Chamonix

Chamonix-Mont-Blanc
Chamonix Valley seen from the south
Location of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc
Country	France
Region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department	Haute-Savoie
Arrondissement	Bonneville
Canton	Chamonix-Mont-Blanc
Intercommunality	Pays du Mont-Blanc
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Éric Fournier
Area 1	245.46 km2 (94.77 sq mi)
Population  (2006)	9,514
• Density	39/km2 (100/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	74056 /74400
Elevation	995–4,810 m (3,264–15,781 ft) (avg. 1,035 m or 3,396 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix (French pronunciation: [ʃamɔni]) is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics, the first Winter Olympics. The commune's population of around 9,800 ranks 865th within the nation of France.

Situated near the massive peaks of the Aiguilles Rouges, Chamonix shares both the summit of Mont Blanc and the title of highest commune in France with its neighboring commune, Saint-Gervais-les-Bains. The commune is well known and loved by skiers and by mountain athletes of all types. Mont Blanc, at a height of 4,810 metres, is the third most visited natural site in the world. This lends the area a notably cosmopolitan atmosphere. With an area of 245 square kilometres, Chamonix is the fourth largest commune in mainland France.

Geography

Settlements

The commune of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc includes 16 villages and hamlets. From north to south: Le Tour (1462 m), Montroc, Le Planet, Argentière (1252 m), Les Chosalets, Le Lavancher, Les Tines, Les Bois, Les-Praz-de-Chamonix (1060 m), Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, Les Pècles, Les Mouilles, Les Barrats, Les Pélerins, Les Gaillands, and Les Bossons (1012 m).

Mountain sports

Chamonix is a popular winter sports resort town in France. As the highest European mountain west of Russia, Mont Blanc holds a special allure for mountain climbers, and Mark Twight has 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, and canyoning.

Chamonix is famous for its spectacular cable car up to the Aiguille du Midi (3842 m). 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 (3462 m) from Entréves in the Aosta Valley (Italy) it is possible to cross the entire Mont Blanc Massif by cable car.

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).

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.

The west face of the Petit Dru above the Chamonix valley near the Mer de Glace

Chamonix is also a haven for advanced skiing and snowboarding. The Vallée Blanche glacier runs down from below Mont Blanc du Tacul and the Aiguille du Midi to the valley. This spectacular route can be skied or snowboarded, though care should be exercised due to crevasses. 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). Many of these provide challenging terrain, especially off-piste, with runs down to Switzerland.

There is also a ski resort at Les Houches.

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. 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.

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. Francis de Sales came there in 1606). But travellers for pleasure were very rare.

Horace-Benedict de Saussure monument at Chamonix. Beside him is Jacques Balmat.

The first party to publish (1744) an account of their visit was that of Dr. Richard Pococke, Mr. William Windham and other Englishmen who visited the Mer de Glace in 1741. In 1742 came P. Martel and several other Genevese, in 1760 H.B. de Saussure, and rather later Marc Th. Bourrit.

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.

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.

The holding of the first Winter Olympic Games in Chamonix in 1924 further raised Chamonix's profile as an international tourist destination.

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

• Montenvers Railway (Cog railway from Chamonix to Montenvers, above the Mer de Glace)
• Mont Blanc Tramway (Cog railway from St. Gervais to Nid d'Aigle at Mont Blanc)
• Telepherique d'Aiguille du Midi
• Panoramic restaurant at the top station of the Brévent cable car (impressive views of the Mont Blanc Massif)
• Alpine Museum Chamonix
• Statue of Horace Bénédict de Saussure (initiator of the first ascent of Mont Blanc)
• Statue of Michel-Gabriel Paccard who along with Jacques Balmat, made the first successful ascent of Mont Blanc in 1786

Transportation

Roads

The town of Chamonix is serviced by French Route Nationale 205 (RN 205), nicknamed the Route blanche, or "white route", due to its snowiness. This is an extension of French autoroute 40 (A40), similarly nicknamed the autoroute blanche, which ends at Le Fayet, a village in the commune of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains. The 11.6-km Mont Blanc Tunnel originates here, linking Chamonix to Courmayeur in Italy. Chamonix is linked to Switzerland by what used to be RN 506a. In 2006, it was converted to a Route Départementale 1506, with a part of it integrated into RN 205.

Rail

Chamonix is served by the metre-gauge St Gervais-Vallorcine Line, operated by SNCF. The line from Saint Gervais (on the standard-gauge rail network) to Chamonix opened in 1901; it was extended to Vallorcine in 1908. The line holds the record for the steepest gradient on any standard (i.e. adhesion) railway.

From Vallorcine, the rail route continues over the border into Switzerland, meeting the SBB network at Martigny. This latter section, a metre-gauge cog railway, is operated by Transports de Martigny et Régions SA. The train service from Vallorcine to Martigny is known as the Mont Blanc Express. Timetables on the St Gervais-Vallorcine and Vallorcine-Martigny sections are synchronized.

The 5.1-km Montenvers Railway is a cog railway that provides access to the tourist site of Montenvers. Opened in 1909, its rail station was built right next to SNCF's Chamonix station on the St Gervais-Vallorcine Line line. In fact the two stations are directly linked. Montenvers provides further tourist access to middle and high mountain areas.

Cable Cars

Chamonix has one of the highest cable cars in the world, which links the town to the summit of the Aiguille du Midi at 3842 m. On the other side of the valley, another cable car links Chamonix to the viewpoint of Planpraz. This cable car is based on an older system built in 1920, modernized in 1979, and upgraded again in 2008. A second line links Planpraz to the summit of Le Brévent at 2525 m. Many other cable cars exist in the valley, and are heavily used by skiers and residents alike.

Other

The nearest airport to Chamonix is Geneva Airport. Just over one hour by motorway. Airport Transfers are available.

Buses also circle throughout the valley all year round.

Twin towns

Chamonix is twinned with:

• Aspen (Colorado)
• Cilaos (La Reunion)
• Courmayeur (Italy)
• Davos (Switzerland)
• Fujiyoshida (at the foot of Mount Fuji in Japan)
• Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany).

In popular culture

• The valley is mentioned in Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, as the scene of an encounter between the doctor and his monster.
• English author Jonathan Trigell lives in Chamonix; the setting for his second novel Cham.
• James Salter's novel "Solo Faces", based on the life of climber Gary Hemming is set in Chamonix.
• The valley is the set of the Alias episode "After Six". Sydney and Vaughan need to break into a chalet in Chamonix by getting through a lethal response system built by Toni Cummings, played by Vivica A. Fox.
• Chamonix is a snow track on Sony's Gran Turismo 4.
• Chamonix is a Chilean ice-cream brand, owned by Nestlé
• Chamonix shares Mont Blanc with the Italian comune of Courmayeur and Saint-Gervais.
• Chamonix is the stage name of Kurtis Mantronik for the Kurtis Mantronik Presents Chamonix EP 'How Did You Know' (2003)
• The town and surrounding area is where The World Is Not Enough skiing scenes were filmed, and where the cast and crew stayed.
• Ray Smuckles has his MasterCard on file with the government of Chamonix.

See also

• Communes of the Haute-Savoie department
• Mer de Glace
• Mont Blanc Massif
• Mont Blanc Tunnel
• Montroc
• The Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt

Panorama of the Chamonix valley

External links

• Chamonix on Wikitravel
• Official site of the city of Chamonix Mont-Blanc Template:Fr icon
• Official site of the Chamonix Tourism Office - events, news, accommodation and more for visitors Template:En icon Template:Fr icon
• Official site of the mountain infrastructure in the Chamonix valley - first hand lift & piste info, lift passes, avalanche risk, etc Template:En iconTemplate:Fr icon
• Pictures of Chamonix and info