In the heart of Chamonix town, along side the Arve river sits the majestic, white building of the Alpine Museum (Musee Alpin). It has witnessed much change in the town, including its own name; it was one the Palace of Chamonix and then the Grand Hotel with its vast lush gardens. These days it houses chic apartments, the convention centre (Salle du Bicentenaire) and of course the museum. You can find it round the back of Place Balmat at 89 avenue Michel-Croz
If you fancy grabbing a short history on the town of Chamonix, from its earliest recording in 1090 to the developing tourist attraction it has become today – with a little bit of everything from historical artefacts, geological statistics and mountain guides' “hall of fame” in between. The displays are informative to a point (you'll need your French dictionary) but frustratingly some of the more interesting exhibits lack labels or text. This said, a lot of effort has gone into the displays with some great artefacts donated by family members of key people from the area.
It is not a large museum by any means but if you find this kind of thing interesting then you can easily pass a happy few hours soaking up the interesting past of a thriving, tourist-based valley. It is quite amazing to think how difficult it would have been in the mid 1800s to make the rickety coach journey up the Chamonix valley and then explore the mountains and glaciers – particularly as a woman in enormous, restricting crinolines. The lengths scientists went to to record readings from the top of mountain ranges is also incredibly admirable, particularly when you see how extensive and cumbersome their equipment was
The museum regularly changes its temporary exhibition – usually work from artists or photographers whose work has a connection to the area. It is currently showing the works of Francois Ravanel who has depicted local mountain scenes in his graphical, strong lithographic prints. His work and tools of the trade will be on show until 2 October
The museum is open everyday from 2pm – 7pm and costs €4 (less with your Carte d'hote). This entry fee also gives you free access to the nearby gallery l'Espace Tairraz (currently showing the family Gay-Couttet photographs as seen on banners all over town) if you visit within 8 days. The entry fee is vice versa for the museum if you pay entry to the gallery
Piste Maps for Chamonix (pdf format), Les Houches (jpg format), Cross-country skiing (pdf format), and Mountain-bike trails (pdf format)
Current status for opening of Pistes & Lifts
Chamonix Webcam Index
Useful Links
Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research
French Avalanche Research Institute
Meteo France - Mountain weather and avalanche conditions bulletins (in French)
Henry's Avalanche Talk - popular avalanche training sessions based in French Alps as well as translation of current avalanche conditions
PisteHors.com - Backcountry Skiing and Snowboarding News in English for the French Alps. Excellent coverage of avalanche safety and advice
Additional snow and weather information provided, with thanks, by meteo.chamonix.com and the Tourist Office
