Breathtaking view of Mont Blanc @ 3842m

Unless you're an avid hiker or mountaineer, Mont Blanc is a place that you've heard of before, but feels unattainable, mythical.

Mont Blanc is like a mysterious princess. She is not on request, but by pure luck you might see her face once in your life time.

So many have lost their lives traversing the fields of snow with the wind chill through your bones, just to be close to her. But not all pilgrimage have to be that challenging. thanks to France's highest cable car, with some blessing of the weather, you'll find yourself on top of many mountain peaks, above the clouds, without having to hike or climb at all.

And here it is, the majestic Mont Blanc.

The cable car takes you from the valley floor in Chamonix to the site of Aiguille du Midi. The Aiguille du Midi cable car holds the world record for the highest vertical ascent of 2807m (from 1035m to 3842m).

There are two legs of the journey. The first leg will bring you to the Plan de l'Aiguille at 2,317m. For the advanced adventurers, this is where you'd get off the cable and access off-piste skiing, hiking, rock climbing and paragliding (seasonal).

The second leg feels like a lift to the heavens. This part of the cable journey is unsupported by any pillars or pylons, and traverses through Les Pelerins glacier before arriving at the top station at 3778m.

Stepping out of the cable you'll come across a narrow footbridge shortly, which connects the cable car top station with the Central Piton terrace. An elevator inside the rock rises the visitor to the top terrace at an altitude of 3,842m. The other option is to take the staircase that wraps around the edge to the platform. It's only about 3 flights of stairs but can be a little challenging with the thin air and lack of oxygen. The staircase option may not be for everyone, especially those with fear of heights, but the incredible view of the mountain peaks will no doubt take your breath away.

Literally, I was so out of breath it took me more than an hour to walk up the 2-3 flights of stairs to reach the viewing platform.

Travel always teach you something about yourself, connect you with the world, and you might learn some survival tricks. For me, I learned that I'm not great with altitude. I've never been on mountains this high, certainly not in the course of around 30 minutes.

I was all excited taking videos during the cable ride, until the moment the cable car reached 3778m and stopped. Immediately I felt like throwing up and my head was falling to the ground. My ear started buzzing and the side of my vision started to blur, I knew I was about to pass out.

If you ever find yourself in a similar situation here, fear not, there's a medical room and very friendly staff who'll tuck you in the medical bed. Take the time you need to recover, or if you don't feel better, make sure you don't linger and just take the cable car back down. Mont Blanc will always be here.

After about 20 minutes lying down, I felt a little recouped, and my curiosity could kill a dozen of cats. I exited the medical room at last, and slowly made my way to the stairs.

That said, for anyone who feels unwell here, please do not get ahead of yourself. Being curious is great, but being alive is better.

Every single stair up made me feel nauseous, so I took it really easy and set down for about 5-10 minutes after each step.

"Are you okay?!", some very lovely British lady asked.

"I'm just taking my time, a bit sick with the altitude."

"Would you like a photo while you're here?."

Oh ok, well, why not.

"At least you've got a great smile."

That was me, out of breath but putting a smile on for the moment.

Speak of random act of kindness.

There were many others who walked past me who didn't appear to be affected by the altitude, as much as they enjoyed themselves they didn't forget to offer help.

A Swiss couple were taking selfies and since I was sitting there doing nothing, I asked if they could use a hand for photo-taking. While I was focusing on taking the best shots for them, they were rather worried about me and offered a handful of lollies. A new trick I learned - take lollies with you when you're going high altitude. The sugar worked wonders and I was able to finally make my way to the top.

While at the top, a group of Vietnamese travellers offered me tiger balm and mint oil. which helped me to breath better.

There's something about being in the presence of Mont Blanc. I'm sure all these kind strangers are usually nice people, but the experience is so humbling and somehow triggers stronger sense of humanity. My gratitude at this point is bigger than the altitude.

This cable trip to the Aiguille du Midi was more than what I expected. It's not just yet another tourist attraction with a dear price tag. The openness, freezing wind, thin air and the strange silence felt surreal, as if time has stopped.

It is an experience you'll never forget.

Practical info:

💡 if you're prone to altitude sickness, you may wish to take some preventive medication before the cable ride.

💡wear appropriate sun-protection and polarised sunglasses. The sun's strength is amplified greatly at this altitude and gets worse with the reflection off the snow and ice.

💡check the weather forecast and webcams before you go. The weather conditions change quickly in the mountains, and can be very cloudy. If you're on a mission to see Mont Blanc, we suggest that you pick the sunniest day possible (but know that it might still change, good weather is never on-demand).

💡 it's cold up there so make sure you're rugged up! Even if it might have been a warm day at the valley floor in Chamonix, the temperature can drop by about 20C. Bring your beanie, gloves and scarf, a few layers of warm cloths and definitely something wind-proof. Better safe than sorry!

💡you can book your ticket ahead and choose your date on the official website here