Historic Sports Stores

In the Valley, sports stores aren’t just retail outlets. They’re observation posts. Places of passage, of sharing, and sometimes even of revolution. Long before Instagram-worthy storefronts, they mainly sold gear for survival, climbing, sliding… and dreaming a little higher.

Snell Sports: The Mountaineering HQ

Snell Sports, for example, didn’t just mark its 90th anniversary—it celebrated a love story. That of Marthe Devouassoud and Harold Snell, an American soldier who fell under the spell of the Chamonix native (and of Mont Blanc). In 1928, they opened “Aux Armes de Savoie.” Antiques out front, ice axes and carabiners in the back. Very quickly, British climbers got the word out. Roger Frison-Roche did too. The shop became a headquarters. In 1934, the “Snell, Sporting Goods” store made its mark on Rue Paccard. There, you could find the latest innovations and run into the great figures of mountaineering. In the 1960s and 1970s, skiing boomed, the Mont Blanc Tunnel changed the game, and Chamonix became the world capital of mountaineering. Snell moved across the street, expanded, and even added an indoor climbing wall. Next door, “Snell’s Field”—the family’s property where the Orthaz Stone is located—became a hangout for beatnik mountaineers. Later, Japanese visitors arrived in droves—passionate, loyal, and sometimes settling there for good—and were thus nicknamed the “Japoniards.” Today, it’s Olivia, the fourth generation of the Snell family, who carries on the long history of this iconic store.

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Sanglard Sports: Swiss precision, Chamonix-style

Meanwhile, Sanglard Sports was forging its own legend. Arriving from the Swiss Jura in 1924—the year of the first Winter Olympics—Fernand and Claire Sanglard opened their shop on Rue Paccard. Skiing runs in the family’s veins: their son Maurice became a French champion and Olympian, and Nicole, one of their daughters, became a ski instructor. Even today, Sanglard remains a trusted choice for locals who come for equipment maintenance, precise boot fitting, and no-nonsense advice. With two locations—one in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc and one in Argentière—the same philosophy endures.

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Ravanel & Co: Endurance in Their DNA

More recently, Ravanel & Co has brought a new energy to the scene—that of endurance sports, whether trail running or ski touring. Founded in 1998 in Les Praz, the brand quickly gained momentum. In 2003, a second store opened in downtown Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, dedicated to running, climbing, and downhill sports. Ravanel didn’t just follow trends—it saw them coming. International trade shows, the first trail-running booth at the UTMB, in-house events like the Nordic Monster Test and the Run & Skate in Chamonix… The brand has established itself as a pillar of today’s outdoor culture. Leading up to Sentier, the latest addition—or rather, the next generation. In 2025, Léo and Tom Ravanel will open an ultra-contemporary trail-running concept store, born from a collaboration with Nike ACG. For them, trail running isn’t just a sport—it’s a lifestyle, a form of self-expression, and an aesthetic. Proof that the story continues to unfold—differently, yet still firmly rooted.

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In the Valley, sports stores tell the story of its evolution better than anyone else. From hand-forged ice axes to cutting-edge technical gear, there’s a common thread: passion, passed down from generation to generation.