An Account of the Early Luxury Chalet Trips
1770 was when the first guest house was opened up in Chamonix Haute Savoie France.
Before this date Chamonix Haute Savoie France constituted a uncivilized and tough agrarian place where the locals captured their animals and produced their wheat.
Barns then were used to farm cows over the summer months.
Milk was conserved by changing it into different types of cheese and stocked in the farm for use during the harsh winter times.
During the winter season the chalets were barred, and any valued possessions were locked in a small shack.
The person who invented the chalet holiday is unknown, however it was in all probability several zealous chaps who realised a idea that was novel.
For Erna Low it all began whilst she was a homesick postgraduate who could not visit her folks back home as frequently as she would like to.
And so in 1932 she gambled and placed ad in the broadsheets to invite clients on a skiing vacation. For only £15 they journeyed to and from the resort, had breakfast and dinner and lodging in the solitary hotel, and had ski equipment and tuition.
Holidays were difficult, there were no lifts, no quick release bindings, only heavy leather shoes, however it was such a hit that she continued to take groups on vacation, ensuring she used superior hotels and ski guides.
These ski breaks in the beginning were very different to the luxuries we can experience today.
In the early days hot water was in short supply, washrooms would be shared by all of the punters, and there wasn’t a chef; all the clients needed to help out.
It was a real gamble who may share the chalet for the week, one could be surprised by meeting fresh allies, or have an uncomfortable week amongst strangers. A far cry from the luxury chalets of today.
