Located
nestled between the towering Mont-Blanc
range to the south and the Aiguilles Rouges
mountains to the north, this valley claims
to be the birthplace of mountaineering
over 200 years ago. Still considered one
of the ultimate places to be for all those
who share a love of nature, the valley
is connected with Switzerland by a pass
over the Col de Balme to Martigny in the
Rhône valley.
Granted by the count of the Genevois to
the great Benedictine house of St Michel
de la Cluse in 1090, it was the site of
a priory by the early 13th century. The
area was transferred to Sallanches in
1519, and gained its freedom in 1786.
It wasn’t considered a place of
leisure until much later of course. The
first visitors were there more for the
journey then for sport, but as the centuries
went by and skiing became popular Chamonix
slowly gained a reputation as one of Europe’s
more interesting places.
Still
a popular location for winter sports,
Chamonix has one of the best skiing runs
in the world. It was also the site of
the 1924 Winter Olympics, and has been
described as "the death-sport capital
of the world." Mont Blanc, the highest
European mountain west of Russia, holds
a special allure for mountain climbers.
The Vallée Blanche glacier runs
down from the Aiguille du Midi Mountain,
and apparently can be skied or snowboarded
despite all the crevasses. It is also
known as a place where beginners can find
themselves in a lot of trouble.
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