Musée Alpin

The Musée Alpin is the mountaineering museum of Chamonix, and it tells the story of the town that gave birth to modern alpinism. It is housed in the former Chamonix Palace, a grand hotel of the early twentieth century on the Avenue Michel Croz, a street named after one of the great guides of the nineteenth century, killed in 1865 during the descent from the first ascent of the Matterhorn. Opening arrangements can change, so check with the Chamonix tourist office or the museum's website before planning a visit.

The story it tells begins in the eighteenth century. In 1741 two Englishmen, William Windham and Richard Pococke, visited the glacier of the Mer de Glace, which brought the valley to the attention of the educated public in Europe. In 1786 the first ascent of Mont Blanc by Jacques Balmat and Michel-Gabriel Paccard started the history of mountaineering as a sport, and in the nineteenth century, the so-called golden age of alpinism, climbers from Britain and elsewhere made the first ascents of most of the great summits of the Alps, with local guides playing an essential role. The Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix, founded in 1821, is the oldest association of mountain guides in the world and still operates.

The collections include objects that illustrate this history. Typically in a museum of this kind you will find early equipment, such as long wooden ice axes, hemp ropes, hobnailed boots, crampons and heavy woollen clothing, which can be compared with the light, high-technology kit of today, as well as maps, engravings, paintings and photographs of the glaciers and peaks, along with documents about the expeditions. The museum also covers the history of the valley itself, its rural life before tourism, the rise of the winter sports and the Winter Olympic Games of 1924, which took place in Chamonix, and the work of famous guides and climbers of the twentieth century, such as Gaston Rébuffat and Lionel Terray.

The subject has a wider recognition. In 2019 the art of alpinism was inscribed by UNESCO on the list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity, as a joint nomination by France, Italy and Switzerland, recognising the skills, the culture and the traditions of mountain climbing.

In the meantime, visitors to Chamonix can enjoy the mountains directly. The Aiguille du Midi cable car, the Montenvers railway to the Mer de Glace, the Mont Blanc tramway and the walks of the Brévent and Flégère all show the landscape that shaped the sport. The Place du Triangle and the market in the town centre are good places to rest. The museum suits climbers, walkers and anyone interested in the history of the Alps.