On Friday June 18 there was a meeting in the Chamonix town hall to discuss a new public service delegation for the Montenvers - Mer de Glace site, entrusted for a period of 33 years to the Compagnie de la Mer de Glace, newly created to lead the development project of this historic site while respecting its environment and exploiting it.
The entry into force of this new contract on July 1, 2021 announces the investment program that will be carried out over the first 4 years in order to meet the many challenges of the Montenvers site:
✔ Preserve and enhance the memory of a pioneer site in the history of the discovery of glaciers and access to high mountains.
✔ Protect and make discover a heritage, a landscape.
✔ Inform and educate visitors about climate change and its impact on the Mer de Glace glacier
✔ Improve the quality of the tourist service offer offered to visitors in terms of site discovery and access to the glacier
✔ Integrate and adapt the project with strict respect for the natural site of Montenvers (building architecture and technique)
This project is the culmination of 7 years of work between the teams of the town hall of Chamonix and the Compagnie du Mont Blanc to materialise the implementation of a tourism vision that respects and enhances the history, culture and the environment of an emblematic site while facilitating access to the high mountains.
The main stages of the project:
- December 2023, commissioning of the new Mer de Glace gondola
- December 2024, commissioning of the "Glaciorium" climate and glacier interpretation centre
