Chamonix - Altitude

The rack railroad up to the Mer de Glace, and the glacier visit was great. It might have the same issues with altitude though, I am not sure how it compares with the other options in that regard. My wife and I found it a pleasant town and it's worth a visit even if you stay in the town and don't go up into the mountains. We were there in May and it fogged up in the afternoon, but at the glacier it was clear so we opted for that over the lifts.

I would second the glacier visit. the train ride, the scenery etc. for memory its only at around 3000 m. to get to the glacier caves it did involve lots of stairs, but well worth the effort. ( you don't have to do the glacier part, if you only want to view it and wander around )We did it as a day trip from Annecy. it was a great day. try and pick a good day with the weather.

We rented bikes and enjoyed a day of bike riding, mostly all flat, around and out of town along a creek. Beautiful scenery along the way.
There's also the toboggan (?) rides Rick describes in his guide.
The town of Chamonix is enjoyable in and of itself.
We also took a bus about 10 min east out of town and rode a gondola (fun) not too far up and walked in the lower portion of the Alps there. Paths are well groomed and easy. Also beautiful scenery.
I suffer from altitude and my son has severe heart disease and we had no problems.

Ryan,

Checking with your pediatrician would be a good idea, however I don't think you'll have any problems with the Brevent altitude unless there's a pre-existing condition. The altitude at the top of Brevent is 2525 M. / ~8300 ft. so you should be able to tolerate that, especially if you're only going for a day trip.

If you were travelling on the Aguille du Midi to Mont Blanc, that would be more of a concern (especially for the five year old) as the top altitude is about 3842 M. / 12,600 ft. The scenery is spectacular from there but it's an expensive trip, so if you were to have problems shortly after arriving, it would be a waste of money.

The Montenvers / Mer de Glace also shouldn't be a problem, although there are a lot of steps to reach the glacier. The chart on this website may be of some help in deciding which sights to see in that area......

https://www.chamonet.com/lifts/ski-system

I've found that I have no problems at 10K. ft. (such as the Schilthorn), but at 12.6K ft. I did have some problems after a few hours.

We did Mt Blanc (see above post re: pre-existing conditions) and had no problem other than shortness of breath. But it still was no problem if you move slowly. We went to the top of Jungfraujoch (which, I believe, is not as high as Mt Blanc) and I could not handle it. Had to leave immediately, which still takes time. I felt like I could not get a breath, splitting headache, and could not process info.
So even the same person can do fine one day at a high elevation, and not do well another day at the same or lower elevation.

There's a gondola stop part way up to the top of Aiguille de Midi, where you can get out, walk around and have nice views of the valley below and closer views of the Alps. I couldn't find the altitude for that stop.

Even at the base, the sun is strong. Protect your eyes, especially your son's and be sure to wear good UV protective sunglasses.

"There's a gondola stop part way up to the top of Aiguille de Midi, where you can get out, walk around and have nice views of the valley below and closer views of the Alps. I couldn't find the altitude for that stop."

I believe the Aguille mid point station is at an altitude of 2310 M / 7578 ft. which most people should be able to tolerate.

7500 feet isn't much more than the aircraft you fly to Europe on. Aircraft pressurization systems keep the cabin altitude about 6000 feet.

Not sure if your pediatrician will tell you but one technique for altitude is caffeine. Hydration is always important, the air is much dryer at altitude.

Overwhelming majority of people tolerate even quite higher altitude OK if it's for relatively short time. However to try to stay overnight there without acclimatization would be what I call pulling devil on his tail. We flew from China (practically sea level) into Lhasa (in Tibet, yes I know it's now part of China) and we slept there. 3600 meters above sea level. Only one person got altitude sickness and doctor had to be called. Then we went by bus across the pass which was at 5000 meters (16400 feet). We stayed there about half an hour.
Few people were feeling lightheaded otherwise no problem. But with 5 year old I would consult pediatrician preferably someone who got experience with high altitude.

I'm pretty sure that there is no way in advance to know if a person will have a problem. My experience is that age makes tolerating altitude more difficult, for what that is worth.

Very interesting article and advice here on climbing with kids, which I think applies here as well.

I took my 5 year old up brevant. No issues. Midi is different. Both the 5 year old and I felt bad.

Annecy's altitude is about 1500', Chamonix's is about 3000'.

Thank you everyone. I appreciate it very much.

Our youngest son was about 11 yrs old when we took the cable car to the Aiguille summit. He did become lightheaded/headachy. We went to the cafe and got hot chocolate and it seemed to subside so we were able to enjoy our time there. And of course the chocolat chaud in France is delish!