The refuge lies nearly directly above the 11.6 km (7.2 mi) Mont Blanc Tunnel, which passes deep underground, and connects Courmayeur to Chamonix.

The original hut was built by the Turin section of the Italian Alpine Club in 1898, near the cable car station.

It is situated on the southeast spur of Pointe Helbronner, at the terminus of the second section of the Mont Blanc cable car at 3,329 m (10,922 ft).

[1] From the refuge, climbers can descend to the Toula Glacier or the Vallée Blanche, or do one of the numerous ascents on ice in the Combe Maudite and Mont Blanc du Tacul basins.

[1] In the summer, the hut operates a bar and restaurant with a terrace that offers panoramic views of all the surrounding peaks of the Aosta Valley, the Savoy, and the Valais.