BiPartition

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

The Story of the First Chalet Vacations

1770 was when the first hotel was opened in Chamonix town.

Before this Chamonix Mont Blanc was a savage and tough agrarian village where the populace captured their own animals and harvested their own cereals.

Barns back then were used to stock dairy cows during the spring and summer.

Their milk was preserved by turning it into cheese and kept in the village for consumption over the long winters.

During the winter season the barns were locked up, and all valuables were secured in a small shed.

Who invented catered chalet holidays is nameless, it was likely several passionate folk who realized a idea which was novel.

With Erna Low it all began when she was a unhappy alumnand could not afford to visit her parents in Austrias much as she liked.

Therefore in 1931 she gambled and put a small ad in the papers to invite guests on a skiing holiday. For £15 they journeyed to and from the ski resort, were provided with food and lodging in the sole hotel, and had skiing gear and instruction.

The trip was difficult, there were no chair lifts, no quick release bindings, simply hard leather boots, it was so popular that she carried on taking skiers on breaks, guaranteeing she used superior hotels and ski guides.

Ski holidays in the beginning were very different from the luxury ski accommodation we can experience nowadays.

In the early days hot water was in short supply, the bathrooms would be shared out with all of the guests, and there was no a chef; all the guests needed to muck in.

It was a real gamble who may share the lodge for the holiday, one may be pleasantly surprised to encounter brand new acquaintances, or grimaced by the thought of spending another day with unpleasant guests.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 12th, 2009 at 3:47 am and is filed under Lots Of Travel Resources. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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