It was 1770 when the inaugural guest house opened in Chamonix Mont Blanc. Before this date Chamonix constituted a savage and tough agrarian place where locals captured their animals and produced their oats.

Barns at this time were used to raise cows during the summer. Milk was kept by making it into cheese and butter and stocked down in the valley for use over the hard winter times. During the winter season the chalets were fastened, and valuables were put safely in a tiny shack.

Who invented the ski chalet holiday is obscured by time, it was probably several enthusiastic people who realized a idea which was new and exciting. For Erna Low it started when she was a unhappy alumna who couldn’t see her parents back home as frequently as she liked. Thus in 1931 she gambled and took out a small ad in the broadsheets to ask punters on a ski break. The cost was £15 and they journeyed to and from the resort, had food and lodging in the only inn, and took ski equipment and tuition. Skiing was difficult work, there weren’t any chair lifts, no safety fixings, simply leather boots, but it was so successful that she continued to take skiers on holidays, making sure she found grand accommodations and guides.

These Skiing breaks during the beginning were a long way from the luxury we can experience nowadays. In the early days hot water was in short supply, washrooms would be shared out by all of the customers, and there was no a cook; all the guests had to muck in. No one knew who might be in the accommodation for a trip, you could be pleasantly surprised to meet brand new skiers, or grimaced by the thought of spending another day with unpleasant guests.

Ski holidays were later marketed on its new bonuses. Your own chef, who would serve you breakfast and a plentiful evening meal and provided you a cake.