Télécabine de Planpraz, Aerial gondola in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France

The Télécabine de Planpraz is a gondola lift whose lower station stands at 1,092 metres in the Chamonix valley, near the town centre, and whose upper station sits on the Planpraz plateau at 2,016 metres. The lift covers 1,832 metres with a vertical rise of 924 metres and a maximum gradient of 96.60%. Its base building has a broad gabled roof, a large wooden wheel mounted above a balcony, and a metal staircase along its left side; two cables run from a pylon on the roof ridge up the mountain, carrying white eight-seat cabins.

A first cable car section from Chamonix to Planpraz opened in 1928, taking 15 minutes; the section up to Le Brévent followed in 1930. In 1979 a six-seat detachable gondola by Montaz Mautino replaced it, reusing the old concrete pylons. These were demolished when the current eight-seat gondola was built in 2008.

The gondola is the first of two lifts used to reach the summit of Le Brévent; from the Planpraz plateau, at 2,016 metres, it connects to the lower station of the Brévent cable car. Hikers use it to join the Grand Balcon Sud trail, and in winter it gives access to the Brévent ski area.

The lower station sits near Chamonix town centre at 1,092 m, and the upper station at Planpraz reaches 2,016 m, so expect a temperature drop and carry a layer. From Planpraz, the Brévent cable car continues higher, and the Grand Balcon Sud trails leave from the plateau. The climb covers 924 m over 1,832 m of cable.

Midway up the mountain, a restaurant called La Bergerie provides a place to rest and take in views. From this stopping point, several long hiking routes branch out toward alpine lakes, making it a natural place to pause during exploration.