The €150 million Grands Montets cable car project in Chamonix hit a set back last week when a crane involved in the construction of the new lift collapsed.
The crane, located on the Aiguille des Grands Montets, broke in two during a defrosting operation.
As it fell, a piece of crane hit the cliff wall causing a rockfall, but no one was injured.
New lift was due to open in December 2026
At this early stage, it’s unclear how this will affect the schedule of the project, which began last spring. It was scheduled to open in December 2026.
The original cable car has not operated since a fire at the mid-station in September 2018.
Crane broke during de-icing
Mathieu Dechavanne, director of the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc, said that the accident happened after six days of bad weather, which included snow and high winds.
“The teams in charge of the cable car construction accessed the site on the morning of Wednesday 09 October. The de-icing operation began at midday. At 12:45, when the jib was moved to facilitate de-icing, it broke and fell to the floor.”
All staff were immediately moved lower down the mountain to the mid-station hub at 2200m to debrief.
The broken crane has been secured and will be inspected by a drone or helicopter. Depending on that inspection, it will either be stored or secured for the winter.
