Chamonix first appeared in the history books in 1091 when the Count Aymon I of Genevois donated the valley to the Abbey Saint-Michel de la Cluse of the Piedmont region in Italy. At the time the valley was inhabited by sheep farmers and the area was not appreciated for its beauty but deplored for its constant troublesome terrain, glaciers, landslides and avalanches.

The modern era of tourism in chamonix began over 250 years ago. It is in fact two Englishmen who take the credit for 'discovering' Chamonix. Explorers William Windham and Richard Pococke found their way to the 'Mer de Glace' in 1741. As word spread, via there literary journals (Voyages aux Glaciers de Savoie,) an enthusiastic tale of their exploits and achievements, so followed climbers, scientists, meteorologists and many more - desperate to unravel the mysteries of the 'Chamouny' valley.

From this date on the mountains were revered by those who visited, but were also there to be conquered. So in 1760 Genevois Doctor Horace Benedict de Saussure offered a prize to the first person to reach the summit of Mont Blanc which he had observed from the top of the Brévent. It wasn't until August 8th 1786 that Dr Paccard and Jacques Balmat, two locals, first made it. Saussure himself made it the following year, leading the first of many scientific expeditions conducted on the peak.

Marie Pardis became the first woman to reach the top of Mont Blanc in 1803 by which time the number of ascents to the summit had multiplied greatly. Following an accident in 1821 La Compagnie des Guides 'The Chamonix Mountain Guide Company' was founded to provide financial support to Guides and their families in the event that they were no longer able to work or stricken by accident. It was the first foundation of its kind and remains one of the most prestigious to this day.

By 1860, as part of an agreement for helping the Italians against the Austrians, the people of the Savoie and Haute-Savoie regions voted overwhelmingly to rejoin France. Access routes to the valley began to open up starting with the construction of an improved road from Geneva to Chamonix in preparation for Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie’s visit in September 1860.

Now easily-accessible, Chamonix's development gathered pace. Once a peaceful market town that thrived mainly in the summer months, Chamonix now boasted an abundance of hotels, a modern railway line and most importantly, a year-round presence as an energetic, bustling town.

The start of the 20th century saw tourism continue to flourish in the valley and hoteliers overtook mountain guides as the predominant economic power. Amid strong protestations from local guides and Sherpa who felt a threat to their livelihood, a decision was made to construct the Montenvers rack railway to the Mer de Glace which still runs today. It opened in 1908, at the time it took 55 minutes at a speed of 7km/h to complete the climb. (Electrification of the line in 1954 more than doubled the speed of the train and reduced the duration of the journey to 20 mins). After the success of this railway, at one stage it was envisaged that it would be possible to reach the summit of the Mont Blanc by train! The construction of the Tramway du Mont Blanc was the closest anyone came, reaching the Nid d'Aigle 'The Eagle's Nest' (2372m) from Le Fayet in 1913. Plans to complete it were dropped following the war. Today during the summer it still runs the 12km through the mountains to the bottom of the Glacier de Bionnassay.

One more obvious development took Chamonix's reputation to the next level: skiing. The tail-end of the 19th Century witnessed the first forays onto the snow-covered slopes and in 1906/07 a winter sports competition organised by 'Clube Alpine Francaise' inspired the first big winter season. Possibly the ultimate accolade then followed: in 1924 Chamonix hosted the first ever Winter Olympics and has not looked back since. Very quickly Chamonix expanded into the huge resort we see today, cable-cars arrived throughout the valley. The cable-cars of Planpraz (2200m) and Le Brévent (2525m) were completed by 1928 and 1930 respectively allowing access to the mountain-tops by 'suspended trains'. It wasn’t until 1956 that the Flégère cable-car was in service and eventually in 1997 was linked to the Brévent area.