Start of renovation works for the Aiguille du Midi lift

Schindler at the controls for the installation of the elevator duplex of the central piton.

As part of the vast renovation program for the Aiguille du Midi site, the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc has decided to replace the lift providing access to the site's summit terrace and to the famous “Pas dans le Void”.

The major work began on September 15 and will continue until spring 2015; access to the terrace, located at an altitude of 3 m, will therefore be closed to the public throughout this period. Schindler was chosen to take charge of this structure, which here confirms his skills in exceptional construction.

Two elevators to replace the old one

With an average of 5 people per day and more than 000 per year, the Aiguille du Midi is one of the most visited tourist sites in the Rhône-Alpes region. The recent opening of Pas dans le Void in December 500 increased attendance by 000% in winter. Beyond the skiers, it is now the tourists who come in increasing numbers to admire the majestic beauty of the Alps.

It was essential to improve the transport of visitors to the top and above all to guarantee them maximum safety. Dating from 1996, the current elevator, with a capacity of 16 people, will therefore be dismantled to make room for a new structure. A duplex of two independent elevators each accommodating 8 people, installed in a new shaft, will make it possible to regulate and streamline traffic, while providing an essential "plus" in terms of safety: never interruptions, even when one of the two devices is under maintenance.

An extraordinary site

Working in winter and outdoors at an altitude of 3 m: the challenge to which the technicians of the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc and Schindler will respond is up to the splendor and the challenges of this spectacular site.

It concerns all the stages of this enormous project, whether it concerns the medical preparation of the technicians, the adaptation of materials, or the specific technical design of all the elements.

“This change of elevator is more than a construction site, it is a real teamwork between professionals, with a real relationship of trust” indicates François Reutter, Director of the High-rise Buildings Division at Schindler France.

“The Compagnie du Mont-Blanc actively supports all the environmental scientific research that is going on at the top of the needle, in particular that on Permafrost and the Mal Aigu des Montagnes. The work which has just started also constitutes an opportunity to highlight this research and to consolidate our role of transmitting information to customers and visitors, to better make them understand that the environment in which they operate - the high mountain - is as hard as it is fragile. Each visitor, worker or mountaineer, must adapt without ever imposing himself. Each technician and / or worker at high altitude at the needle required to intervene in the operation has been medically tested, which is a first in France ”explains Mathieu Dechavanne, Chairman and CEO of Compagnie du Mont-Blanc.

The work undertaken on the Aiguille du Midi reinforces the experience and references of Schindler present in all the "highest" markets in Europe, including the service to the summit of the Little Matterhorn in Zermatt, at an altitude of 3 m.

A unique project for Schindler

Materials are transported mainly by cable car, with the exception of frames, cabin guides and counterweights which are transported by helicopter.
Sheathed materials benefit from protection against humidity and cold (-20 °).
The specificity of the place led to particular technical considerations, due to the level 2 seismic zone.
Another specificity: electromagnetic and keraunic protection (depending on the number of storms per year) are installed at the top.
Each cabin will receive a Schindler "Graphic Walls" * wrapping: complete immersion in the heart of the mountain guaranteed.

Sequence of operations:

October - November 2014: Sheath widening operation - Realization of concrete shell
Beginning of December 2014: Preparation of anchorages in sheath
January - February 2015: Assembly of the first duplex and provision for summit work
March - April 2015: Assembly of the 2nd duplex and site reception
May 2015: Opening to the public.

The "talking" figures of the site:

2 companies concerned: one for the expansion of the duct and Schindler (8 technicians on site)
Sheath widening on 70 cm
65 m shaft height
8.000 drilling points for the placement of detonating charges, i.e. the equivalent of one km of drilling
100 m3 of rock to be cleared at an altitude of 3 m.
Team work 6 days a week.