Iconic Mont Blanc Gondola Plummets to Valley Floor after Icing Up

Spanning a huge 3.1 miles between the Aiguille du Midi above Chamonix, France and the Pointe Helbronner above Courmayeur, Italy, the Panoramic du Mont Blanc is one of the most iconic mountain lifts in the world.

Over the weekend a buildup of ice, over 2 feet round in places, broke one of the gondola cables, sending multiple cars crashing to the floor in the upper reaches of the Vallée Blanche, reports Nevasport.com.

Lift operators and repair crews are hoping to dismantle the gondola in the coming weeks before they reevaluate the structural integrity of the cable system.

The gondola is often ridiculed by locals and is infamous for being the most dangerous in the Mont Blanc Massif.

Fortunately, the lift is closed during the winter months, or this incident could have been much worse.