Joseph Vallot, le scientifique du mont Blanc
Mountaineering scientist, naturalist and botanist, Joseph Vallot (1854-1925) pioneered high-altitude environmental research.
He climbed Mont Blanc 34 times and devoted forty years of his life to the study of high mountains.
As a visionary scientist, he imposed the idea that this research could be multidisciplinary (meteorology, glaciology, medical studies, photography, cartography, etc.) and applied.
He had the first observatory in 1890 an observatory practically on the summit of Mont Blanc, which was replaced in 1898 by another building at an altitude of 4,350 m.
At the age of 70, on his last ascent, Joseph wrote in the visitors' book of the Grands-Mulets refuge: "[...] I bid farewell to Mont Blanc. I bid farewell to Mont Blanc, to which I have dedicated my life. The observatory is still there, and the expeditions will continue with younger people, that's my consolation!".
After a number of ups and downs, the observatory was returned to France in 1931 and entrusted to the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in 1973. Today, it is managed by the CNRS in Grenoble, which renovated it in 2018.
Made an honorary citizen of Chamonix, of which he was a fervent supporter, as well as a selfless patron, he was also recognized by his scientific peers (Grand Prix des sciences de l'Académie des sciences) and mountaineers (President of the French Alpine Club).
100 years after his death, Joseph Vallot still inspires science in Mont-Blanc, and in particular the scientists at the Centre de Recherches sur les Ecosystèmes d'Altitude (CREA Mont-Blanc) who occupy his observatory in Chamonix.
REBIRTH OF THE VALLOT OBSERVATORY IN CHAMONIX
In 1880, almost one hundred years after the first ascent of Mont Blanc, Joseph Vallot, a pioneer of scientific research in the valley, reached the summit himself. Impressed by the massif, he decided to build two observatories for any scientist wishing to study this mythical peak: one perched on the shoulder of Mont Blanc and its twin in the valley at Chamonix, the Observatoire du Mont-Blanc.
Bequeathed to the French state on the death of Joseph Vallot, with the obligation to maintain the site's scientific vocation, the Chamonix Mont Blanc Observatory has successively housed the Paris Observatory, the CNRS, the Astronomy Club and then the Centre de Recherches sur les Ecosystèmes d'altitude (CREA Mont-Blanc), which has occupied the premises since 2002.
In 2013, when it was put up for auction by the French state, it was the scene of an unprecedented mobilization of Chamonix residents, researchers from all over France, the press and anonymous supporters of CREA Mont-Blanc, which led to its purchase by the Chamonix-Mont-Blanc town council in 2015. The latter made the site available to CREA Mont-Blanc in March 2023 via a 25-year Emphyteutic Lease, enabling it to carry out its renovation and transformation project in order to rehabilitate the site and make it accessible to all.
The association, recognized by the United Nations for its action on biodiversity and climate, is a research center on high-altitude ecosystems, a pioneer in participatory science, combining the use of new technologies with a passion for field observation.
Every year, thousands of citizen-observers are invited to collect and decipher information to conduct joint research on mountain ecosystems, including the unique and emblematic environment of Mont Blanc.
"THE NEW OBS OF MONT BLANC IN 2025
In order to modernize this scientific research center dedicated to alpine ecology, CREA Mont-Blanc has undertaken an ambitious project to renovate and expand the Vallot Observatory, thanks to the support of public partners such as the Haute-Savoie Department and private partners such as the Fondation de France and the Fondation du Patrimoine.
Click here to discover the project with the Fondation du Patrimoine
The renovation of the historic surrounding wall will be carried out by the commune of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc.
A mixed-use facility on an emblematic scientific site:
L'OBSERVATOIRE (CHALET VALLOT): Renovated, the chalet will provide a large workspace and meeting place for numerous professionals who will meet there for scientific stays and training courses.
THE NEW LABORATORY: The fruit of exemplary design and execution in the face of energy and climate challenges, this new facility will house the research activities of the CREA Mont-Blanc team and accommodate the researchers with whom it collaborates on projects.
THE SCIENTIFIC AND PEDAGOGICAL GARDEN : This sensory and experimental space will inform companies, mountain professionals and the general public about mountain ecology and the participatory scientific approach. Exhibits, scientific instruments used by CREA Mont-Blanc teams and participatory science protocols for testing will be on display.
Click here to see the CREA Mont-Blanc brochure.