What is Helbronner Point?
La Helbronner Point, an iconic peak located on the border between France and Italy in the Mont-Blanc massif, reaches an altitude of 3,462 to 3,470 meters. It is located between the Grand Flambeau and the Aiguilles Marbées, marking the line of demarcation of the waters between Haute-Savoie and the Aosta Valley.
The name of this summit pays tribute to Paul Helbronner, an eminent French polytechnician, mountaineer and geodesist. He is recognized for his major contribution to the Cartography of the French Alps. Geographically, Pointe Helbronner stands out as the arrival point of the Skyway Monte Bianco cable car, which leaves from Entrèves (near Courmayeur) as well as the Panoramic Mont-Blanc cable car. The latter crosses the Vallée Blanche and the Géant glacier from the Aiguille du Midi, in France. Close to its summit, the Torino refuge welcomes visitors.
It also serves as a starting point for ski descents on the Géant glacier in the direction of Montenvers or up to Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, as well as for various hikes to the surrounding peaks. Pointe Helbronner offers a spectacular view over the Aosta Valley and over the whole of Piedmont.
The Helbronner cable car, a spectacular ascent
On the Italian side of Mont-Blanc Massif, the Skyway Monte Bianco cable car offers unique access to an altitude of almost 3,500 meters, starting from Courmayeur to reach Helbronner Point. Travelers can enjoy two stops in between, with attractions like a terrace with panoramic views, a botanical garden, and a museum dedicated to crystals.
At the French border, this Italian cable car offers a rapid ascent of nearly 2,200 meters in just 15 minutes, from the south of the Mont-Blanc Massif to Pointe Helbronner, a peak located on the Franco-Italian border and culminating at 3,466 meters.
The cable car cabins leave every 15 minutes. From the outset, they offer a spectacular view of the massif and the Helbronner Point. A first stop is offered at the Pavillon du Mont-Fréty (at an altitude of 2,200 meters), where there is a mountain cellar for refining wines, restaurants, shops, a play area for children, as well as a conference room. From the end of June to the end of September, it is also possible to visit the Saussurea Botanical Garden, which features a large collection of alpine plants.
The highest point of the cable car experience is 1,300 meters higher at Helbronner Point. With its 14-meter-diameter round terrace and the Mont-Blanc room, visitors can enjoy a breathtaking 360 degree view of the highest peak in Western Europe, as well as iconic mountains such as the Matterhorn, Monte Rosa, and Gran Paradiso. An exhibition of crystals from Mont-Blanc is also to be discovered there. For adrenaline lovers, the Sky Vertigo offers the vertiginous experience of walking above the void.
From Helbronner Point, it is also possible to enter the Route de la Vallée Blanche, a 24 km itinerary leading to Chamonix. More information on the timetables and prices of the Skyway Monte Bianco cable car is available on the attraction's official website.
Pointe Helbronner — Aiguille du Midi: how to do the crossing?
Zoom on the Aiguille du Midi
THEAiguille du Midi, which rises to 3,842 meters above sea level, dominates the Arve Valley and the city of Chamonix, an emblematic place ofMountaineering in France. Its summit is the site of the highest television broadcasting antenna in France and also marks the arrival point of the cable car coming from Chamonix. The considerable altitude difference between Chamonix (at 1,035 meters) and the summit station of Aiguille du Midi (at 3,777 meters) requires a change of cabin at Map of the Aiguille. The name “Aiguille du Midi” probably derives from its position in relation to Chamonix, the sun being at its zenith above the summit around noon.
Make the Aiguille du Midi — Helbronner crossing
The crossing between Pointe Helbronner and Aiguille du Midi connects these two legendary peaks thanks in particular to the spectacular Panoramic Mont-Blanc cable car. You can also make a Pedestrian crossing offering direct access to the high mountains, with their breathtaking panoramas and that unique feeling of being suspended above the roof of Europe. However, it should be noted that this route involves its own risks with a passage over a glacier.
In terms of the direction to take for the Crossing between Helbronner and the Aiguille du Midi, several options are available.
- You are in good physical condition: you can consider going back and forth from any starting point. Note that the positive altitude difference is greater in the Helbronner direction towards the Aiguille du Midi, making this direction more physically demanding!
- You prefer to make a single crossing: the Panoramic Mont-Blanc cable car can be used to go or return.
Since the Helbronner Point in Italy, direct access to the Géant Glacier is under the Grand Flambeau, at 3,559 meters. The crossing, oriented generally to the north-west, begins with a Descent to the Col des Flambeaux, where you can admire the Panoramic Mont-Blanc suspended magically in the air thanks to an incredible system of stretched cables.
In the direction ofAiguille de Toule, you then have to navigate through the crevasses formed by the junction of the Géant and Tour Ronde glaciers, before passing under iconic peaks such as the Grand Capucin, Pointe Adolphe Rey or the Tacul Pyramid. The climb continues under the Mont Blanc du Tacul to the Gros Rognon pass (3,400 meters) before branching west towards the Col du Midi, then north towards the Cosmices' refuge (3,613 meters).
This route offers not only spectacular views of mountaineers in action but also of the areas of bivouac in the snow, reserved for high mountain adventurers. Following the well-marked trail, you will reach theArête de l'Aiguille du Midi, where the climb is getting steeper and steeper. Snow conditions can vary, and thus make the track on the north-east ridge well laid out and secure, or even more difficult and challenging. Whatever the situation, the experience on the ridge is extraordinary and breathtaking. Once at the top, enjoy the view before going down by cable car!
