The
Aiguilles Rouges (French pronunciation: [ɛɡɥij ʁuʒ], "Red Needles") are a crystalline mountainous massif of the French Prealps, opposite the
Mont Blanc massif 
. The colour of the iron rich gneiss (metamorphique) mountains gives the range its name. The highest summit is the
Aiguille du Belvédère 
at 2,965 metres (9,728 ft). At the southern end of the range,
Le Brévent 
at 2,525 metres (8,284 ft) is accessible by a cable car in the
Planpraz 
and the Brévent sections.
Morphology
Unlike the massif of the Mont Blanc, the Aiguilles Rouges have no significant glaciers. The alpine stage begins around 2,000 metres (6,562 ft) with rough boulders, above which a series of broken needles spring from the
Col des Montets 
to Le Brévent.