An Account of the First Catered Chalet Breaks to Chamonix Village
Back in 1770 the first alps accommodation tourist hotel opened in Chamonix France. Prior to this Chamonix village was a uncivilized and rugged rural village where the people hunted their own animals and harvested their own cereals.
Farms at that time were used to raise animals over the summer months. Their milk was preserved by changing it into different types of cheese and kept in the valley for consumption during the bleak winters. In the snow season the farms were bolted, and any valued possessions were locked in a liitle shed.
Quite who devised chalet holidays is obscured by time, it was likely some zealous people who recognised a pattern that was new and exciting. With Erna Low it started whilst she was a homesick alumna and couldn’t visit her family back home as frequently as she would like to. And so in 1933 she took a risk and took out a small advertisement in the London Times to invite clients on a ski vacation. The cost was £15 and they traveled to and from the resort, had food and board in the sole inn, and had skiing equipment and lessons. The holiday was arduous , there were no skiing lifts, no safety bindings, just strong leather shoes, however it was so successful that Erna carried on taking friends on holiday, making sure she utilized superb hotels and ski instructors.
The chalet breaks in the beginning were a far cry to the luxury we receive today. Hot water was in limited supply, the bathrooms would be shared out with all of the guests, and there wasn’t a cook; the punters needed to help out with the chores. No one knew who might share the accommodation for a holiday, you may be pleased to meet brand new friends, or spend a week of hell with people you didn’t get on with.
Ski holidays were later on marketed on its other pluses. Your own chef, who served you breakfast and an evening meal and baked you afternoon tea, lots of hot water for bathing.
