Chamonix: An Extraordinary History—The Epic Story of Skiing

At the end of the 19th century, the valley’s first pair of skis was brought back from Norway. These boards were replicated for traveling through the snow. Dr. Michel Payot was one of the first to regularly use skis to visit his patients.

A few years later, Joseph Ravanel made crossings between various mountain ranges around Chamonix. He invented “La Haute Route,” connecting Chamonix to Zermatt.

In 1909, Alfred Couttet was crowned French ski champion at the age of 20 and would later be nicknamed “Couttet Champion.”

The town hall proposed offering ski lessons to the young people of Chamonix. The goal was to make Chamonix a land of champions.

In 1924, the Glacier Station, connecting Les Pèlerins to La Para, was inaugurated. It was on this slope that the valley’s first ski runs appeared.

In 1937, Chamonix hosted the World Ski Games, and Émile Allais stood on the podium no fewer than three times.

In 1948, the valley’s fastest race was organized: the Kandahar. Originally held in Les Bossons, it is now held on La Verte des Houches.

At the 1954 Alpine World Ski Championships, Lucienne Couttet won the gold medal. She became the first French skier—and the first from Chamonix—to win this title.

With the construction of the Aiguille du Midi cable car in 1955, the legendary Vallée Blanche became one of the most beautiful glacial off-piste runs in the world.

In 1967, the Grands-Montets area opened up access to challenging runs with unparalleled vertical drops. Advances in equipment would make it an attractive destination for freeriding.

Starting in the 1980s, extreme skiing was driven by the region’s “enfants terribles”—“the bad kids”—Sam Beaugey, Jérôme Ruby, and Dédé Rhem, who left their mark on their era with their daring.

In 2001, Chamonix snowboarder Marco Siffredi made the first descent of Mount Everest via the north face at just 22 years old.

In 2009, local native Aurélien Ducroz became a two-time Freeride World Champion.

His protégé, Léo Slemett, would go on to win that title after him.

In extreme skiing, Vivian Bruchez shares his unique style through films shown in movie theaters around the world.

The Chamonix Valley offers extraordinary skiing in an exceptional setting, and the modernization of the ski lifts ensures its long-term viability.