Chamonix - is it possible to do Aiguille du Midi and the ice cave in one day?

We have done both in one day, mostly to take advantage of a 1 day pass to access both. It is a busy day but totally doable depending on when you actually arrive and depart.

Its a bit tight , but if you get an early start , you can do it without rushing .

And a follow up question - if you can only do one, which one? I have been many times to the Rocky Mountains in Banff.

Thats a tough choice , but for me the Montenvers train and the Mer de Glace at the top would be my choice

Do the Aiguille du MIDI for sure. Start early and get to the top 2-3 hrs would cover all to do there. If you want to rush it then you can do the rail to the ice cave. I’ve skied from the top back to the rail station on the Mer de Glacé. Vallee Blanche is the official name of the decent. Unbelievable place dot miss it if possible and get up early and hope for blue skys

Karen,

And a follow up question - if you can only do one, which one?

I highly recommend going up to the Aiguille du Midi as it’s magnificent!

Just make sure you’re familiar with the symptoms associated with altitude sickness.

My daughter and I visited Chamonix at the end of May (2016), and took the Montenvers train to see the Mer de Glace, but no one was allowed off the train due to unsafe conditions.

I hope you get a sunny day in Chamonix!

My one experience was 20 whole years ago, March 2003. May will be different, of course, and 2 decades is a long time. Anyway, this was skiing, so we took the Tram to the top, and awkwardly walked down the metal staircase in ski boots to the snow. After skiing down the Mer de Glace - an all-day affair, we got on the train and rode past the ice cave, and the one from the year before, which the glacier had moved down the mountain.

The summit offers stupendous views, and I understand there are some exhibits that weren’t there 20 years ago at the top. Maybe that’s reason enough to do just that, and while it’s a special place, with its own views, I’ve been on many a summit, and seen many a spectacular view out over peaks, on several continents.

But an ice cave is very different. Being inside a glacier isn’t something that happens too often. And this years’s cave is a one-time deal - they’ll dig another next year, and this year’s will be off-limits. Plus, the mountain train was a neat experience - I’ve been on a lift or two, gondola, Tram, or aerial cable car (but wait, isn’t that something on tracks, in San Francisco?), so while that’s fabulous, if I had just the one option, I’d go with the train and ice cave. Get on some snow and (very slowly) moving ice!

Hope you can do both, but don’t miss the train and the ice cave.

You can definitely do it in one day. Some things to consider:

• you should make a reservation time for the Aiguille du Midi ascent once you have your ticket. The possible downside of this is that weather may be a factor, but the alternative is getting to the plaza and finding you have to wait a while to to go up.
• it's not possible to make a reservation time to descend, and the line between the first and second gondolas may be different (read: worse) than the initial line
• it's about a 15 minute walk between the AdM and Montenvers
• while you're not at as high an altitude as the AdM, the climb up from the cave back to the train is non-trivial.
• there are restrooms in all the buildings and places to get food as you go past the town walking between the two attractions.

Well, after driving the highway between Banff and Jasper, I was underwhelmed by the Alps, which I saw from Austria to Chamonix on the RS My Way tour. I thought the train to the ice cave was interesting, the view of the glacier not much, after walking on the Athabasca glacier. I skipped the ice cave but others on my tour very much enjoyed it. (lots of stairs down to get there).

As far as which one if you can only do one, it depends on your interests.

As noted a previous comment, the cave carved annually out of Mer de Grace glacier requires a long stairway down and up to enter the cave. It's quite an experience to see and put your hand on the ice in the middle of an alpine glacier -- something you probably never would do again. And, few things drive home the reality of glacial retreat in response to climate change like descending those stairs and passing signs well above the glacier's current level indicating its level not long ago (well within your lifetime, I'm certain).

That said, the trip to Aiguille du Midi and especially continuing on to Helbronner in Italy is an incredible opportunity to see, fairly up close, a wide range of alpine glacial landforms that really spell out the dynamics of how glaciers affect the geomorphology of mountains. It's incredible and memorable -- I doubt you'll forget it. To best enjoy it, I would recommend doing some reading ahead of your visit on the Internet or at your local library about alpine glaciers and what they do to mountains. Here is one from the U.S. National Park Service that might be a good start. Click on each subtitle to get a more detailed page with larger images.