1770 was when the very first tourist hotel was opened up in Chamonix village.

Prior to this Chamonix village was a wild and craggy agricultural hamlet where folks hunted their animals and grew their wheat.

Chalets at this time were used to farm herds over the summer months.

The milk was preserved by making it into cheese and butter and kept in the valley for use during the long winters.

In the winter season the barns were locked up, and any valued possessions were put safely in a liitle shed.

Who devised the chalet vacation is obscured by time, it was probably numerous spirited folk who realized a idea which was novel.

For entrepreneur Erna Low it commenced when she was a homesick postgraduate and could not afford to visit her siblings in Austrias frequently as she liked.

And so in 1931 she took a punt and placed a small ad in the London Times to ask clients on a winter holiday. The cost was £15 and they journeyed to and from the village, had dinner and lodging in the sole hotel, and took skiing equipment and tuition.

The vacation was difficult, there weren’t any lifts, no safety fixings, just leather shoes, however it was such a hit that Erna Low continued to take people on breaks, ensuring she utilized great hotels and skiing instructors.

These Skiing trips in the beginning were a far cry from the luxury ski holidays we can enjoy today.

Back then hot water was in short supply, bathrooms would be used by all of the guests, and there was no a chef; all the punters needed to muck in.

It was a complete lottery as to who might be in the lodge for the holiday, one may be enjoyably surprised by meeting new allies, or have an uncomfortable week amongst strangers.