A Tale of the Inaugural Chalet Breaks to Chamonix Ski Resort

Back in 1770 the 1st guest house was opened in Chamonix Mont Blanc France. Prior to this Chamonix France embodied a savage and rugged rural place where the locals caught animals and farmed their wheat.

Farmhouses back then were used to breed herds over the spring and summer. The cows milk was preserved by turning it into cheese and stocked down in the valley for use over the hard wintertimes. In the winter season the farms were bolted, and any valuables were put safely in a tiny shed.

Who invented catered chalet holidays is unknown, however it was likely a few passionate chaps who realised a formula which worked. For entrepreneur Erna Low it started when she was a homesick graduate and could not see her siblings back home as frequently as she would like to. So in 1930 she took a risk and put a small ad in the London Times to tempt guests on a ski vacation. The cost was £15 and they journeyed to and from the village, were provided with breakfast and dinner and accommodation in the only pub lodging, and paid for ski hire and tuition. The holiday was laborious , there were no lifts, no quick release fixings, only hard leather shoes, it was so popular that Erna Low carried on taking skiers on vacations, guaranteeing she found fine accommodations and ski guides.

Ski chalet holidays during the beginning were very different from the luxuries we can experience now. In the early days hot water was in limited supply, bathrooms would be used with all of the customers, and there was no a cook; the guests were expected to help out. It was a real gamble who might be in the accommodation for a trip, one may be agreeably surprised to encounter brand new skiers, or grimaced by the thought of spending another day with unpleasant guests.

Ski holidays were later publicized on its other benefits. A chef, who served you breakfast and an evening meal and prepared you a cake.

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