This is the web site for the cable car hope it helps you although it does not describe the ride up to the terminal.

Teleferico del Teide

You will find a number of tour operators run trips up to Mount Teide, alternatively you can hire a car and drive up there yourself! Some windy roads, but there are various places to stop along the way with fantastic views which you don't get to do on a coach. There are also a couple of nice little villages en route to stop for a drink in a little bar/cafe.
Queues do get big in high season yes, so slap on plenty of suncream!! Go midweek to try and avoid the biggest queues.
It can be quite chilly once you get to the very top - yes even in August! -so take a cardigan/jacket!
The cable car does rock a little due to the wind up there but it probably isn't as terrifying as you remember. That said, it depends how you are with heights etc! My mum wouldn't go on it for love or money!! It really is worth it and you should definitely go, the views on a clear day are amazing, and your kids will love the fact it's 'like being on the moon'!

If you are a smoker, beware! There is 30% less oxygen at the top, and you may become quite breathless. I did.

The cable-car ride is less scary than the Isle-of Wight Alum Bay one, because there is a ridge that hides the true height of the top platform. It really is worth the trip, though if you have a hire car, the road to Santa Cruz, along the mountain ridge is where you will see the most spectacular sights.

I returned from Tenerife the day before yesterday (17th Feb), with my son, aged 10, who had been desperate to go to the snowy top of Teide (I had been to the top about twenty years ago - this time of year), so we booked a half day excursion. It was not cheap (24 euros for adults, 12 for children). We were advised to be ready at 7.45am, but had a slip under our door the night before changing this to 7.30am. Having got up early to go, we toured Las Americas and Los Christianos for one and a quarter hours before we finally started the journey up to Teide. The day was fine (I had been praying that it would be clear so that we could go on the cable car, as this was the main purpose of our trip), but it was not until we got to the cable car level that we were told the cable car was not operating that day. I asked the guide why not, and he said that it was because the cable was frozen. Apparently there is usually more snow than there was last week at this time of the year, so I do not know why this was so, and how they manage in ski resorts/glaciers etc. We were then driven around the national park for the rest of the trip, stopping at a couple of cafes, where we were allowed 25 and 15 minutes (during which time we stood in queues for the whole time). We then started the descent, and when back in Las Americas, the coach made 19 stops before ours (I think they are so greedy that they have to completely fill one coach instead of using several)! We had therefore been on the coach for the best part of 7 hours. My son was devastated, and it was an utter waste of time. I think that the tour company knew that the cable car would be closed (I am not sure, but I think I heard someone say it was going to be closed for the next month), and they should have told us. After all, it apparently only takes 38 people, so how could they have had time for all the coach loads of people to queue to go up, and then to come down, in the duration of the trip. Never again. Sorry for the pessimistic reply, and I do hope you have a nice time. It might be worth asking about the cable car before you book, but I expect you'll be told they don't know until the day! Also, I don't like heights at all, but the coach driver was extremely skilful, and I wasn't too scared at all.

We went up mount teide last year when we were there.Really is a waste of a day.
Its not worth the money.
You dont even get right to the top you have to pay again when you are up there.
Only good thing is the cable car ride, and the view is okay.
I give it thumbs down.

I agree. At least you got to go up to the top on the cable car.

To save a wasted trip, pop into an internet cafe and check the real-time info at http://www.telefericoteide.com/ing/inforeal.php

Despite the above comments, I would recommend the cable-car trip if it is running, and the visibility is good. The views are spectacular!

Despite the previous comment, my main point was that the cable car ride was to be the high spot of my son's holiday, and he was very disappointed not to have been able to go on it. We adults were disappointed also - for him.

That's a real shame about your son being so disappointed. hope you enjoyed the rest of your holiday. To blue-moon, going in August, you are unlikely to find that the cable car is not running, however, on particularly windy days it can stop running periodically or sometimes for a full day. As I said, in August this is unlikely, the tour people selling the trip will tell you that it will run - 1 because they want your money, another reason is they couldn't possibly know. In the case of frank-the-cat they should have warned you it was a big possibility.
If you are ok with driving, I'd say to hire a car and make your own way up there, rather than get stuck on a bus for hours on end. Also you can check the weather and make your own judgement as to whether it is a clear day with little/no wind.

The snow has now melted on Tiede as its been boiling here for a full week now.

The cable car is old and the operators were given a severe telling off last year when it stuck half way up in freezing temperatures. The reason for the criticism was that the only way down from the cable car involved climbing on the roof, followed by a leap to a gantry before shinning down a frozen steal rope, then trekking in sub zero temperatures for 3 miles to safety!

Fortunately all made it including a 72 year old woman. But this year they have erred on the side of caution! (which is unusual for the Canarians)

Knowing this I'd be happy for my son to be disappointed not to be able to go rather then risk him having to do the above.

A grant for the updating of the cable car system is currently being sought by the tenerife government.