I had a business trip to Geneva, Switzerland, last week, and had a free day on Saturday. When I checked with the tour desk at the hotel (Movenpick, by the airport...nice but $$$), they had an all-day bus trip down to Chamonix, with a cable-car ride up to the top of L'Aguille du Midi, on the slopes of the Mont Blanc massif.
The weather was great...the first clear day all week. (Low ceiling, light snow every day in Geneva.) The cable car ride up the steep valley wall was spectacular. Two sections, change cars about 2/3 of the way up. Then walk across a bridge, and an elevator to the top of L'Aguille du Midi. The summit platform is at 3842 meters, call it 12,700', and overlooks the snowfields and glaciers leading up to Mont Blanc. Temperature at the summit platform was a brisk -20C, or about -4F. (I was glad I had the good sense to have packed my Polartec jacket and Gore-Tex parka...could have used another pair of socks!!)
The view is magnificent...the very top of Mont Blanc was still cloud-shrouded, but the whole expanse of the massif and most of the surrounding mountains were free of clouds. First time I had a chance to visit the Alps, and it was worth the trip down from Geneva even without the time to climb or ski! Now I'll have to find a reason to go back and actually climb there...
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