白朗峯：你還好嗎? (Dear Mont Blanc, wish you well)

 

Walking on the edge of the steep slope, Mont Blanc, French Alps

Have been seeing team by team walking down.  I trust down there scenes must be very breath taking.  Check on photo 2 - even one person walking in solitude.  However, I have seen the helicopter rescuing team with their life saving equipment frequently.

Standard room, Heliopic Hotel & Spa, Chamonix, French Alps

The room was very cozy but the lighting was a bit too dim.  It was quite full that they could get the room ready after 4pm.  Perhaps this is the peak season for this skiing town.  I could also see that from the busy cable cars just right across the hotel.  

A cable car ride to Aiguille du Midi, Mont Blanc, French Alps

Aiguille du Midi (Peak of the Central), takes a panoramic view of Mont Blanc and the French Alps.  Was amazed at how this cable car was built and yet the car can take 60 persons in maximum loading.  In another way, I found myself be squeezed into a sardine can.  It cost EUR63 for one roundtrip but you can buy a day pass at EUR65 which is good for you to take another cable car ride to Le Brevent (opposite to Mont Blanc on the other side of Chamonix valley).

It was minus 21 degree celsius up there and I wondered if my snow gear was tough enough to withstand such a harshest environment.  Ended up my gloves and shoes weren't.  The hand phone's camera could work in the first few minutes and I was amazed with the tough design of Canon 5D.  

Up on the peak, there were 2 sites.  One was the platform for the cable car terminal with a passage linked to the peak point where there was a needle tower with a glass bottom observation rink and room.   There was an elevator to bring you up for another 70 meter higher level.

at 3,840 meters high, Mont Blanc, French Alps

Flew over this area so many times that I didn't expect I could be down here on this spectacular mountain area.  It was minus 21 degree celsius and 65% oxygen level.  Felt headache and a bit dizzy with short breath.  So I had to clam down a bit so as not to consume too much oxygen.