The highest point lies at 4,677 metres (15,344 ft) above sea level, and can be most easily reached on an ascent of Mont Blanc via the Goûter Route.

This list defines a further 46 such points of secondary mountaineering or morphological interest, of which the Rocher de la Tournette is the highest.

The first winter ascent of the Tournette Spur was made by the three Sella brothers and their guides, including Emile Rey on 5 January 1888.

[4]: 58 [5][6] The Lockheed Constellation Malabar Princess (Air India Flight 245) crashed near the Rocher de la Tournette on November 3, 1950, killing all 48 passengers and crew members,[7] a tragedy which inspired the 1952 novel La Neige en deuil (The Snow in mourning) by Henri Troyat, (adapted to the cinema in 1956), as well as the movie Malabar Princess in 2004.

A second accident occurred on 24 January 1966, involving Air India Flight 101, a Boeing 707 which struck the outcrop in the same sector, resulting in the deaths of all 117 passengers and crew members.