From 4 Nov to 20 Dec 2013 inclusive, the Aiguille du Midi cable car is closed for the planned annual maintenance.
UPDATE: During the maintenance closure, the cable of the Aiguille du Midi Cable car is being shortened (the first section). It is a normal operation, as the cable lengthens after a period of time. In order to continue the good work of the cable car, the cable must be shortened and extended for its normal tension.
The work process is not very difficult but requires a big working staff and a numerous team of assemblers. This multi-day operation involves a team of individuals untwisting tens of metres of steel cable and then re-twisting the two ends together at regular intervals in order to complete one single loop. The clables are rewired in a tight spiral and pressed under heat and power (to obtain a better splice).
The process was explained by Emerick Desvaux, the operating supervisor at Compagnie du Mont-Blanc. This year the Aiguille du Midi Telpherique is closed for 7 weeks.
The extended closure allows for completion of the new and exciting feature to grace the Aiguile du Midi: The Step into the Void.
