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Panorama of the Chamonix valley
Panorama of the Chamonix valley

Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix (pronounced [ʃamɔni] in French) is a town and commune in eastern France, in the Haute-Savoie département, at the foot of Mont Blanc. A town is a type of settlement ranging from a few to several thousand (occasionally hundreds of thousands inhabitants although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Haute-Savoie ( Arpitan: Savouè d’Amont / Hiôta-Savouè) is a French department, named for its location in In the context of the political and geographic organization of France and many of its former colonies a department (département depaʁtǝmɑ̃ is an Administrative division Mont Blanc Massif The Mont Blanc ( French for white mountain) or Monte Bianco ( Italian 'White Mountain' also At the census of 1999 it had a population of 9,830 inhabitants and a land area of 116. INSEE ( French: I nstitut N ational de la S tatistique et des É tudes É conomiques; inse (not) in French is the 53 km² (44. 99 sq mi). The town lies at an altitude of 1,035 metres. It held the 1924 Winter Olympics. The 1924 Winter Olympics, officially known as the I Olympic Winter Games, were a Winter Multi-sport event which was held in 1924 in Chamonix

Aiguille du Midi and Mont Blanc seen from Le Brévent, a paraglider is in the foreground
Aiguille du Midi and Mont Blanc seen from Le Brévent, a paraglider is in the foreground
The west face of the Petit Dru above the Chamonix valley near the Mer de Glace
The west face of the Petit Dru above the Chamonix valley near the Mer de Glace
Chamonix Valley seen from the south
Chamonix Valley seen from the south

Contents

Geography

Chamonix-Mont-Blanc is located at 45°55′8″N, 6°51′55″E. The Aiguille du Midi (3842 m is a Mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps. Mont Blanc Massif The Mont Blanc ( French for white mountain) or Monte Bianco ( Italian 'White Mountain' also Paragliding is a recreational and competitive flying sport A paraglider is a free-flying foot-launched Aircraft. The Aiguille du Dru (also the Dru or the Drus; French, Les Drus) is a Mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the The Mer de Glace ( Sea of Ice) is a Glacier located on the northern slopes of the Mont Blanc massif in the Alps. The Chamonix valley runs from northeast to southwest, and is watered by the Arve, which rises in Le Tour. The Arve River flows for approximately 100km (62 miles through France, in the département of Haute-Savoie, and (for a few kilometers History See also:CategoryTour de France by year The dominant sports newspaper in France The Arve is joined by the torrent l'Arveyron, which rises in the famous Mer de Glace just above Chamonix. The Mer de Glace ( Sea of Ice) is a Glacier located on the northern slopes of the Mont Blanc massif in the Alps. On the southeast towers the snowclad summit of Mont Blanc (4808m), and on the northwest the less lofty, but rugged chain of Le Brévent (2525m) and of the Aiguilles Rouges. The Aiguilles Rouges (Red Needles is a crystalline mountainous Massif of the northern Alps, opposite the Mont Blanc massif A number of villages and hamlets stretched out along the valley belong to the commune including Les Bossons (1012m), Les Praz (1060m), Argentière (1252m) and Le Tour (1462m). Les-Praz-de-Chamonix (more commonly known as Les Praz) is a mountain village in the French Alps, part of the commune of Chamonix. Argentière is a mountaineering village in the French Alps, part of the commune of Chamonix. History See also:CategoryTour de France by year The dominant sports newspaper in France The valley is connected via the Col de Montets (1461m) to Martigny (Switzerland) in the Rhône Valley. Martigny ( German Martinach, Latin Octodurum, sometimes also Octodure in French) is the capital of the French Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation The Rhone, or the Rhône is one of the major Rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France.

Mountain sports

Chamonix is a popular winter sports resort in France. A winter sport is a Sport commonly played during Winter. As a formal term it refers to a sport played on Snow or Ice, but informally can refer The 1924 Winter Olympics were held here. The 1924 Winter Olympics, officially known as the I Olympic Winter Games, were a Winter Multi-sport event which was held in 1924 in Chamonix As the highest European mountain west of Russia, Mont Blanc holds a special allure for mountain climbers, and Jon Krakauer, in an essay in his collection Eiger Dreams, described the town as "the death-sport capital of the world" because Chamonix serves as an ideal playground for almost all types of outdoor activity, especially in their more extreme variants, such as ice climbing, rock climbing, extreme skiing, paragliding, rafting, canyoning. “Alpinist” redirects here See also Alpinist (magazine Mountaineering is the Sport, Hobby or Profession of Jon Krakauer (born April 12, 1954) is an American writer and Mountaineer, well-known for outdoor and mountain-climbing writing Eiger Dreams Ventures Among Men and Mountains is a Non-fiction Short story collection by Jon Krakauer concentrating on Mountaineering Outdoor activities usually mean activities done in nature away from civilization such as Hill walking, Trekking, Canoeing, Running Ice climbing, as the term indicates is the activity of ascending inclined ice formations Rock climbing is a Sport in which participants climb up or across natural rock formations or man-made rock walls with the goal of reaching the Extreme skiing is Skiing performed on long steep (typically from 45 to 60+ degrees or grades of 100 to 170 percent slopes in dangerous terrain Paragliding is a recreational and competitive flying sport A paraglider is a free-flying foot-launched Aircraft. Rafting or whitewater rafting is a challenging recreational activity utilizing a Raft to navigate a River or other bodies of water Canyoning (known as canyoneering in the US is traveling in Canyons using a variety of techniques that may include Walking, Scrambling,

Chamonix is famous for its spectacular cable car up to the Aiguille du Midi (3842m). An aerial tramway is a type of Aerial lift in which a cabin is suspended from a cable and is pulled by another cable The Aiguille du Midi (3842 m is a Mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps. Constructed in 1955 it was then the highest cable car in the world. Together with a cable car system going up to the Point Helbronner (3462m) from Entréves in the Aosta Valley (Italy) it is possible to cross the entire Mont Blanc Massif by cable car. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest

In the summer months Chamonix is a mecca for alpine mountaineers, drawn to the area by challenges like the north face of the Dru, the Frendo Spur on the Aiguille du Midi, traversing the Alps on the legendary GR 5 footpath or more accessible challenges like summitting Mont Blanc (by a number of possible routes). GR5 is also a variant of the " Harrier Jump Jet " The GR 5 is a GR footpath that starts in The Netherlands, crosses Belgium

Apart from high-mountain summer sports, Chamonix is also a destination for the hardcore mountain biker. As well as the obvious lift-assisted areas for Freeriders there are hundreds of kilometres of challenging hidden singletrack trails - often only found with the help of guides.

Chamonix is also a haven for advanced skiing and snowboarding. Snow skiing is a group of sports utilizing Skis as primary equipment Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a Snow -covered slope on a Snowboard attached to a participant's feet using a special boot set into a mounted binding The Vallée Blanche glacier runs down from below Mont Blanc du Tacul and the Aiguille du Midi to the valley. "Glacial" and "Glaciation" redirect here For the geological periods see Glacial period. Mont Blanc du Tacul (4248 m is a Mountain in the Mont Blanc massif of the French Alps situated midway between the Aiguille du Midi and This spectacular route can be skied or snowboarded, though care should be exercised due to crevasses. A crevasse is a Fracture in a Glacier caused by a large Tensile stress at or near the glacier's surface Aside from that, the valley has about six separate ski areas, including Le Brévent (a short but steep walk from the town centre), La Flégère (at Les Praz), Les Planards (ski area for beginners and early intermediates), Les Grands Montets (at Argentière) and Domaine de Balme (at Le Tours). A ski area is a developed recreational facility usually on a Mountain or large Hill, containing ski trails and vital supporting services Argentière is a mountaineering village in the French Alps, part of the commune of Chamonix. Many of these provide challenging terrain, especially off-piste, with runs down to Switzerland. Backcountry skiing is Skiing in a sparsely inhabited Rural region over ungroomed and unmarked slopes or Pistes More importantly the land and the snow pack

There is also a ski resort at Les Houches. Les Houches is a village and commune in the Haute-Savoie département, in the French Alps.

History

The valley was first mentioned in 1091, when it was granted by the Count of the Genevois to the great Benedictine house of St. The Genevois is a former province of the Duchy of Savoy. Its capital is Annecy and other centres include Faverges, Thônes, and La Clusaz Benedictine refers to the Spirituality and Consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in Michel de la Cluse, near Turin, which by the early 13th century had established a priory there. However, in 1786 the inhabitants bought their freedom from the canons of Sallanches, to whom the priory had been transferred in 1519. Sallanches is a commune of the Haute-Savoie département, in France.

In 1530, the inhabitants obtained from the Count of the Genevois the privilege of holding two fairs a year, while the valley was often visited by the civil officials and by the bishops of Geneva (first recorded visit in 1411, while St. A fair is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated Carnival or Funfair entertainment Geneva (Genève is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French -speaking Francis de Sales came there in 1606). This article is about the Roman Catholic saint For churches named after him see Saint Francis de Sales church. But travellers for pleasure were very rare.

Horace-Benedict de Saussure monument at Chamonix. Beside him is Jacques Balmat.
Horace-Benedict de Saussure monument at Chamonix. Horace-Bénédict de Saussure ( February 17, 1740 - January 22, 1799) was a Swiss aristocrat Physicist and Alpine traveller Beside him is Jacques Balmat. Jacques Balmat, called le Mont Blanc (1762 - 1834 was an Italian mountain guide

The first party to publish (1744) an account of their visit was that of Dr. Richard Pococke, Mr. Richard Pococke ( 19 November 1704 - 25 September 1765) was an English Prelate and anthropologist. William Windham and other Englishmen who visited the Mer de Glace in 1741. William Windham Senior, FRS (1717 – 30 October 1761) was an English landowner a member of an ancient Norfolk family The Mer de Glace ( Sea of Ice) is a Glacier located on the northern slopes of the Mont Blanc massif in the Alps. In 1742 came P. Martel and several other Genevese, in 1760 H.B. de Saussure, and rather later Marc Th. Bourrit. Horace-Bénédict de Saussure ( February 17, 1740 - January 22, 1799) was a Swiss aristocrat Physicist and Alpine traveller Marc Theodore Bourrit (1739-1819 was a Swiss traveller and Writer.

The growth of tourism in the early 19th century led to the formation of the Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix in 1821, to regulate access to the mountain slopes (which were communally or co-operatively owned), and this association held a monopoly of guiding from the town until it was broken by French government action in 1892; thereafter guides were required to hold a diploma issued by a commission dominated by civil servants and members of the French Alpine Club rather than local residents. In Economics, a monopoly (from Greek monos, alone or single + polein, to sell exists when a specific individual or enterprise has sufficient A diploma (from Greek δίπλωµα diploma, meaning "folded paper" is a Certificate or Deed issued by an educational institution See also Bureaucrat The term civil service has two distinct meanings Branch of governmental service in which individuals are hired on the basis The Club alpin français, usually referred to as the CAF, is a federation of club promoting mountain sports.

From the late 19th century on, tourist development was dominated by national and international initiatives rather than local entrepreneurs, though the local community was increasingly dependent upon and active in the tourist industry.

The commune successfully lobbied to change its name from Chamonix to Chamonix-Mont-Blanc in 1916. However, following the loss of its monopoly, the Compagnie reformed as an association of local guides, and retained an important role in local society; it provided the services of a friendly society to its members, and in the 20th century many of them were noted mountaineers and popularisers of mountain tourism, for example the novelist Roger Frison-Roche, the first member of the Compagnie not to be born in Chamonix. A friendly society (sometimes called a mutual society, benevolent society or fraternal organization) is a mutual association for insurance-like A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story

The holding of the first Winter Olympic Games in Chamonix in 1924 further raised Chamonix's profile as an international tourist destination. The Winter Olympic Games are a winter Multi-sport event held every four years

By the 1960s, agriculture had been reduced to a marginal activity, while the number of tourist beds available rose to around 60,000 by the end of the 20th century, with about 5 million visitors a year.

Sightseeing

Statue of de Saussure in town centre
Statue of de Saussure in town centre
Descending the Aiguille du Midi Téléphérique into Chamonix
Descending the Aiguille du Midi Téléphérique into Chamonix

Facts and figures

See also

External links

The Haute Route, (or The High Route or Mountaineers' Route is the name given to a route (with several variations undertaken on foot or by ski touring between Chamonix, Zermatt (Praborgne is a municipality in the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. The Mont Blanc Massif (Massiccio del Monte Bianco Massif du Mont-Blanc is a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. The Mont Blanc Tunnel is a Road Tunnel in the Alps under the Mont Blanc mountain linking Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, Montroc is a town in eastern France, located in the territory of the commune of Chamonix.

Dictionary

Chamonix

-proper noun

  1. A town in the département of Haute-Savoie.
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