A glass box at the top of
Aiguille du Midi peak at 3842 meters is the latest and highest “attraction in Europe” Compagnie Du Mont Blanc has built this attraction at over 12,600 feet high up in the Alps. Entry is by ticket and included in the lift pass price for “Mont Blanc Unlimited” With this pass you will enjoy complete freedom with the Mont Blanc Unlimited ski pass. 1 Ski pass covers 3 countries which allows you to combine your passion for skiing on and off the the pistes of the legendary Chamonix Valley, but also in Courmayeur, Italy and in Verbier, Switzerland. In addition to many other benefits, this pass gives you access to visit our world famous tourist sites. The glass box is made from 3 laminates of glass and can withstand winds of 200 kph. The construction took 3 years to make.
This spectacular attraction opened on Saturday 21st December 2013.
The famous ski run Vallée Blanche starts at the top of the Aiguille du Midi and finishes in Chamonix’s town centre (snow permitting) after 20 km. This is a unpatrolled, unmarked, unmaintained, and unchecked high mountain off-piste ski area. Its strongly recommended to take a guide from one of the expert centres offering such experiences offering the most spectacular scenery the Mont Blanc range has to offer.
The Aiguille du Midi cable car is the starting point for Vallée Blanche and as such it can be a bit like Oxford Street in the rush hour! (Sunny weekends are generally to be avoided as many people tend to savour the Vallee Blanche at the end of their weeks stay). You may like to call the lift company as it operates a number system where you can phone and pre-book your cable car in advance. This is highly recommended if you want to avoid long queues. The Mont Blanc Unlimited ski pass covers the Aiguille du Midi lift, passes are available here.
The Vallee Blanche routes start at the top of the Aiguille du Midi (3812m) where after exiting the ice tunnel you are straight on to the ‘arête’. This is potentially one of the most dangerous points of the route as it is essentially a ridge edge you descend which has a 40degree pitch on both sides. In high season, a safety rope is placed along the descending path but it is still pretty intimidating knowing a safety rope is all that there is between you and the buildings of Chamonix Town centre some 3 km below !
There are four main Vallee Blanche routes which you can choose from. The classic route ‘voie normal’ is fairly straight-forward providing you are following the advice of your hired guide. The route can be fairly busy during high season and it is not uncommon to see other people ice climbing around the surrounding peaks or on the Toula glacier, or even across to the Helbronner lift station on the Italian side. The other routes are known as Le Vrai Vallee Blanche, the Petit Envers du Plan and the Grand Envers du Plan. These are much more technically challenging and involve couloir skiing so are not for your average ‘once a year skier’.