Forever Alpine

Chamonix is not just for the ski season, Brigitte Nicolas explores this captivating town at the foot of Mont Blanc and the wider Chamonix valley

- Brigitte Nicolas

Chamonix has long had year-round appeal for visitors, sparked by a British fascination with mountaineering on France’s tallest peak, Mont Blanc, back in the 18th century.

The business of property and tourism has been inextricably linked to the growth and development of the town. Today both ski trips and summer hikes attract tourists to the area, while house-hunters can maximise their use of a holiday home here year-round or easily set up a business catering to holidaymakers.

INTREPID EXPLORERS

It was in 1741 that Brits William Windham and Richard Pocock took a trip to Chamonix and became enthralled by its craggy mountains and otherworldly glaciers. At the time, the Chamonix Valley was a place of agriculture – farmers lived in huts on the mountainside and raised cattle – but tourism was soon to take over.

The British pair explored the Mer de Glace, the largest glacier in France at 7km long and 200m deep, and published tales of their adventure throughout Europe. This drew in celebrities and aristocracy, keen to holiday in the area and see the remarkable landscapes for themselves. All the while Mont Blanc, to the south of the town, was a looming temptation and a challenge to be conquered.

In 1760, Horace Bénédict de Saussure, from Geneva, offered a prize to the first person to reach the summit and 26 years later two local mountaineers, Dr. Paccard and Mr. Balmat, first made it to the top. During this time, Madame Coutterand opened the first hotel in the town in 1770, named l'Hôtel d'Angleterre, as it mainly received English guests.