The History of the Early Luxury Chalet Vacations to Chamonix Mont Blanc France
As far back as 1770 the inaugural guest house was opened in Chamonix. Prior to this Chamonix France was a wild and craggy farming village where folks caught their own animals and farmed their own cereals.
Farmhouses at this time were used to farm dairy cows over the summer months. Their milk was preserved by turning it into cheese and preserved down in the valley for eating over the cruel winters. In the snow season the barns were bolted, and any valued possessions were put safely in a liitle mazot.
Quite who invented the chalet holiday is nameless, it was in all probability a few zealous folk who realized a formula which was new and exciting. For Erna Low it started whilst she was a nostalgic alumna who couldn’t visit her parents back home as frequently as she liked. And so in 1932 she took a risk and took out a advertisement in the papers to tempt clients on a ski vacation. For only £15 they traveled to and from the skiing resort, enjoyed food and board in the sole hotel, and took skiing gear and lessons. The holiday was arduous work, there were no ski lifts, no safety bindings, only leather shoes, but it was such a hit that Erna Low continued to take friends on holiday, seeing to it that she found fantastic lodges and ski guides.
Chalet trips during the beginning were a long way from the luxury ski chalets we get now. Hot water was in short supply, washrooms were shared with all of the guests, and there wasn’t a cook; all the clients were expected to help out with the chores. It was a real gamble who might be in the chalet for a holiday, one might be agreeably surprised to encounter new allies, or grimace at the thought of having to spend any more time with them.
Chalet holidays were later publicized on their extra benefits. Your own cook, who would serve you breakfast and dinner and made you a cake, private bathrooms hot water for washing.
