An extraordinary castle of rock and ice, Mont Blanc is one of the most striking natural monuments of the European continent, offering mountaineers and adventurers countless faces, ridges and valleys for exploration. The mountaineering history of Mont Blanc is recreated in the words and outstanding photos of this book, from the ascent in 1786 to the speed-record climbs of the '90s. Here are the thrilling exploits of mountain legends such as Edward Whymper, Armand Charlet, Riccardo Cassin, Walter Bonatti, Christophe Profit, and dozens of other international climbers. Each came to challenge the spectacular peaks that rise above 4000 meters on the massif--the Grandes Jorasses, the Aiguille Verte, Mont Blanc du Tacul, the Drus, Grand Capucin, the Grepon--that have a history of testing mountaineers to the limit.