Chamonix town's history although intertwined with modern day alpinism, was first mentioned in the history books as distant as 1091 when the Chamonix valley was gifted to the Abby of St Michel de la Cluse in Italy. Then it was a hard, tiring place to live in and only the tough sheep farmers subsisted .



Over shadowed by Western Europe's highest peak, Mont Blanc, at 4809m, majestically reins over the Chamonix valley and has inspired poets (such as Shelley and Byron), walkers and alpinists for decades. In recent times, the area was discovered by a couple of Englishmen, Pococke and Windham who reached the Mer de Glace in 1761. Local mountain enthusiasts and explorers followed eager to reach the summit of Mont Blanc and in 1786 the first ascent of Mont Blanc was executed by two locals from Chamonix, Balmat and Vallot. An enormous achievement when one thinks about how rudimentary their equipment was. Scientists of the day Saussure, Goethe and Bourrit soon followed. At the turn of the century the first woman to ascend Mont Blanc was Marie Paradis and in 1821 the famous 'Compagnie de Guides' was started.

In 1893 skiing started to arrive and Chamonix opened several hotels. In 1924 the original Olympics were contested in Chamonix and soon the first package trip was organised by Arnold Lunn. From 1927and in the late 50's and 60's two big engineering jobs were completed, Europe's highest cable car, the Aiguille du Midi which gives access to France's longest ski run, La Vallee Blanche at 22km and the Mont Blanc tunnel connecting France and Italy.

The modern day Chamonix valley still reflects the essence of that pioneering era with some impressive architecture, the Alpine Museum and the Chamonix church being good examples. The town, equally popular in throughout the year is busy, jostling and lively with a chic make-up.