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   The cable-car
A technical and human feat unique in the world

Completed in 1955, the cable-car was completely renovated in 1991 to offer optimum performance and exemplary safety. It goes up to the summit of the Aiguille du Midi in two sections.

First section

In 10 minutes you will go from 1030 metres to 2317 metres, travelling over the forest. To the right, you will be able to admire the Mont-Blanc massif and the summit of Mont-Blanc (4810 metres) and, lower down, the Glacier des Bossons. To the left, at the rear, the Aiguille Verte, Les Drus, and the Aiguilles de Chamonix. When you arrive at the Plan de l'Aiguille, you will change cabins.

Second section

In 10 minutes, you will reach an altitude of 3777 metres. To your right, the old Col du Midi cable-car line. Facing you, the seracs and terminal spur of the Glacier des Pèlerins, the suspended glaciers and the north face of the Aiguille du Midi.

 

The epic history of the cable-car

1905 : two Swiss engineers, Feldmann and Srub, devise a plan to connect the hamlet of Les Pèlerins to the summit of the Aiguille du Midi, thanks to a combination of a funicular railway and cable lifts.
1909 : the Compagnie Française des Funiculaires takes up and modifies the plan.
1924 : the first section - Les Pèlerins-La Para – is opened, and in 1927 the second section - La Para - Les Glaciers – is inaugurated. At the time, this funicular railway was the highest in the world.
1951 : the war and the opening of the Planpraz-Brévent cable-car got the better of the funicular railway which is closed to the public. An Italian engineer, Count Monte Dino Lora Totino, is asked to devise a new plan. 
1954 : the first section of the current route is inaugurated. The second section, with a difference in level of 1500 m without any pylons, is an unprecedented achievement. 30 mountain guides from Aosta and Chamonix will take two days to hoist a cable 1700 m long and weighing over a tonne to the summit of the Aiguille du Midi.
1955 : the cable-car is completed and the work on the "Panoramic" cable-car begins. It will be put into service in 1958.

 

Technical characteristics

First section
Cabin speed : 10 m/s
3 pylons in line
2500 m between stations
75 passengers per cabin
A 40 mm diameter haulage cable.

Second section
Single span between the two stations which are 2867 m apart.
65 passengers per cabin
A 46 mm diameter haulage cable.
 
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