Mont Blanc cable car, trapped passengers safe

All's well that ends well. At 7:46 this morning the cable cars started moving agin. As did the remaining 33 of 110 passengers who at around 16:00 yesterday afternoon were trapped in the Mont Blanc cable car due to technical problems. According to the French newspaper Le Dauphine Libere, the passengers were transported to Punta Helbronner and then continued down to the valley station via the new SkyWay cable car.

The incident had begun yesterday afternoon when the cables crossed and the cabins that travel between Aiguille du Midi (3842m) and Punta Helbronner (3462m) ground to a halt. All efforts to resolve the problem by the French Compagnie du Mont-Blanc S.A., the owners of the panoramic lift, proved in vain and they were left with no other choice but to alert the Chamonix mountain rescue service, the PGHM (Peloton de gendarmerie de haute montagne). Which meant that the tourists and alpinists, sitting in the various four-man cabins, began the long wait suspended 50m above the glacier at an altitude of well over 3000 meters.

Three French and Swiss mountain rescue helicopters immediately took part in the rescue operation, helped by a fourth belonging to the Aosta Valley Mountain Rescue. The French and Swiss rescuers were also aided by mountain guides from the Val d'Aosta rescue intervened. At 19:40 17 people had been evacuated, while Le Dauphine Libere reported that at 22:00 this number had risen to 65.

Darkness, but above all fog, grounded the helicopters. The rescue efforts continued though and another 12 people were lowered by mountain guides out of the cabins directly onto the glacier and then brought to safety. In the meantime, the decision was made to provide blankets, food and drinks. The adventure and the (major!) rescue operations ended this morning when the cables were untangled and the cabins resumed their journey

This cable car between Aiguille du Midi and Punta Helbronner has been operating since the 1950’s and on 16 August 1988 was subject to one of the most famous Mountain Wilderness protests which notably included Reinhold Messner.

Info: www.compagniedumontblanc.fr/fr/remontees-mecaniques-chamonix