View source for Les Droites

{{Short description|Mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Les Droites
| photo = VersantsNordEtNordEstDesDroites.JPG
| photo_caption = The north side of Les Droites
| elevation = {{convert|4,000|m|ft|0|lk=off|abbr=on}}
| elevation_ref = 
| prominence = 
| prominence_m = 204
| prominence_ref = <ref>Retrieved from the [[Swisstopo]] topographic map (1:25,000). The key col is the Col de l'Aiguille Verte (3,796 m).</ref>
| parent_peak = [[Aiguille Verte]]
| location = [[Haute-Savoie]], [[France]]
| range = [[Graian Alps]]
| map = France
| range_coordinates = 
| label_position = left
| coordinates = {{coord|45|55|59|N|6|59|21|E|type:mountain_region:FR_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_ref = <!-- frwiki -->
| topo = 
| type = [[Granite]]
| first_ascent = 7 August 1876 by [[Thomas Middlemore]] and [[John Oakley Maund]] with guides [[Henri Cordier (mountaineer)|Henri Cordier]], Johann Jaun and Andreas Maurer
| easiest_route = East ridge (Glacier approach, then rock climb, AD)
}}

'''Les Droites''' ({{convert|4000|m|ft|0}}) is a [[mountain]] in the [[Mont Blanc massif]] in the [[French Alps]] and is the lowest of the [[List of Alpine Four-thousanders|4000-metre peaks]] in the Alps. The mountain has two summits:
* West summit (3,984 m), first ascent by [[W. A. B. Coolidge]], [[Christian Almer]] and Ulrich Almer on 16 July 1876
* East summit (4,000 m), first ascent by [[Thomas Middlemore]] and [[John Oakley Maund]] with [[Henri Cordier (mountaineer)|Henri Cordier]], Johann Jaun and Andreas Maurer on 7 August 1876

The north face of the mountain rises some 1,600 m from the Argentière basin at an average angle of 60°, and is the steepest face on the 10-km-long ridge that stretches from the [[Aiguille Verte]] to [[Mont Dolent]]. The first route to be made on it was via the central couloir on the north-east flank by Bobi Arsandaux and Jacques Lagarde on 31 July 1930. The north spur was first climbed in 1972 by [[France|French]] alpinist [[Nicolas Jaeger]]. The dangers of climbing this face were highlighted on an episode of the [[Discovery Channel]] documentary series ''[[I Shouldn't Be Alive]]''.<ref name="Discovery Channel Website">[http://animal.discovery.com/tv/i-shouldnt-be-alive/episode-guide.html Episode Guide: I Shouldn't Be Alive] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510104953/http://animal.discovery.com/tv/i-shouldnt-be-alive/episode-guide.html |date=2011-05-10 }}, "Death Climb."</ref>

==Huts==
* Refuge d' Argentière (2,771 m) 
* Refuge du Couvercle (2,687 m)

==See also==
{{portal|Alps | left =  | break = }}
*[[List of 4000 metre peaks of the Alps]]
*[[List of mountains of the Alps above 3000 m]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
* Dumler, Helmut and Willi P. Burkhardt, ''The High Mountains of the Alps'', London: Diadem, 1994

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/150261/les-droites.html Les Droites on SummitPost]

{{Mont Blanc massif}}

[[Category:Alpine four-thousanders]]
[[Category:Mountains of the Alps]]
[[Category:Mountains of Haute-Savoie]]
[[Category:Mont Blanc massif]]


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