• Mont Blanc
  

  
  Legendary Mont Blanc ("White Mountain") is the highest mountain in the Alps. It rises 4,810 m / 16,000 ft above sea level. The first recorded ascent of Mont Blanc was in 1786. Now the summit is ascended by an average 20,000 mountaineer-tourists each year and could be considered an easy, yet long, ascent for someone who is well trained and used to the altitude.
  
  

• Aiguille du Midi
  

  
  The Aiguille du Midi (3,840 m / 12,600 ft) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif, accessible by a cable car from Chamonix. The Aiguille summit contains a panoramic viewing platform, a café and a glass skywalk called "Step into the Void" which offers a view 1035 meters straight down. From the Aiguille another cable car (summer months only), traverses the Glacier du Géant to Pointe Helbronner (3,462 m) at the Italian side of the Mont Blanc Massif. From there, there is another cable car down to Courmayeur, Italy.
  
  

• Chamonix ski areas
  

  
  Chamonix Valley has 4 ski areas: Grands Montets, Brévent-Flégère, Balme- Vallorcine and Les Houches. They are not interconnected, but there is ski bus. Grands Montets (Argentière), with its upper gondola reaching 3,300 m / 11,000 ft, offers one of the best lift-accessible off-piste skiing in Europe. The ride up is so popular you have to reserve a specific departure time.
  
  

• Vallée Blanche ski route
  

  
  The most famous off-piste descent is the Valley Blanche, accessed via the Aiguille du Midi cable car and offering several variants: the normal Valley, the Petit Envers du Plan or the Grand Envers du Plan. This unmarked glacial route is a high-mountain adventure and a mountain guide is strongly recommended.
  
  

• Vallée Blanche Panoramic Gondola
  

  
  The Vallée Blanche Aerial Tramway connects the Aiguille du Midi and the Helbronner peak, on the Italian side, over a distance of 5 km (3 mi), by passing over the seracs and crevasses of Mont Blanc massif. It is exclusively a panoramic ride, not used for skiing, going mostly horizontal, from the Aiguille du Midi (3,790 m /12,400 ft) in France to Pointe Helbronner (3,465 m /11,370 ft) in Italy. The ride takes about 30 min one-way. There is another gondola going down from Helbronner to Courmayeur, Italy.
  
  

• Mont Blanc Tramway
  

  
  The Mont Blanc Tramway is the highest in France and among the highest in Europe. Starting from Saint-Gervais or le Fayet, (map) it enables you to reach the Nid d'Aigle (2,380m), at the foot of the Bionnassay glacier, first stop for mountaineers setting out to climb Mont-Blanc. Throughout the journey, you can enjoy a unique view over the surrounding valleys. Setting out from le Fayet, the Mont-Blanc Tramway takes 1 ¼ hours to climb from 580 m to 2372 m. Six stops offer hikers a number of possible starting points for excursions.
  
  

• Chamonix village
  

  
  Chamonix is the oldest and biggest of the French winter-sports resort towns and was the site of the first Winter Olympics, held in 1924. As a ski resort, however, it has its cons and pros: the ski areas are not connected and none is very large. The off-piste skiing and touring, however, is one of the best in Europe
  
  

• Mer de Glace glacier
  

  
  The Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice) is a glacier located on the northern slopes of the Mont Blanc massif. At 7 km long and 200 m deep, it is the longest glacier in France. The glacier can be seen up close from the Train du Montenvers, a cogwheel mountain train. At the top end of the track you can mount a mini cable car that suspends you over the glacier for five minutes. You can also venture into the grotte de glace (ice cave).
  
  

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