiglons, Auberge de jeunesse de Chamonix and 81 more

  • 129restaurants and cafés

How hard are the paths?

293 path sections within 5 km, by SAC hiking scale (T1 easy walk … T6 difficult alpine).

T1T2T3T4T5T6
  • T1 hiking
  • T2 mountain hiking
  • T3 demanding mountain hiking
  • T4 alpine hiking
  • T5 demanding alpine hiking
  • T6 difficult alpine hiking

Towns at the foot

  • Chamonix-Mont-Blanc7 km · 1,060 m
  • Les Houches12 km · 1,038 m
  • Courmayeur15 km · 1,224 m
  • Martigny-Combe18 km · 579 m
  • Orsières18 km · 897 m
  • Saint-Gervais-les-Bains19 km · 840 m
  • Passy20 km · 654 m
  • Morgex21 km · 923 m
Car hire at GVA airport (Geneva)Discover Cars · Affiliate link

OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: a low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. Places © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

Photos

Seen by climbers and visitors

Aigulle Verte, Les Drus, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (2022-08-16)
Olgierd Rudak · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dent du Géant sunrise @ Montagne de Loriaz
Rémih · CC BY-SA 4.0

Recent years

How each month compared at the summit

Afternoon high at the summit (estimate). The first row is the reference, the 1991–2020 average in °C; the years show only the difference.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
1991–2020 average-16-15-12-6-13541-3-10-14
2020+2.0+2.4+0.8+3.6+1.9−2.1+0.7+1.0+1.1−2.8+3.2−0.5
2021−1.7+1.8+0.8−0.9−3.0+1.3−0.8−1.3+1.5+0.2+0.1+0.8
2022+0.8+1.4+1.2+0.8+2.9+3.2+4.4+3.7−0.2+3.5+0.8+1.3
2023+0.5+4.0+3.2−1.1+0.5+1.5+1.4+1.9+4.9+2.9−1.5+1.2
2024+1.7+3.3+3.1−0.1−0.4−0.1+1.6+3.0−1.4+1.4+1.9+0.7
2025+1.9+2.0+2.8+3.2+0.3+3.8−0.7+2.2+0.2−0.9+0.2+2.3

+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual

Nearby

More mountains nearby

4,806 mMont BlancItalyItaly13 km away4,122 mAiguille VerteFranceFrance1 km away3,842 mAiguille du MidiFranceFrance8 km away4,208 mGrandes JorassesFranceFrance8 km away3,820 mMont DolentItalyItaly7 km away3,898 mAiguille d'ArgentièreFranceFrance5 km away

About these numbers

Names, elevation, prominenceWikidata (Q404702) · CC0
Relief, 3D view, profilesCopernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA
ClimateNASA POWER, 1991–2020 · CC BY 4.0
Around the mountain© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
ImagesEOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons

Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.

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