Bossons Glacier

Most glaciers in the Alps have retreated up the mountain, but the Bossons still reaches down towards the valley floor, with its snout at about 1,425 metres, said by the tourist office to be the lowest in the Alps for a glacier of its kind. It pours in one piece from the summit of Mont Blanc at 4,805 metres, a vertical drop that few glaciers on Earth can match, and from the viewpoints you can see the blue-white ice, the lateral moraines and the towers of broken ice called seracs, sometimes shedding blocks with a dull thud. The simplest way to get close is the Bossons chairlift, which starts on the edge of the village at around 1,050 metres and carries you up in a slow, open ride to a viewing terrace and a small chalet. The glacier can be seen for nothing from the road and from the valley path; the chairlift is the paid extra that brings you to the ice.

The chairlift is a summer service. It typically runs from around early summer to mid-September, weather permitting, and closes outside that window, so check the tourist office page for the season before you plan. The round trip takes about an hour in total with time at the top, which makes it one of the easiest glacier outings in the valley.

The ride itself is part of the pleasure, a slow, open chair through larch and rock, with the ice-fall growing steadily larger ahead of you. The chalet at the top is a two-minute walk from the arrival point, with a terrace overlooking the glacier's tongue, an indoor exhibition on how the glacier lives and the Little Ice Age, and local food and drink.

For those who want to walk, two routes start from the chalet. The Pyramids path climbs for views of the glacier's waterfall of ice, the seracs and the ice pyramids, while the Jonction hike goes much further, up to a rocky spur at around 2,589 metres with views of the Bossons and Taconnaz glaciers.

The tourist office notes that Balmat and Paccard used this route on their first ascent of Mont Blanc in 1786. The Jonction is a serious mountain walk that should be done only in settled weather, with good boots and a sensible start time, and you should ask the High Mountain Office or the tourist office about conditions first.

The lift is on the Chamonix side of the valley, a short bus ride from the centre, and the nearest railway stop is Bossons station, about fifteen minutes on foot, with a car park on site. Go in the morning, when the ice is clearest and the lift queue shortest, and bring a warm layer, because the air coming off the glacier is cool even on a hot day.

Expect to hear the glacier as well as see it: the cracks and the creaks are part of the show. In poor visibility the ice-fall disappears, so use the same weather window you would choose for the Aiguille du Midi.

Think about timing in the wider day. Because the chairlift is short, it pairs well with a morning at the Mer de Glace or an afternoon in town, and it is one of the few glacier outings that works well for visitors who do not want the cold and thin air of the high lifts.

Photographers should aim for the hours when the sun lights the ice from the side, and anyone sensitive to heights should know that the chairs are open, with a drop beneath your feet for part of the ride. Bring a rain jacket too, because showers build quickly on summer afternoons.