The Story of the Very First Chalet Breaks to Chamonix Village
In 1770 the 1st hotel was completed in Chamonix Haute Savoie France. Prior to this Chamonix Haute Savoie France was a uncivilized and tough agrarian village where locals caught their animals and grew their own barley.
Barns at this time were used to raise cows during the summer months. The cows milk was conserved by transforming it into cheeses and kept in the valley for consumption over the hard wintertimes. Throughout the winter season the farmhouses were fastened, and valued possessions were secured in a hut.
Who devised catered chalet holidays is unknown, it was in all probability some zealous chaps who realized a formula that worked. With Erna Low it all began when she was a homesick graduate and couldn’t afford to visit her parents back home as much as she would like to. Therefore in 1933 she took a gamble and put a small advertisement in the papers to ask clients on a skiing trip. The cost was £15 and they travelled to and from the resort, had breakfast and dinner and accommodation in the solitary inn, and paid for ski equipment and instruction. Holidays were strenuous work, there weren’t any chair lifts, no safety bindings, just strong leather shoes, it was such a hit that she continued to take people on vacation, guaranteeing she found supreme chalets and guides.
The chalet breaks in the early years were very different to the luxury ski chalets we can experience nowadays. In the early days hot water was in limited supply, bathrooms would be used with all of the guests, and there was no a chef; the guests were expected to muck in. It was a complete lottery as to who might be in the lodge for the holiday, one could be enjoyably surprised to meet brand new allies, or not gel with the group.
Chalet holidays were later on marketed on their additional bonuses. A chef, who served you cooked breakfast and dinner and made you cakes, and {more warm water for bathing.
