The Aiguille Verte (French pronunciation: [eɡɥij vɛʁt]; 4,122 m (13,524 ft)), which is French for "Green Needle", is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps.
It was first climbed on 29 June 1865 by Edward Whymper, Christian Almer and Franz Biner, a fortnight before the fateful first ascent of the Matterhorn. Whymper was unable to climb with his usual guide, Michel Croz, who had to wait for a client in
Chamonix 
. As a result, Whymper hired the services of Christian Almer, who had been with Alfred Wills on the Wetterhorn in 1854. Whymper describes the push for the summit:
At the top of the small gully we crossed over the intervening rocks into the large one [the eponymous Whymper couloir]. At last ice replaced snow, and we turned over to the rocks upon its left.