What To Expect When Riding To The Top Of The Aiguille Du Midi Cable Car
The ascent to the Aiguille Du midi, in Chamonix, is a long one… if you climb. However, there exists the most terrifying of cable cars. One (two actually) that reaches almost 4,000 metres into the sky to the very roof of Europe. Snow-capped mountains await, beautiful vistas of pure white snow and deep blue skies that stretch onwards over the entire continent. The Alps are popular with everyone – climbers, walkers, skiers and of course beady eyed travellers wanting a glimpse over the world. We made our ascent close to Christmas and it was relatively busy though I’ve heard rumours of mass lines that stretch for hours in the busier seasons, so watch out.
The view from inside the gondolas are vast and terrifying for anyone with even the remotest fear of heights. But the view of the Gondolas from the first drop point is possibly even worse. Gondolas are often stuffed until completely full – not unlike a London tube car during rush hour, only dangling thousands of feet above ground and hurtling towards one of the highest points in Europe with nothing but views of the fall to make you feel better. Beautiful views though.
Once you’ve made your first ascent, you can quite easily go out into the mountains for a little walk or even a ski if you’re a very good skier. We wondered around here for a little while before heading back to the Gondolas to make our final ascent to the very top of the mountain.
As the cable car pulls its way up the mountain just sheer metres away from the rocky exterior of the Aguille du Midi the height begins to become apparent as Chamonix and the villages below become nothing more mere blurs of contrast in the mountains. Once at the top you are now standing 3842m in the sky.
From the top you’ll have a perfect view of the Mt. Blanc (See top image). There’s also a glass viewing point – known as A STEP INTO THE VOID – which has you seemingly hovering over the mountains – this was sadly closed during our visit.
I have never been up quite so high before in my life, and though usually terrified of heights (though I’m working to correct this by taking part in silly things such as this and dangerously high bunjee jumps – more coming soon) I found this a fantastically beautiful experience, liberating and breathtaking.
Aiguille du Midi Cable Car, 100 Place de l’Aiguille du Midi, 74400 Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France
