Mont Aiguille and the beginning of Mountaineering, 1492

High atop Mont Aiguille, the birth of mountaineering is said to have taken place. Mont Aiguille, formerly known as “Mount Inaccessible,” was a Goliath to be conquered by Charles VIII of France in June of 1492, though in reality it was his courtiers, Lord Antoine de Ville and a group of a dozen or more others who attained the first ascent of the now 2,085 meter plateau.

De Ville was originally in charge of leading the siege of walled towns, so siege techniques consisting of large grappling hooks, ladders, and ropes were used in the ascent of Mont Aiguille. Once again, the modern sport of climbing has taken its roots from warfare and siege techniques. Just like in Alexander’s great empire, the French used their methods of scaling man-made stone walls in order to conquer mountains. Upon reaching the top of Mont Aiguille, De Ville’s climbing party found a field of grass and flowers, many colored birds, and several small goats (Cite: Clark’s The Alps).