Chamonix to... Italy?

Seems doable.

I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer but I've been to Chamonix twice and have yet to get to the top-most site. Both sections were out of commission on my last scheduled visit this spring - entirely shut down for about a week due to maintenance needs- email notification came late in the day we had a reserved slot for (I happened to see the notice the night before when I checked the weather) and I was only able to get midway on a trip in September 2018. Maintenance issues again. I won't be there this August when you are so if I'm the bringer of bad luck, you're safe! You may want to have a plan B just in case.

Hi 'goanywhere',

Thank you for your reply. Yes, and on top of it, a little bit of research says that it's not a good idea to go up that high with a 5 year old? I'm reading on here people saying their pediatrician said it's not a good idea. When you were there, did you see kids go to the top? How young were they?

We're pretty bummed by the news. Will have to replan things if we can't go up the mountain.

Thanks

It is doable, but it will be a bit pricey.

You will have to purchase a one-day Mont Blanc Multipass for the 3 of you, this will allow
you to ride the Aiguille du Midi up, and the Skyway Monte Bianco down into Courmayeur.

You will also have to purchase a separate ticket for the Panoramique Mont-Blanc, which
can only be done in Chamonix, at either the AdM ticket office, or at the top station (I think).
This is what gets you across the glacier to the Skyway Monte Bianco.

My guess is that it will be close to $400 USD to do this. It's mainly because the pricing for
the Multipass is very regressive.

In Courmayeur, you can then catch a bus to Aosta and beyond.

Note that there is no guarantee any of the schedules will line up. You will want to make
a timed reservation to go up the AdM, but tickets across the glacier are first-come, first-served,
and I am not sure exactly where the bus station is on the Italian side. And you may spend
more time sightseeing along the way than you expect. All this to say that you should pad
the schedule and not cut it close.

Note - to add to goanywhere's reply, spring and fall are definitely saddle season, and while
repairs can be required at any time, August is prime summer season, so they have every
motivation from a $ standpoint to keep things humming.

Not only doable, but the single best experience I've ever had on a Europe trip.

We did it in the opposite direction. starting in Aosta, bus to Courmayeur, bus to La Palud, one cable car to Hellbronner, another to l'Aiguille du Midi, and a third down to Chamonix. All in an easy day.

For public transport on the Italian side: https://aosta.arriva.it/en/timetables-and-routes/

Where you are you going from La Palud? (don't plan to stay there; there is almost nothing in La Palud other than the cable car station). Courmayeur is a nice ski village. Aosta is the regional capital. Turin is reachable on the same day.

Hi Darrenblois

Have you done this trip with kids? My son will be 5 and a half at this time. They say kids below 3 are not allowed, and below 5 it's not recommended. But I'm seeing people online say that their pediatrician said to not even take their 11 year old. I don't want to risk my son's safety. Have you been up there with kids? What are your thoughts?

Have you done this trip with kids?

Why wouldn't you ask your family doctor directly if your child is healthy enough to do that?

If you are going to be in Chamonix for a bit before you potentially do this journey:

• buying a Multipass for multiple days will bring the (per day) price down considerably
• you can go up some of the lower trams/gondolas with your son and see how he reacts to being at, say 2500-3000m altitude. That may give you some indicator of how it might go at 4000m.
  
• yes, altitude sickness can happen without really being triggered, but if your son has been at altitude before and had no ill effects, I would, without medical expertise, think you could consider taking him and consult your family doctor to be certain (knowing they might give you a lot of caveats and not a straight answer).

Also, in August, just about any journey up the Aiguille du Midi is likely to be crammed full,
and at the top, it is going to be a lot colder than the valley. If your son is rambunctious and
may run around and get lost without supervision, there are a few places that could potentially
be life threatening (not because of the altitude, but potentially for falls).

To Artificial Intelligence:

Your question, though an obvious one, caught me a bit off guard. The short answer is that we did, and we are awaiting a response. But I think the reason that I’m skeptical of this course is that I don’t think the doctor would have much specific experience in this matter. I imagine she would likely Google it the way anyone else does, and then simply air on the side of caution (American doctors practice defensive medicine because of all the lawsuits) and likely advise against it, purely out of self preservation. A cynical view perhaps, but I work in healthcare myself and I know how things are here.

I’d feel much better if someone were to be able to tell me that in 2024 X number of 5 year olds went up Aguille du Midi and Y% of them had any medical issues.

In 2015 me, my spouse, my 9 year old daughter and my 5 year old daughter went up the Aguille du Midi. We stayed at the top for about 20-30 minutes before heading back down. Of the 4 of us, me and the 5 year old felt pretty bad from the altitude. Wife and 9 year old felt no ill effects.

For what it is worth. Our 2 days in Chamonix were two of the best of our lives. We did the Aguille du Midi first, then the mer de glacé after. Both were amazing. On the next day we went up the lifts on the other side and had a blast. The 2 day pass gets you unlimited lifts so we just went up and down a bunch of times. One was Brevant and the other was Flegere. Both days were spectacular and really fun.

OP, I am not sure you would want to rely solely on statistics here either, as altitude sickness
is an individual issue, and not solely an aspect of age.

If it were dominant in younger children, you would have much more specific guidance
than exists now. And that would point you in the right direction. Absent that, you'd
be making a judgement call on an ambiguous %. I agree (as I think I said) about the
likelihood that your MD will practice defensive medicine.

Apart from recommendations, if you take your child partway up earlier in the trip and
it goes well, making sure they're well hydrated before the major journey and are
eating along the way is the best thing I can suggest.

That’s very helpful, thanks!

If you don’t mind me asking - what sort of symptoms did you and/or your son experience?

Also - I understand there is some sort of station/restaurant at the top? A room at the very least? And is that not oxygenated? Can you not go in there and recover once you get to the top?

Also, from the research I’ve done it sounds like it’s less about the altitude sickness and more that the quick change in altitude can cause issues with the eardrums of children. I can’t confirm whether or not this is accurate though.

Have you done this trip with kids?

No, we were two adults. No trouble at all with altitude, except for a slight giddiness at l'Aiguille du Midi, but that may have been because the sky was so clear we could see the Matterhorn!

We were very tired feeling. Once we got back down we were fine.

Never got to the top so don't know if anyone with kids had planned to do so. Our trip in which we got part way was in September so less likely for kids to be present in that time period.

Regarding kids and altitude: I've always heard that it was a bad ideas for babies, but a 5 year old is old enough to let you know if they feel nauseous or otherwise really unwell. And altitude sickness is highly individual - and for the same person, if you've had it, going to the same altitude might trigger it again, or not.