If you get a chance this, the world's
longest and highest tramway, is well worth the French francs that you
will pay to get to the top. The views from the top of the Chamonix
Valley, and of Mt. Blanc and the nearby mountains, are spectacular. This
spire of rock is pictured every where in the town of Chamonix. They have
paintings of it, postcards, and large pictures available at the shops in
town.
It is situated at about 12,600 feet in the shadow of Mount Blanc which
rises another 3000 feet or so above.
If you get altitude sickness you may feel a little light headed at the
top, especially after zipping up 9000 feet from the valley floor in the
matter of minutes. The halfway point is located at 7,554 feet and you
can get out here, as the tram does make a stop. It takes 9 minutes to
get to this halfway point from Chamonix.
There are several pricing options available for the tramway. You can
purchase a one and a half trip in which you will get off at the halfway
point on your way down. You can purchase a round trip from Chamonix to
the top and back. Or you may want to purchase a round trip ticket from
Chamonix to Aiguille du Midi to Pointe Helbronner on the Italian side,
and then back again to Chamonix. If you can afford the rather steep
price I recommend taking the tram to the Italian side and then back to
Chamonix. If your time is somewhat limited (a one way trip from Aiguille
du Midi to the Italian side takes 40 minutes) then purchase a round trip
to Aiguille du Midi and back to Chamonix. You will still have
spectacular views of the mountains and glaciers.
Prices: Round trip from Chamonix to the Aiguille du Midi costs about 38
euros. Its about 50 euros to go to Helbronner Point in Italy and back to
Chamonix which can only be done in the summer months. The price to
ride to the halfway point on the mountain is about 12 euros. Children's
rates are available. For more information visit the pricing
page on the
Aguille du Midi website, or call PHONE
NUMBER 04 53 30 80.
Boarding takes place at the station which is located at the south east
part of town. You can't miss seeing the trams as they ascend or descend
the mountain. The trams run all year round from 8am to 4:45pm. During
July and August the earliest tram leaves at 6am and the latest leaves
Chamonix at 5:45. The trains leave every 10 minutes.
The top of the tramway at the spire of Aiguille du Midi tends to be very
cold even in the middle of summer. I was there at the end of July in mid
day and the temperature was 27 degrees F. Bring something warm as it
tends to be windy at the top. A camera is a must. There are some
excellent picture opportunities at the top, especially with Mount Blanc
in the background. All the tourists seemed quite giddy and friendly at
the top. Perhaps this is a result of the extreme change in altitude.
There is a small restaurant and gift shop at the top. When you first get
to the top and get out you will see a walkway connecting the two
tramways. For 14 French francs you can go up to the top of the spire.
There is an elevator that has been built in solid rock. As you go up the
elevator you will see a red elevation digital sign that shows the
elevation as your ascend or descend the elevator. Note the nice array of
solar cells at the top. I recommend taking the tramway fairly early (9
am should be fine in the middle of summer) to avoid all the crowds.
Later in the day, there will be lines to get on the tramway or to take
the elevator. If you travel later in the day there will also be an
increased possibility of thunderstorms and lightning.
From the top take note of the very sharp snow covered ridge to your
left. There may even be climbers precipitously balanced on the top of
this ridge. Several days before I took the tram, someone told me that an
amateur climber ventured out on this ridge without ropes, crampons, or
an ice ax. He promptly fell down one side and slipped for several
hundred feet. You will see how dangerous this ridge is as you travel up
the tramway. One side drops off into jagged cliffs that drop several
thousand feet. This amateur climber was extremely lucky. He tried
climbing this cliff towards mid afternoon and the snow was melting and
was slushy. Because of this reason he was able to stop easier and just
missed falling to his death by 50 feet. A helicopter had to rescue him.
If you take the tram from the top to Helbronner Point in Italy, you will
pass over some very impressive ice fields. This is also a good place to
take pictures. Helbronner Point is located at 11,355 feet. If you leave
the station on the Italian side you will need your passport. There are
several more cable cars that descend from Helbronner Point to the
village of Courmayeur. The cable car from Aiguille du Midi to Helbronner
Point operates only from mid May to mid October.
