A hand-dug ice cave is just one of several intriguing attractions at France’s longest glacier.
Given the terrifying rate at which most of the world’s glaciers are retreating, it’s hard to imagine the reverse scenario. But that’s exactly what happened during Europe’s Little Ice Age, a period between 1300 and 1850 when many of the continent’s glaciers went through a sustained growth spurt.
There are two ways to reach it from Chamonix – hike uphill for three hours through a dense spruce forest or catch the Montenvers train, a scenic cogwheel railway that makes the same journey in 20 minutes. No prizes for guessing which option I take. The view alone is worth the price of the train ticket, but the complex is also home to several intriguing attractions, the most improbable being the Ice Cave, a labyrinth of tunnels that has been quarried out of the glacier annually by the same local family since 1946.
For more interpretation in a balmier setting, a separate Glaciorium has interesting displays on glaciology and the effects of climate change. Also worth a look is the Temple of Nature, an old stone mountain refuge hut, where a short video plays inside and explains the history of tourism to the glacier.
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