○On a cold winter’s day exactly 100 years ago, four smartly dressed men boarded a train in Edinburgh. Willie Jackson and his son Lawrence were both farmers, the dapper Thomas Murray raised sheep and cattle, and the buxom Robin Welsh was a member of Edinburgh City Council. He was 54 years old, a little older than his friend. They pondered for months whether or not to make the trip, but in the end they did, and what an adventure it turned out to be.
They took a 13-hour train ride to London, then to Paris, then to Chamonix. As the train wound its way through the snowy Alps, they played countless games of bridge to kill boredom. The security guard’s van was loaded with curling stones.
Unable to farm in the winter, the men spent hours curled up on the frozen lakes of Upper Clydesdale. They became so good that they decided to compete in the first-ever Winter Olympics (held from January 25 to February 5, 1924).
A century later, Chamonix remains a charming city. Breathing in lungfuls of alpine air and smiling with joy as I descended the popular courses of Balmes and Les Grands Montes, I realized that in 1924, downhill skiing almost didn’t exist and wasn’t even an Olympic sport. It’s hard to imagine that.
Chamonix has enough runs to satisfy a laid-back skier like me, while adventurers aim for the top of the resort’s regular slopes. The original Aiguille du Midi lift carried the Olympic bobsleds up the mountain (where Great Britain won the silver medal after Switzerland). Now, that efficient alternative allows tourists and hardcore skiers to travel up to his 3,840 meters from the town center.
In my post-ski daze, I forced myself onto the first lift just after 8am. He was the only passenger without skis, ropes, or other scary-looking height equipment. As I squeezed into the cable car, I chatted with Annie-Jo Gregory, a Brit.ski Vallee Blanche It’s a rite of passage for off-piste enthusiasts, but she and a friend were venturing deeper, climbing higher with skis strapped to their backs before beginning the descent.
“Type 2 fun,” she grinned as the cabin swayed slightly alarmingly above the city. Seeing my blank expression, she said: If you relive it while drinking beer, the fun will come afterwards. ”
At the top of the mountain, the air was noticeably thinner. I grabbed her railing and wished her luck. As she heads up the narrow ridge to the glacier, I snap selfies with Mont Blanc in the background, squint at Chamonix as if out of an airplane window, and type out one fun thing. I was particular about that.
It’s easy to see where the massive 36,000 square meter Olympic Ice Rink once stood. Norwegian Sonya Henie was an 11-year-old skater at the time. Although she captivated the audience with her infectious smile, she was eliminated from the competition. She then unflinchingly became an Olympic champion, after which she moved to Hollywood and became a movie star.
The remains of the bobsled course are hidden in the woods above the town, but the only structure that remains completely intact during the competition is the ski jump at Mont aux Bossons, visible from Chamonix’s ring road . It’s worth visiting just to imagine the cheers of the 20-something crowd as the players soar through the air.
Wearing glasses, a mustache and a well-worn woolen hat, Henri-François Morin, president of the ski jumping section of the Chamonix Sports Club, proudly carries his 100-year-old skis and boots. He showed it to me. He keeps them in the committee’s headquarters, a wooden hut at the base of the jump hill. He has the air of someone who has lived half his life in the mountains and beyond.
Although ski jumping’s heyday may be behind it, Morand is proud of the young athletes he currently trains.
“Isn’t it dangerous?” I ask.
“If you fall, you’ll just slide off,” he answered with a twinkle in his eye. “I tell them: Remember to breathe, and when you stop, I’ll give you a glass of wine!”
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There is not a speck of snow on the jump hill, and Morand is convinced that climate change is to blame. He told me about the possibility of artificial surfaces being installed. “Maybe jumping will make it to the Summer Olympics,” he says half-jokingly.
A short drive from the center, Les Houches, the more relaxed part of “Gram Cham”. Tree-lined and less crowded, it also has the best variety of mountain restaurants. After a hard morning of skiing, I stopped and had pasta and salad. La Frere Milooking out over the valley.
A lively place to stay is rocky popDouble rooms start from £76 (breakfast extra), great value compared to options closer to the centre. The atmosphere is a combination of a hostel and a funky hotel, and with kid-friendly attractions such as Star Wars robots at the reception, it’s perfect for families.
There is another nice place to stay a few miles up the valley. It’s a hotel. heliopic (double from £150, breakfast extra), has a pool and is more centrally located.
After a day on the slopes, I went to a local museum. Maison de la Mémoire and Patrimoine. Until March 15th, there will be a fascinating exhibition dedicated to the Olympics, featuring grainy black and white footage. It’s amazingly moving to see the heroism and heartbreak of young athletes who passed away so long ago.
Then I stumbled into the lively outdoor Le K bar and was the one who struck gold. Biere Pression Afterwards, have dinner at an unpretentious Italian restaurant. Casa Valerio.
Under the powder blue sky, the city sparkles in the sunlight; Like it was on the first day of the game. But in early January, 1.7 meters of snow fell in 24 hours, and hundreds of Chamonix residents joined the army with shovels to clear the stadium and ice rink, using hand-pulled sleds to clear the snow in the nick of time. did.
And what about the four Scottish curlers? Well, they defeated their own country to win the gold medal and finished the match with a win.
With the modesty and humility typical of a Scottish farmer, Thomas Murray sent a telegram home simply saying, “I played today.” UK 46, France 4. Won the championship.
This trip was provided by the Chamonix Tourist Board. For your trip to Chamonix, take the Eurostar from London’s St. Pancras Station to Paris. It takes approximately 6 hours to get to Gare de Lyon. chamonix Up to two changes (Bellegarde-Sur-Valserine and Saint-Gervais-les-Bains)
