Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Follow
la Vallée Blanche
signs to a drippy
“ice tunnel”
where skiers and mountain
climbersmaketheirexit.Theviewsaresensational;merelyobservingisexhilarating.Peek
down the icy cliff and ponder the value of an ice ax. Skiers make the 11-mile run to the
Mer de Glace (described later) in about half a day (in winter they can ski 13 miles all the
way back to the valley at Argentière). The Access Belvedere walkway leads to bird's-eye
views of the
télécabines
to Helbronner and to more amazing mountain views.
Gobackthroughthetunneltothemainbuilding,wheregondolasreturntoChamonix
andclimbmetalstairstomoregreatviewterraces,WCs,andthecafeteria/giftshop.Inside
you'll see posters describing the 1950s construction of the lift station and the gondola line
(thefirstcablewasdestroyedduringconstruction byanavalanche). Thephotosarefascin-
ating.
For your own private glacial dream world, get into the little red
télécabine
(called
Panoramic Mont Blanc) and sail south to
Helbronner Point,
the Italian border station
(typically open late June-early Sept). This line stretches three miles with no solid pylon.
(It's propped by a “suspended pylon,” a line stretched between two peaks 1,300 feet from
the Italian end.) In a gondola for four, you'll dangle silently for 40 minutes as you glide
over glaciers and past a forest of peaks to Italy. Hang your head out the window and ex-
plore every corner of your view. From Helbronner Point, you'll turn around and return to
