UKC

Quick question... I have a nervous mate who is twitchy about the mdg ladders, I've offered VF kit and said I could lower her but she still doesn't fancy it.

So, to the thread title. Is it possible to access the glacier fromthe grotto gondola?

Thanks, Tony

In reply to Tony the Blade:
It is just a series of concrete steps that takes you right down to glacier level: http://www.pbase.com/chris_craggs/image/112034483


Chris

In reply to Tony the Blade:

Hi Tony,
I haven't been up there since April, but this should be possible.
You climb over the walkway fence, about 2 flights of stairs before reaching the grotto. There are some orange spray paint markers to show you where to go across the moraine, but they're kinda hard to find.
When there's enough snow, this way is used to leave the Vallee Blanche ski and return to the lift. So it's commonly used.

In reply to Chris Craggs:

Yes loads of steps but can you get to the rest of the glacier from there? I don't recall seeing a way out from there.

The ladders are big and steep and hairy, but well worth it. We went down that way last summer and I didn't relish the idea before hand, it was easier than I expected....just don't let go!!

In reply to Chris Craggs:

I've been down the MdG ladders and it wasn't concrete steps, it was vertical metal ladders. That was after getting the train up from Chamonix. so I might be talking about the wrong part of the MdG.

In reply to Wainers44:



Well we went to have a look at the Ice Grotto (which obviously is in the glacier), in my photo 90% of the folks going up the steps had skied/snowboarded the Valle Blanche and were headed for the train,

Chris

In reply to Chris Craggs:

Fair enough. We were there in the summer, so no chance of boarding or skiing down the glacier then. If they leave a good path to the ice in the summer then that could be better than the ladders. I have been there 3 or 4 times and never noticed one though?

In reply to Chris Craggs:

Many thanks to you all, it would appear that we can indeed use the gondola, thanks Chris great photo.

I've been down the ladders dozens of times but never accessed the mdg via the gondola before. A nervous friend will now expose me to something new... Every cloud etc

Thanks again to all

In reply to Tony the Blade:
Yeah take the gondola down from the train station and walk down the metal staircase towards the ice grotto with all the tourists. Watch out for the plaques marking the glacier levels in 1985, 1990, etc, something to ponder... The ice grotto being in the glacier, you will inevitably reach it, a bit further along and lower down than you would via the ladders.

In reply to Misha:

Access is not only possible from the bubble and steps, but much, much easier than it is via the ladders. Thousands of skiers walking the last stretch of the MdG over the last two months have carved a nice wide motorway through the rocks and rubble.

The penalty is about another 400m of walking on the glacier. Oh no!

In reply to Pete Houghton:

Cheers Pete & Misha, top drawer info, my friend is so very happy this morning.

We could always return via the ladders once she's seen them.

Thanks again, Tony

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

Yes he's talking about the Gondola from the train station down to the glacier. It has a few flights of stairs at the bottom because the glacier has continued to shrink back since the gondola was installed. The ladders are about 2/3 of a mile or so beyond the station.

In reply to rossn:

Thanks for clarifying, don't even remember seeing a gondola.

And interesting to see how much the glacier has shrunk.

In reply to Tony the Blade:

I was there on Wednesday - first time since 2002 - and my heart ached at how much the glacier had receded.

The ladders can be daunting, but not difficult, and the second section is all set up with fixed carabiners. However, once you get to the bottom of the last ladder, there is a short sketchy bit of rock before landing on a very steep snowy section with loose rock and gravel.
As has been suggested, it may be best to go from the grotto, and on the way back, have a look at the ascent up to the ladders and decide then.

Regards,
Kris

In reply to Tony the Blade:

There has been some recent rockfall affecting the ladders to the Mer de Glace.
See the report from 3rd June on the Chamonix Conditions page of the Alpine Club site:
http://www.alpine-club.org.uk/ac2/news/chamonix-condtions

In reply to funalps:

I had intended to use the MDG ladders at the end of next week, but will probably take the advice on the Alpine Club site and gain access from the Ice Caves steps/walkway. Do "thousands" of skiers climb over the fence? don't the people who run the grottoes object? More information would be appreciated.

In reply to mnyateley:

It was pissing down when we arrived at Montenvers station, so I made the call to use the grotto steps. We used the gondola as the cost is included with the train ticket, then walked down the steps (we visited the grotto as my friends wanted to see it), there's a gate with a no entry sign - except with ropes crampons etc. Cross the gate and follow the faint path onto the glacier. No one attempted to stop us.

Coming back I again said we'd retreat the same way as I didn't like the look of the rockfall all around us - it was the worst I'd ever experienced. It proved a good call as that was the day before the ladders were damaged. phew

In reply to Tony the Blade:

Many thanks for your reply, much appreciated, Like you I will probably have a look at the ladders on the day , it seems there could be two problems, one the risk of further rock falls and secondly the extent of the damage and to the ladders. More than likely now I will use the gate by the entrance to the grotto and walk back up to the ladders and then up the glacier for an hour or so. Again many thanks for the information and prompt reply.

While I'm on the site, we're thinking about buying "Multipasses" for the valley lifts, trains etc, has anyone used them? are they good value? we don't really want to hire a car if we can get about in the valley without one

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

Sorry I didn't reply to you, been on holiday. But ye the gondola kind of tucked under the station. And the infamous ladders are there because when the Montenvers station was originally built you could walk straight out onto the surface. Now the glaciers about 100m lower down. Sad really.

RN

In reply to rossn:
There are wee signs as you walk down the (metal) steps from the gondola below the Montenvers station. 'Extent of ice in 1980', 1991 et etc. Quite alarming how much thickness of ice has been lost.

There are paintings in the alpine museum in Chamonix showing the ice coming all the way down to the valley floor in the 1800s - we need another Maunder minimum to cool things down again (admittedly half the world would starve in the process)

In reply to Tony the Blade:
Was out there mid week and the general consensus was to not use the ladders as the amount of rain etc had meant that there's a lot more rockfall going on. We walked down the stairs on to the mdg as the gondola doesn't start til 10:30. Certainly used it on the way back up though