Tuesday, August 27, 2024 The installation of a new lift and Glaciorium is part of extensive developments at Montenvers, aimed at maintaining access to the Mer de Glace and France’s high mountain regions. Living in Chamonix, one can’t ignore that the iconic Mer de Glace has transformed drastically over the past decade, shifting from a vast ice field to a landscape filled with debris. Despite its retreat, Montenvers, the glacier’s alternate name, continues to draw large crowds, with around 450,000 visitors in 2023 alone.
Since the previous winter, visitors can now reach the glacier at 1,913 meters altitude via a new cable car. This two-minute ride takes them from the viewing platform down to the ice itself. During the journey, passengers can enjoy breathtaking views of the area, including famous peaks like the Grandes Jorasses and the Drus, which have captivated mountaineers for centuries.
Previously, visitors faced a challenging climb down steep steps to access the site, as the glacier had receded significantly. Given the ongoing melt, the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc has had to innovate to improve accessibility to key attractions like the glacier cave, which is re-carved annually for visitors to experience the glacier’s interior. The new cable car, located about 40 meters up the valley from the 1988 lift, marks the beginning of significant improvements at the Montenvers site.
These efforts aim to maintain the area’s appeal as a gateway to the high mountains while highlighting its susceptibility to climate change. The project also includes the renovation of the historic Montenvers hotel and the red Montenvers mountain railway. Starting in December 2025, construction will begin on a new Glaciorium, a climate and glacier interpretation center, which is expected to open in 2026.
This facility will feature interactive exhibits detailing the history of glaciers and humanity’s relationship with them. Local glaciologist Luc Moreau, who has been studying Chamonix’s glaciers since 1987, notes that in some areas, the glacier has lost as much as 40 meters in just four or five years. For local mountain guides like Jérôme Stoessel, the glacier’s retreat means longer treks with clients to reach areas suitable for glacier training: The new gondola enables glaciologists like Moreau to closely monitor the effects of global warming, while simultaneously supporting local tourism.
Moreau warns that gondola or not, the glacier will have melted substantially within 15 years. ‘Last chance’ tourism Experts predict that the skiable portion of the glacier will only last another 30 years at most. Moreau suggests that by the century’s end, with the Alps warming more rapidly than the global average, all glaciers below 3,500 meters will have vanished.
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