The ultimate thrill if you’ve a head for heights: Glass cage that hangs over the edge of 4km-high mountain in French Alps


Racing heartbeat, heavy breathing, nausea, trembling, chest pain, a sense of impending doom. These are the symptoms someone who's afraid of heights might be struck with if we brought them to this spot.

Arrayed below and before him would be the snowy summits of the French Alps including, to the south, the mighty Mont Blanc - Europe's highest mountain.

He might not want to look down, but if you were to direct his head that way he would see below his feet a sheer drop of 12,604ft. Just a thin sheet of reinforced glass stands between him and oblivion.

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Not for acrophobics... The view from the Pas Dans Le Vide attraction at the summit of the Aiguille du Midi peak in the Mont Blanc Massif in the French Alps

Inches from oblivion: : Mathieu Dechavanne, head of the Compagnie du Mont Blanc, which runs the new attraction, stands in the glass cage 12,604ft up the mountain

Intrepid: A reporter looks at the mountains through the windows of the cage during a press call to the site this week. The refurbished site opens to the public on Saturday



Breathtaking: Some of the other symptoms of a fear of heights include racing heartbeat, nausea, trembling, chest pain, a sense of impending doom

These breathtaking panoramic photographs were taken in a glass cage at the top of the Aiguille du Midi peak, part of the Mont Blanc Massif range near Chamonix, south-east France.

The snow-packed vista they capture shows the highest peaks in France, Italy and Switzerland, as well as the biggest glaciers on the continent.

The new attraction, dubbed 'Pas Dans Le Vide' ('Step Into The Void'), is part of a refurbishment of the visitor centre at the summit of Aguille du Midi.

It is a glass box built around a metal frame which is suspended above the void, offering visitors a viewpoint previously only witnessed by Wile E Coyote just before he realises he's stepped off the mountainside.

Access to the site is via a precarious cable car ride - the highest in Europe - that carries sightseers 8,858ft up the side of the mountain.

Then it's onboard a second car which carries brave visitors vertically up the final 4,790ft to the magnificent views from the peak. There they can enjoy the peerless views of the Alpine landscape from what is being touted as Europe's highest attraction.

Step into the void: The snow-packed vista visible includes the highest peaks in France, Italy and Switzerland, as well as the biggest glaciers on the continent

Not for the faint-hearted: This view from below shows just how little is separating visitors inside the cage from a fall to certain death

At the top of the world: The new attraction is part of a refurbishment of the visitor centre at the summit of Aguille du Midi.

A spokesman for the Compagnie du Mont Blanc, the firm which operates the ski lifts and attractions in the area, said: 'Lovers of thrills will enjoy the new attraction of the site, Step Into The Void. This glass box, built around a metal frame will be suspended above the void.

'Perfectly integrated in existing buildings which it is a natural extension, this new element will have very little impact on the overall perception of the building and site as a whole.

'Accessible from the terrace, glass on five sides (three sides, ceiling, floor) it will allow visitors to understand the exceptionally empty and admire breathtaking views.'

The spokesman added: 'Step Into The Void is a first at this altitude , a first in the materials used , a first in the techniques used, first in the extreme conditions that can live here all the year.