At around 12,467 feet above sea level in the French Alps, a crew of eight top mountain technicians are working to complete a seriously impressive high-altitude engineering feat. They’ve been tasked with replacing the 70-year-old footbridge that sits at the top of the Aiguille du Midi, a walkway that sits thousands of feet above open air.
The crew is working in temperatures around -4°F while constantly being blasted by alpine winds. A helicopter was needed to bring in the 16-meter steel span, requiring months of planning to account for freezing temperatures, flight stability, and the maneuvering required to get the structure in place. Four months of preparation was needed for just about an hour of actual on-site installation.
Once they complete the new footbridge, it will be capable of withstanding winds up to around 157 mph. The crew is shooting to complete final adjustments by December 15th and hoping to reopen the Aiguille du Midi site to the public by December 20th.
