New Major Lift for Argentiere

9th November 2024

Last modified on November 12th, 2024

The Grands Montets lift station in the Chamonix Valley was destroyed by fire in 2018. It was going to be replaced with a similar one. Ambitious plans are in place, but the new lift is delayed once more.

It had been hoped a new lift would be in place last season, now it looks like 2026 at the earliest.

The old Grand Montets lift in Argentiere took skiers from the mid-point to the summit of the Grand Montets at 3,275m.

It was a popular lift that PlanetSKI took many a time to access some of the best advanced skiing in Chamonix.

Grands Montets lift, Argentiere. Image © PlanetSKI

Alpinists also used it to access the climbing in the Mt Blanc Massif.

Grands Montets lift, Argentiere. Image © PlanetSKI

In the summer of 2018, a huge fire destroyed the lift.

Initially it was proposed simply to replace the lift with a similar structure, but plans changed.

It is now intended to re-build both the Grand Montets and the Plan Joran lifts – the latter serving the lower half of the mountain from resort base to mid-point.

It will be a 3S gondola lift.

This plan will see the two lifts united, offering a semi-direct journey from resort to summit eliminating the need for a ski to cross between the two lifts.

The upper section will run off a different style of gondola to the lower half, allowing for gondola cabins to be removed in poor conditions to increase safety, hence retaining the break-of-journey partway through.

All three cable car stations will be rebuilt, designed to the plans of the Italian architect Renzo Piano, whose previous works include the Shard, London, and the Pompidou Centre, Paris.

“These new stations will offer a dramatic welcome to the mountain for skiers and snowboarders, and bristle with the latest technology to offer a fast, clean and comfortable experience for resort users,” said a statement from the resort.

The project will cost €155m and is expected to be completed by the start of the 2026/27 season.

Currently the top can only be reached by skier tourers willing to make the hike.

It is something we have done at PlanetSKI.