Chamonix’s Lift Upgrades

It’s already snowing the mountains above Chamonix, this picture was taken on the 29th September, credit Martin Zhor.

This winter a new gondola will open at the Balme Ski Area in the Chamonix Valley, replacing the old lift up from the village of le Tour. The new-generation Doppelmayr 10-seater panoramic gondola has a capacity to transport 2,200 people/hour, which more than doubles the current capacity. It’s faster than the old lifts to with the 376m ascent completed in 5.26 minutes, a speed of 6m/second.

Meanwhile work on the ambitious 53 million Euros development to replace the existing gondola down to the Mer de Glace glacier from Montenvers is well underway and due to begin opening for winter 23-24, next December.

With the climate emergency meaning the glacier is melting, a new gondola is being installed further up the glacier and an international glacier and climate interpretation centre being created.

The gondola will be operational in December 2023 and the Glacier interpretation centre a year later in December 2024.

“We want to make this glacier and climate interpretation centre a world centre for glacier study and information. The Montenvers welcomes over a million visitors per year, and our aim is to inform them, in a fun way, about everyday actions and the role we can all play in preserving our environment,” explained Matthieu Dechavanne, CEO of the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc lift company.