The ski chalet industry is undergoing rapid changes as a result of the influx of private chalet operators since the turn of the millennium. Reports such as Morzine, Val d'Isere and Verbier, in particular, saw that their ski resorts are becoming a tiny outpost of modern colonial Britain. However, the ski resort, which probably saw most of the changes in relation to the British influx, is Chamonix. The resort for the whole year and the famous Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Western Europe at an altitude of 4,810 m, the proximity of Chamonix with the British dates back to centuries due to the heritage of the ascent and the subsequent years of skiing. In fact, the love of Britain to the Alps and Chamonix dates back to the XVIII century, long before the Alpine skis were invented. Some of the first tourists were British explorers William Windham and Richard Pokok, who visited the valley more than 200 years ago, returning to the wax lyrics about the splendor of Chamonix and Mer de Glace glaciers in particular. Not only could they have imagined that such poor farm pastures would turn into golden fields for 20th century farmers who could benefit from skiing two centuries later.
For the past 100 years, the British connection has been even more tied to the Kandahar World Cup ski race. Kandahar is a ski event for the FIS World Championships in Chamonix, which takes place on the Verte circuit in the picturesque village of Les Houches. The name Kandahar reflects the cup, which is a reward, and was introduced by Lord Kandahar, field marshal in the British army (Frederick Roberts). The first ski races were in Garmisch and St. Anton with the addition of Chamonix in 1948. Skiers such as Henry Lunn, who was the father of Sir Arnold Lunn, one of the founders of the Kandahar ski club, and the pioneers of the Kandahar ski race, often visited Chamonix. A legend in the Chamonix Valley says that it was in horse-drawn carriages with members of the British Ski Club, who arrived in the valley to check out the skis, but this is unreasonable.
While the British visitors of the 18th, 19th, and early 20th century were regular, it was a small exodus compared to today's visitors, which have grown exponentially since the 70s and now face hundreds of thousands each year. Today, however, these are not just temporary guests from the UK, and Chamonix has long attracted investors, along with the rich and famous Britons who bought a luxurious ski retreat for their winter holidays, there were few compared to the post-millennium. In recent years, not only the second house has become an accessory, and not only rich and famous in the modern modern world, the boom in the house of the 80s, 90s and 00s made the purchase of a ski chalet accessible to the middle classes and encouraged by television life programs showing early receptors, which not only bought chalets, but also forced life to live in these resorts, the masses had been walking shortly before. When British buyers picked up the ski chalets in the Alps, supply and demand factors meant prices rose. However, the good news for the skiers was that, as the British residence increased, so did the competition in the ski vacation industry, as people sorted to maximize their purchase, pay bills, and develop small ski chalets. Despite the fact that competition has reached a saturation point, the chance to get away from the “rat race” did not show signs of weakening and continuation until the financial crisis.
Figures for the number of British residents in Chamonix range from 5,000 to 10,000 (increase during the ski and summer season). The number of chalet owners, commercial or otherwise, is unknown. But it is clear that the standard of ski chalets has increased exponentially as a result of this influx. Ten years ago, there were few ski chalets offering the least luxurious chalets (4-star hotels were as good as they get), where, like today, spaghetti-bolognese and lasagna were replaced by four gourmet dishes as a standard standard. Carafes of wine from the box, which was guaranteed a heavy head, are now replaced by fine wines. Chamonix luxury chalets now offer a truly truly luxury, and with such strong competition, ski chalets, which sit idly on their laurels, soon lose ground for more aggressive companies that are unable to respond to the spiral effect, which often leads to extinction. The pace of change is enormous, and some comforts in Chamonix, which were not even found in luxury hotels, are now the norm, and a hot bath is just such an illustration. This is, of course, good news for the ski holiday consumer, as every year several companies install a new bar to get USP and increase market share, forcing others to follow or stay behind. It was a long love affair with Chamonix, and there are no signs of weakening!
