Panorama of Chamonix valley

Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix is a town and commune in eastern France, in the Haute-Savoie département, at the foot of Mont Blanc. At the census of 1999 it had a population of 9,830 inhabitants and a land area of 116.53 km² (44.99 sq mi).Altitude 1035m Download high resolution version (1737x431, 178 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1737x431, 178 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. ... Haute-Savoie is a French département, named after the Alps mountain range. ... The départements (or departments) are administrative units of France and many former French colonies, roughly analogous to English counties. ... This article is about the Alpine mountain. ... INSEE is the French abbreviation for the French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies (French: Institut National de la Statistique et des Études Économiques). ...

Aiguille du Midi and Mont Blanc seen from Le Brévent, a paraglider is in the foreground

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

Chamonix Valley seen from the south

Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Aiguille du Midi (el. ... This article is about the Alpine mountain. ... Paragliding (known in some countries as parapenting) is a recreational and competitive sport that is best described as a hybrid of hang gliding and parachuting. ... The 1000 m high West face of the Petit Dru (3733 m) above the Mer de Glace in the Mont Blanc massif. ... The 1000 m high West face of the Petit Dru (3733 m) above the Mer de Glace in the Mont Blanc massif. ... The Aiguille du Dru (also the Dru or the Drus) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps. ... Mer de Glace The Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice) is a glacier located on the north face of the Mont Blanc, in the Alps. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (992x704, 217 KB) Summary Vallée de Chamonix vue depuis le Sud. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (992x704, 217 KB) Summary Vallée de Chamonix vue depuis le Sud. ...

Geography

Chamonix-Mont-Blanc is located at 45°55′8″N, 6°51′55″E. The Chamonix valley runs from northeast to southwest, and is watered by the Arve, which rises in Le Tour. The Arve is joined by the torrent l'Arveyron, which rises in the famous Mer de Glace just above Chamonix. On the southeast towers the snowclad summit of Mont Blanc (4808m), and on the northwest the less lofty, but rugged chain of Le Brévent (2525m) and of the Aiguilles Rouges. A number of villages and hamlets stretched out along the valley belong to the commune including Les Bossons (1012m), Les Praz (1060m), Argentière (1252m) and Le Tour (1462m). The valley is connected via the Col de Montets (1461m) to Martigny (Switzerland) in the Rhône Valley. Arve near Annemasse, Haute Savoy The Arve River flows for approximately 100km (62 miles) through France and Switzerland. ... Le Tour de France (Tour of France), often referred to as La Grande Boucle, Le Tour or The Tour, is the most famous and prestigious road bicycle race in the world. ... Mer de Glace The Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice) is a glacier located on the north face of the Mont Blanc, in the Alps. ... Please put this article into one or more categories. ... The church in Les Praz, with the Aiguille du Dru visible behind Les-Praz-de-Chamonix (more commonly known as Les Praz) is a mountain village in the French Alps, part of the commune of Chamonix. ... Argentière is a mountaineering village in the French Alps, part of the commune of Chamonix. ... Le Tour de France (Tour of France), often referred to as La Grande Boucle, Le Tour or The Tour, is the most famous and prestigious road bicycle race in the world. ... Martigny is the capital of the district of Martigny in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. ... The Rhône River, or the Rhône (French Rhône, Arpitan Rôno, Occitan Ròse, standard German Rhone, Valais German Rotten), is one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France. ...

Mountain sports

Chamonix is a popular winter sports resort in France. The 1924 Winter Olympics were held here. As the highest European mountain west of Russia, Mont Blanc holds a special allure for mountain climbers, and Jon Krakauer, in an essay in his collection Eiger Dreams, 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, canyoning. A winter sport is a sport commonly played during winter, usually a sport played on snow or ice. ... The 1924 Winter Olympics, officially known as the I Olympic Winter Games, were celebrated in 1924 in Chamonix, France. ... Mountaineering is an umbrella term that can variously be used to describe the actions of climbing, hillwalking and scrambling. ... Jon Krakauer Jon Krakauer (born April 12, 1954), is an American non-fiction author and mountaineer, well-known for outdoor and mountain-climbing writing. ... Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountains is a non-fiction short story collection by Jon Krakauer published in 1990 by Doubleday. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Ice climbing is the recreational activity of climbing ice formations such as icefalls, and frozen waterfalls. ... Climbers on Valkyrie at the Roaches. ... Extreme skiing is skiing performed on long, steep (typically from 45 to 60+ degrees) slopes in dangerous terrain. ... Paragliding (known in France, Spain and Portugal as parapente) is a recreational and competitive flying sport. ... Rafting in Brazil. ... Canyoning in the Rocky Mountains Canyoning via packraft in the U.S. southwest deserts. ...

Chamonix is famous for its spectacular cable car up to the Aiguille du Midi (3842m). 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 (3462m) from Entréves in the Aosta Valley (Italy) it is possible to cross the entire Mont Blanc Massif by cable car. Aerial tramway suspended on two track cables with an additional haulage rope Cable car at Zell am See in the Austrian Alps. ... Aiguille du Midi (el. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... The Aosta Valley (Italian: Valle dAosta, French: Vallée dAoste, Arpitan: Val dOuta) is a mountainous Region in north-western Italy. ...

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). This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The GR 5 is a GR footpath that crosses France from north to south. ...

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.

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. Cross-country skiing (skating style) in Einsiedeln, Switzerland. ... Snowboarder in a half-pipe Snowboarder riding off cornice Snowboarding contributes greatly to the economies of ski resorts Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a snow-covered slope on a snowboard that is attached to ones feet using a boot/binding interface. ... This article is about the geological formation. ... Measuring snowpack in a crevasse on the Easton Glacier, North Cascades, USA A crevasse is a crack or fissure in a glacier or snow field. ... A ski area is a place where one goes to participate in the sports of skiing and snowboarding. ... Argentière is a mountaineering village in the French Alps, part of the commune of Chamonix. ... Backcountry skiing or off-piste skiing is skiing in a sparsely inhabited rural region, where fixed mechanical means of ascent (chairlifts, cable cars etc. ...

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. Henry, son of William I attempted a coup against his brothers but failed to seize the English throne. ... The Genevois is a former province of the Duchy of Savoy. ... For the college, see Benedictine College. ... For other uses, see Turin (disambiguation). ... 1786 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Sallanches is a commune of the Haute-Savoie département, in France. ... Events March 4 - Hernán Cortés lands in Mexico. ...

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. June 25 - Augsburg confession presented to Charles V of Holy Roman Empire. ... Roundabouts (or carousels) are traditional attractions, often seen at fairs. ... Saint Francis de Sales (in French, St François de Sales) (21 August 1567 - 28 December 1622) was bishop of Geneva and Roman Catholic saint. ...

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. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 448 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (640 × 856 pixel, file size: 76 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Horace-Benedict de Saussure monument at Chamonix / France. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 448 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (640 × 856 pixel, file size: 76 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Horace-Benedict de Saussure monument at Chamonix / France. ... Horace-Bénédict de Saussure (February 17, 1740 - January 22, 1799) was a Swiss physicist and Alpine traveller. ... Jacques Balmat Jacques Balmat, called le Mont Blanc (1762, Chamonix valley - 1834, Sixt valley) was a French mountain guide. ... Richard Pococke (1704-1765) was an English prelate and anthropologist. ... William Windham, Senior, FRS (1717 – 30 October 1761) was an English landowner, a member of an ancient Norfolk family. ... Mer de Glace The Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice) is a glacier located on the north face of the Mont Blanc, in the Alps. ... // Events April 10 - Austrian army attack troops of Frederick the Great at Mollwitz August 10 - Raja of Travancore defeats Dutch East India Company naval expedition at Battle of Colachel December 19 - Vitus Bering dies in his expedition east of Siberia December 25 - Anders Celsius develops his own thermometer scale Celsius... Horace-Bénédict de Saussure (February 17, 1740 - January 22, 1799) was a Swiss physicist and Alpine traveller. ... Marc Theodore Bourrit (1739-1819) was a Swiss traveller and writer. ...

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. This article is about the economics of markets dominated by a single seller. ... 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Diploma from Mexico City College, 1948 (in Latin) A diploma (from Greek δίπλωµα diploma) is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study, or confers an academic degree. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

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. A friendly society (sometimes called a mutual society, benevolent society or fraternal organization) is a mutual association for insurance-like purposes, and often, especially in the past, serving ceremonial and friendship purposes also. ... This article is about the literary concept. ...

The holding of the first Winter Olympic Games in Chamonix in 1924 further raised Chamonix's profile as an international tourist destination. An athlete carries the Olympic torch The Winter Olympic Games are a winter multi-sport event held every four years. ...

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 (impressing view to the Mont Blanc Massif)
• Alpine Museum Chamonix
• Statue Horace Bénédict de Saussure (initiator of the first ascent of Mont Blanc)
• Statue Michel-Gabriel Paccard (together with J. Balmat he was the first who ascended the Mont Bla-du-Midi Telepherique into

Descending the Aiguille du Midi Téléphérique into Chamonix

ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 482 KB) Chamonix, France Author: Wojsyl, August 2003 File links The following pages link to this file: Chamonix ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 482 KB) Chamonix, France Author: Wojsyl, August 2003 File links The following pages link to this file: Chamonix ... View of the train and the Mer de Glace The Montenvers Railway or Chemin de fer du Montenvers is a mountain railway line in the Haute-Savoie region of France. ... Rack railway track using Von Roll system rack. ... The Mont Blanc Tramway or Tramway du Mont-Blanc is a mountain railway line in the Haute-Savoie region of France. ... Aiguille du Midi (el. ... Michel Gabriel Paccard (° 1757 - † 1827 à Chamonix) was a French doctor. ... Image File history File links Chamonix. ... Image File history File links Chamonix. ... Aiguille du Midi (el. ... Cable car at Zell am See in the Austrian Alps. ...

Facts and figures

• The valley is mentioned in Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, as the scene of an encounter between the doctor and his monster.
• 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 also a snow track on Sony's Gran Turismo 4.
• Chamonix is a Chilean ice-cream brand, owned by Nestlé
• Twin towns with Davos, Switzerland, also Aspen, Colorado
• Chamonix shares Mont Blanc with the Italian comune of Courmayeur.
• Chamonix is the stage name of Kurtis Mantronik for the Kurtis Mantronik Presents Chamonix EP 'How Did You Know' (2003)
• The parents of Ian Fleming's "James Bond 007" are to have died in Chamonix from a "climbing accident".

This article is about the 1818 novel. ... Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (née Godwin) (30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English romantic/gothic novelist and the author of Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. ... James Salter (born 1925) is an American short story writer and novelist. ... Gary Hemming (b. ... Alias is an American Spy-fi television series created by J. J. Abrams which was broadcast on ABC from September 30, 2001 to May 22, 2006, spanning five seasons. ... Vivica Anjanetta Fox (born July 30, 1964 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is a film and television actress. ... For the main series, see Gran Turismo (series) Gran Turismo 4 (also known as GT4) was released on December 28, 2004 in Japan and Hong Kong (NTSC-J), February 22, 2005 in the United States (NTSC-U/C), and March 9, 2005 in Europe (PAL), and has since been re... This article is about the company. ... Davos viewed from air Davos is a town in eastern Switzerland, in the canton of Graubünden, on the Landwasser River. ... View south along Galena Street in downtown Aspen. ... Municipalities of Italy In Italy, the comune, (plural comuni) is the basic administrative unit of both provinces and regions, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality. ... Courmayeur is a French-speaking Italian town and commune in the autonomous region of Aosta Valley, in northern Italy. ... Kurtis Khaleel (born 4 September 1965, Jamaica), better known as Kurtis Mantronik, is an American hip hop artist who is part of the group Mantronix. ... How Did You Know is an extened play single by electronic dance music producer and remixer, Kurtis Mantronik. ...

See also

• The Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt
• Mont Blanc Tunnel
• Montroc

Part of the Haute Route; two alpenists can be seen following the trail in the snow. ... In June, the Matterhorn is still snow-covered, while it is spring in Zermatt below. ... Sculpture in France at the tunnels northwestern exit. ... Montroc is a town in eastern France, located on the territory of the commune of Chamonix. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Chamonix

• A to Z of Chamonix Mont Blanc from chamonix.net
• Official site of the city of Chamonix Mont-Blanc (French)
• General information on Chamonix - from Chamonix Tourist Information Board and Chamonix Info
• Photos, Stories and Videos of Ascents of Mont Blanc Post and view stories here
• chamonix photos
• Photos of the Chamonix Valley
• Chamonix Travel Guide

Coordinates: 45°55′8″N, 6°51′55″E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...