Aiguille du Midi
3,842 m
France
Also known as Егий дю Миди, Αιγκύγ ντυ Μιντί, +2Also known as
Егий дю Миди · Αιγκύγ ντυ Μιντί · ეგიუი-დიუ-მიდი · Эгюий-дю-Миди
- Elevation
- 3,842 m
- Prominence
- 310 m
- Difficulty
- 6/10
- Alpine climb
- Best Season
- Jun–Jul
- Routes
- 2
Lift closedReported 6 Oct 2026 · until 18 Dec 2026
The Aiguille du Midi cable car is open until 1 November 2026 (last round trip 15:00 from 28 September) and closed from 2 November to 18 December 2026 for annual maintenance.
en.chamonix.comHut closedReported 6 Oct 2026 · until 15 Feb 2027
The Refuge des Cosmiques is closed for the season and announces reopening from mid-February 2027; the Abri Simond winter room (about 12–15 places, blankets) is available meanwhile.
refuge-des-cosmiques.com
Routes
2Sources differ: 4a (French rock) crux; II engagement (Camptocamp) · IV (bergsteigen.com)
The standard climb to the summit of the Aiguille du Midi and one of the most popular routes in the Mont Blanc massif: from the cable-car top station down the snow arête to the Abri Simond, then about 250 m of mixed granite ridge with two short abseils and a 4a crux, finishing by ladder on the station's viewing platform. Half a day from the first lift.
About 3% of this line is approximate (no mapped trail; drawn from the terrain). Check it against a map before relying on it.
Why? 3 check notes
- ascent 466 m is 4.6× the net gain 102 m: the line probably detours down and back up (not a traverse)
- unresolved waypoints: Cosmiques crux wall
- waypoints not on the route line: Éperon des Cosmiques (187 m off the trail)
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 2.8 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +466 m
- −363 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,842 m
- Time Up
- 2h 38m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 2h 30m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
There is no walking route to the summit: the Aiguille du Midi cable car (1,035 m to 3,842 m) does the approach. From the alpinists' exit of the top station (about 3,776 m), go through the ice tunnel and descend the narrow, often corniced snow arête towards the Vallée Blanche, then traverse south-west under the south face to the Abri Simond (about 3,600 m), a small shelter just below the Refuge des Cosmiques. Allow 30–45 minutes; rope up for the arête and watch for crevasses below the south face. From the Abri Simond climb the snow and rocks above, turn the first buttress on the right and reach the top of the Éperon des Cosmiques (3,715 m). A short down-climb leads to a 20 m abseil (or a snow-and-rock ledge on the south side), then the ridge continues over towers, a steep gully, a 'letter box' and a final tower to the crux: a short steep crack on a smooth wall (French 4a, fixed gear, holds worn by crampons). Queues form here; a cleaner 10–15 m crack about 20 m to the right goes at about 5. Above, traverse onto the north-west face and climb a ramp or chimney (up to about 60°, often snow or ice) to a metal ladder that lands on the viewing platform of the top station. Camptocamp gives about 300 m of ascent and 240 m of difficulties; parties typically take 3–4 hours from the Abri Simond. Descent is by cable car, so check the last lift time. A large rockfall on 22 August 2018 removed part of the ridge near the abseils; the line was re-equipped and La Chamoniarde published a variant. The route is high, cold and windy, and makes a good acclimatisation day before Mont Blanc du Tacul or Mont Blanc.
Start
Aiguille du Midi top station3,740 m
- Aiguille du Midi cable car (Chamonix 1,035 m – Plan de l'Aiguille – Aiguille du Midi 3,842 m)
- Train (Mont-Blanc Express) or bus to Chamonix; the Aiguille du Midi cable car departs from the town centre.
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aiguille du Midi top station → Aiguille du Midi | 2.8 | 466 | 363 | 2h 38m |
Waypoints
- Lift: Aiguille du Midi top station3,740 m
Alpinists' exit via the ice tunnel
- Feature: Arête de l'Aiguille du Midi3,842 m
Narrow snow arête descending towards the Vallée Blanche (not on route line)
- Bivouac: Abri Simond3,595 m
Start of the ridge; Refuge des Cosmiques is a few minutes away
- Shoulder: Éperon des Cosmiques3,704 m
Top of the spur; abseil ring and 20 m abseil beyond (not on route line)
- Summit: Aiguille du Midi3,842 m
Key Passages
- Snow arête from the ice tunnel
- 20 m abseil after the Éperon des Cosmiques
- 4a crack on the smooth wall (crux, often queued)
- Ramp/chimney on the north-west face (up to about 60°)
- Ladder to the viewing platform
Equipment
0/10 packedDownloads
Route confidence 85%Overview
A 3,842 m granite spire above Chamonix with a cable car to its summit, the gateway to the Vallée Blanche and the Mont Blanc 'three Monts' route. For climbers the summit is reached by the short, popular Cosmiques Ridge (AD) or the long Frendo Spur (D) on the north face.
The Aiguille du Midi is the northern outpost of the Mont Blanc du Tacul massif, rising 2,800 m directly above Chamonix. Since 1955 a two-stage cable car has run from the town centre (1,035 m) via the Plan de l'Aiguille (2,317 m) to the summit station, which is built into the rock of the north and central peaks; a lift inside the rock reaches the summit terrace at 3,842 m. The station holds the Pas dans le Vide glass box, Le Tube gallery and a mountaineering museum, and in summer the Panoramic Mont-Blanc gondola continues to Pointe Helbronner in Italy.
For alpinists the station is the most important trailhead in the massif. The narrow snow arête from its ice tunnel leads down to the Col du Midi, the Refuge des Cosmiques and the Vallée Blanche, and is the start of the Mont Blanc du Tacul and three Monts routes. Climbing the Midi itself means one of the short routes on its south side, most often the Arête des Cosmiques, or one of the long mixed routes on the 1,000 m-plus north face, such as the Frendo Spur, the Rectified Mallory-Porter or the Eugster routes.
The lift makes it easy to go from 1,035 m to 3,842 m in 20 minutes; altitude headaches are common on the first day, and the cold and wind at the top are real even in July. On the Cosmiques Ridge expect queues at the abseils and the crux; on the north face expect long days, rockfall low down and steep ice at the exit.
Climbing Notes
Cosmiques Ridge: you need to be competent at moving together on mixed ground, abseiling and leading or seconding French 4a in crampons and gloves, or go with a guide (many Chamonix guide offices run it as a half-day or an acclimatisation day). Take an early cable car, be roped on the snow arête (the slopes either side are steep and exposed) and keep an eye on the last descent time. It is often climbed as preparation for Mont Blanc du Tacul or Mont Blanc via the three Monts.
Frendo Spur: a serious, long route for parties competent on 5a rock and 60–80° ice. Either take the first lift and move fast, or sleep at the Refuge du Plan de l'Aiguille. Best in early summer or autumn, when the arête is in good snow and the exit slopes are not bare ice. Retreat high on the route is difficult.
Acclimatisation: sleeping a night at the Refuge des Cosmiques (3,613 m) before or after the Cosmiques Ridge is a standard step before higher objectives. Check conditions with the Office de Haute Montagne and La Chamoniarde in Chamonix.
History
The first recorded ascent was on 4 August 1818 by the Polish count Antoni Malczewski with Jean-Michel Balmat and five other guides. The Cosmiques Ridge was first climbed by George and Maxwell Finch on 2 August 1911, and the Frendo Spur by Édouard Frendo and René Rionda on 11 July 1941; Gaston Rébuffat later included the Frendo in his '100 finest' selection. The cable car opened in 1955; its upper span of 2,867 m has no intermediate pylon, and it is still described as the cable car with the greatest vertical rise in the world (1,035 m to 3,842 m). The Pas dans le Vide glass box opened in December 2013 and Le Tube in 2016. On 22 August 2018 a large section of the south side of the Cosmiques Ridge collapsed near the abseils; the route was closed for a period and has since been climbed again with a modified line.
Season
Best Jun–Jul- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Good
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Good
- September: Best
- October: Good
- November: Not advisable
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Cable car runs (closed early November to mid-December for maintenance); cold and short days; mainly skiers on the Vallée Blanche
- Feb
- Refuge des Cosmiques usually reopens mid-February; winter mixed conditions
- Mar
- Winter conditions; north-face goulottes and ice routes may be in condition
- Apr
- Spring: Vallée Blanche ski season; ridge often snowy
- May
- Good snow on the Frendo arête and north-face routes; Plan de l'Aiguille hut opens about 1 May
- Jun
- Early lifts from mid-June; good conditions on both routes
- Jul
- Main season; first lift around 06:00–06:10; Cosmiques Ridge crowded
- Aug
- Main season, but heat waves bring rockfall and bare ice on the north face
- Sep
- Often stable and quieter; shorter lift hours from mid-September
- Oct
- Last round-trip departure about 15:00; early snow; check hut opening
- Nov
- Cable car closed for annual maintenance from early November
- Dec
- Cable car reopens shortly before Christmas; winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Refuge des Cosmiques: online booking via the Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix (reservation.chamonix-guides.com) with a deposit; reservations for each season open in January. Refuge du Plan de l'Aiguille: book directly with the hut.
- Fees
- Aiguille du Midi cable car (2026 rates): EUR 61 one way and EUR 83 return for an adult; included in the Mont Blanc Unlimited pass and, in summer, the Multipass
- Hut fees at the Refuge des Cosmiques (deposit on booking)
- Rules
- Sleeping in the cable-car station is not permitted (tolerated only in emergencies)
- Children under 3 are not allowed on the cable car; under 5 not recommended
- The Abri Simond winter shelter is open only when the Refuge des Cosmiques is closed; carry out all rubbish
- Getting There
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc
Geneva (GVA)
- Train: Mont-Blanc Express (Saint-Gervais–Chamonix–Martigny) to Chamonix or the 'Aiguille du Midi' halt near the cable car
- Bus: Chamonix Sud stop is closest to the cable-car base station
- Car: Chamonix via the A40 motorway and Route Blanche; nearest car parks to the lift are Grépon and Courmayeur
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Altitude
- Exposure
- Weather
- Cornices
Huts & Shelters
3- 2,207 m
Refuge du Plan de l'AiguilleHutStaffed
41 beds · About 1 May to 1 November; small unstaffed winter room
- 3,600 m
Abri SimondBivouacUnstaffed
14 beds · Open as a winter room only when the Refuge des Cosmiques is closed
- 3,613 m
Refuge des CosmiquesHutStaffedBooking required
130 beds · Mid-February to autumn