La Flégère: gondola, altitudes and views of Mont Blanc

Nearly 1,900 m for the gondola's arrival station. Wikidata gives 1,900 m for the locality itself, at 45.9611° north latitude and 6.8856° east longitude, in the commune of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc. Published sources differ by a few metres on the station: 1,899 m on the Wikipedia article about the gondola, 1,877 m on the one about the site, 1,894 m on the RandoBase sheet this site already cites.

By gondola, from the village of Les Praz de Chamonix. The lift replaced the cable car that had served La Flégère since 1956. The line is 2,237 m long and has twelve pylons, for a stated capacity of 2,000 people per hour.

Compagnie du Mont-Blanc prices three distinct journeys: Les Praz to La Flégère, La Flégère to the Index, and Les Praz to the Index end to end. Each exists as a round trip and as a one-way ticket, with an adult fare for ages 15 to 64, a youth and senior fare for ages 5 to 14 and 65 and over, and a Tribu fare for two adults with two young people. Children under 5 travel free on presentation of proof of age. People with disabilities and their companion get a 50% discount, bought at the ticket office. This site does not reproduce the amounts, which the operator publishes on its timetable and prices page, linked at the bottom of the page.

From 20 June to 13 September 2026. Compagnie du Mont-Blanc publishes this period on its annual openings page and splits it into three periods, each with its own timetable: from 20 June to 10 July, from 11 July to 30 August, from 31 August to 13 September. The operator specifies that these dates and times are indicative and may be changed. Check the time of the last descent on the day itself, since it changes from one period to the next. For summer 2026, Compagnie du Mont-Blanc also flags works at the exit of the arrival station: refurbishment of the public toilets and staff premises, enlargement of the outdoor area, with a worksite and materials storage zone.

The Lac Blanc trail starts at the arrival station, and taking the gondola saves about 800 m of climbing from the valley. It passes the Lacs des Chéserys, between 2,150 and 2,200 m, which offer a shorter turnaround for a half-day. The waters of Lac Blanc reflect the Aiguille Verte, the Grandes Jorasses and Mont Blanc.

The Grand Balcon Sud links La Flégère to Planpraz over 5.5 km, according to the official sheet of the Chamonix-Mont-Blanc valley, which rates it orange level. The trail stays around 2,000 m, facing the massif, on terrain of rock slabs and scree. This section belongs to the route of the GR Tour du Mont Blanc and the GR 5: walking it means covering a real section of the TMB without committing to the whole loop. A round-trip ticket leaves the choice of coming back down via La Flégère or via Planpraz.

A six-seat chairlift extends the gondola to the highest point of the ski area, which Compagnie du Mont-Blanc gives as 2,396 m. This figure applies to the lift's arrival: none of the sources consulted separately publishes the altitude of the Aiguille de l'Index rock, so it is not given here. In winter, La Flégère has fourteen runs: three black, six red, three blue and two green.

The La Flégère plateau opens onto the Aiguilles Rouges national nature reserve, created by ministerial order on 23 August 1974 and then reclassified by decree on 27 January 2010. It covers 3,276 ha across the communes of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc and Vallorcine, and ASTERS, the Haute-Savoie natural areas conservancy, manages it by agreement with the ministry. Dogs are banned, even on a lead.

Both viewpoints face Mont Blanc from the Aiguilles Rouges. La Flégère serves the lakes, Lac Blanc and Chéserys, that the Brévent does not reach. The Brévent goes higher, 2,525 m, and gives a side-on view of the Goûter normal route up to the summit of Mont Blanc, at 4,805.59 m according to the 2021 IGN and OGE survey. A connecting cable car links the two sub-areas, but it is a ski-area lift: in summer, the link is made on foot via the Grand Balcon Sud. For a first day in the valley with walking on the programme, La Flégère; for the panorama alone, the Brévent.