A Tale of the Inaugural Skiing Trips to Chamonix Mont Blanc France
In 1770 the inaugural guest house was opened in Chamonix Mont Blanc. Prior to this Chamonix constituted a savage and tough agrarian town where locals hunted their animals and grew their own wheat.
Farms at that time were used to farm dairy herds over the summer. The cows milk was kept by transforming it into cheeses and kept down in the valley for use during the cruel winter times. During the winter the barns were barred, and any valuables were secured in a shed.
Quite who invented catered chalet holidays is unknown, it was in all likelihood numerous enthusiastic people who acknowledged a formula that people liked. For entrepreneur Erna Low it started when she was a nostalgic student who could not see her siblings in Austria as often as she wished. Therefore in 1932 she took a risk and put a small advertisement in the London Times to tempt clients on a ski trip. The cost was £15 and they travelled to and from the skiing resort, had food and lodging in the solitary inn, and paid for ski equipment and lessons. The vacation was arduous , there weren’t any lifts, no safety bindings, simply leather shoes, it was so popular that Erna Low kept on taking groups on holiday, ensuring she employed supreme accommodations and ski guides.
Chalet vacations during the early years were a long way from the luxuries we can enjoy nowadays. Hot water was in short supply, washrooms would be used by all of the customers, and there wasn’t a cook; the clients had to help out with the chores. It was a real gamble who might share the chalet for a vacation, you could be pleasantly surprised to encounter brand new acquaintances, or not gel with the group.
Chalet holidays were later advertised on their extra pluses. A chalet chef, who served you cooked breakfast and an evening meal and even made you a cake, numerous bathrooms hot water for washing.
