As far back as 1770 the very first tourist hotel was opened up in Chamonix. Before this Chamonix France embodied a uncivilized and tough agrarian hamlet where the people hunted animals and grew their own barley.
Farms back then were used to farm herds during the spring and summer. Their milk was kept by turning it into different types of cheese and stored in the farm for eating during the bleak winters. Throughout the snow season the barns were secured, and any valued possessions were put safely in a shack.
Who invented chalet holidays is unknown, it was in all probability several enthusiastic folk who acknowledged a pattern which was new and exciting. For Erna Low it started whilst she was a unhappy alumna and could not visit her siblings back home as often as she would like to. Thus in 1933 she gambled and took out a small ad in the papers to tempt punters on a winter holiday. For £15 they travelled to and from the ski resort, had food and board in the solitary pub lodging, and had skiing hire and lessons. The trip was laborious work, there weren’t any chair lifts, no quick release fixations, only strong leather shoes, however it was such a hit that Erna kept on taking groups on holidays, guaranteeing she employed grand chalets and skiing instructors.
Chalet holidays during the early years were very different from the luxuries we can get nowadays. In the early days hot water was in limited supply, the bathrooms were used with all of the clients, and there wasn’t a cook; all the guests needed to help out. It was a real gamble who might share the accommodation for a holiday, you could be agreeably surprised to meet brand new skiers, or spend a week of hell with people you didn’t get on with.
The ski chalet holiday was later advertised on their additional pluses. Your own chef, who served you breakfast and an evening meal and even made you a cake.