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The Chamonix valley runs from N.E. to S.W., and is watered by the Arve , which rises in the Mer de Glace. On the S.E. towers the snowclad chain of Mont Blanc, and on the N.W. the less lofty, but rugged chain of the Brevent and of the Aiguilles Rouges . Near the head of the valley is the village of Argentière (4101 ft.), which is connected with Switzerland by pass over the Col de Balme to Martigny in the Rhône valley.
Chamonix is a popular winter sports resort with one of the best skiing runs in the world. 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."
Chamonix is a mecca for advanced skiing and snowboarding. The Vallée Blanche glacierA glacier is a large, long-lasting river of ice that is formed on land and moves in response to gravity. Equivalently, it is a multi-year ice accretion in mountainous terrain. The glacier fringe is the area where the glacier has recently melted. There are runs down from the Aiguille du Midi mountain - attached to Mont Blanc - to the town. This spectacular route can be skied or snowboarded, although it would be insane to do it without a guide due to all the crevasses . Aside from that, the valley has about six separate ski areas. Many of these provide wonderful terrain, especially off-piste, with runs down to Switzerland. However the disjointed nature of the resort makes it inconvenient for beginners, or groups of differing ability.
The valley is first heard of about 1091Events Henry, son of William I attempted a coup against his brothers but failed to seize the English throne. The Normans took Sicily from the Islamic rulers. The Islamic Abbadid dynasty ruling in Spain fell when the Almoravides stormed Seville. London Bri, when it was granted by the count of the Genevois to the great BenedictineThe longest lasting of the western Catholic monastic orders, the Benedictine Order traces its origins to the adoption of the monastic life by St. Benedict of Nursia ( Norcia) in 529. Benedict, founder of the monastery of Monte Cassino between Naples and R house of St Michel de la Cluse , near TurinTurin Location Region Piedmont Province Torino Area Total Water 130 km² (50 mi²)##. Population Total ( 2002) Density 857,433 6,596/km² Time zone CET: UTC+1 Latitude Longitude 45°04'N7°40'E(##. . External link: Turin ( Italian Torino is a major industrial, which by the early 13th century established a priory there. But in 1786Events May 21 Trial of the Necklace affair ends in Paris August 8 Mont Blanc was climbed for the first time by Dr. Michael-Gabriel Paccard and Jacques Balmat. September 2 Hurricane in England Choctaw Treaty Chickasaw Treaty Robert Burns publishes Poems, C the inhabitants bought their freedom from the canons of Sallanches , to whom the priory had been transferred in 1519Events March 4 Hernan Cortes lands in Mexico. June 28 Charles I of Spain becomes Emperor of Holy Roman Empire as Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (ruled until 1556). September 20 Ferdinand Magellan leaves Europe to circumnavigate the world. November 8 Hernan. In 1530Events June 25 Augsburg confession presented to Charles V of Holy Roman Empire. August 12 Florence is captured by Spanish troops under Prince Philibert of Orange. The Medici are restored in the person of the Pope's nephew Alessandro de Medici. Knights of 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 long rare. The first party to publish (1744) an account of their visit was that of Dr R. Pococke , Mr W. 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 Bourrit .