The most famous and popular area of the world\'s best alpine climbing range, these routes are a rite of passage for any alpinist. The Arête des Cosmiques, Rébuffat-Baquet, Midi-Plan Traverse; the names trip off the tongue like a who\'s who and what\'s what of alpinism. Even descending the famous snow arête from the Aiguille du Midi cable car is a challenge in itself, but it is just the beginning of the adventure that awaits in this mecca for mountaineers.
The ridge is almost flat for the first 10m, then drops steeply down and left for 50m before curving back right and widening again. Where the ridge flattens and widens, all routes but the Midi-Plan Traverse (which continues along the ridge) are accessed by following the slope rightwards and swinging back west under the South Face of the Aiguille du Midi.