2023-08-21
At foot of Mont Blanc, Europe's highest peak, lies most famous Alpine town and ski resort in France, Chamonix (also transliterated as Chamonix, Leisurely Munich, etc.) a small town. In 1924, first Winter Olympic Games were officially held here. Since then Chamonix has gradually become a haven for European skiers. Today it has become a famous center for skiing in Europe.
French city of sports and recreation Chamonix
Chamonix is located in east central France, at foot of Mont Blanc, main peak of Alps, next to Switzerland and Italy, just an hour from Geneva airport, with excellent traffic conditions. The city center is located at an altitude of 1035 meters above sea level. It is a small city of 16 villages, with a permanent population of about 10,000, but annually it receives more than 2 million skiers and ordinary tourists, which indicates its extraordinary attractiveness.
Chamonix is a city with a rich history. Back in 1091, Count of Geneva donated surrounding valley to a Benedictine monastery, and this small building is predecessor city of Chamonix. .
Ancient monastery
In early 1840s, two British explorers came here to visit an ancient monastery in deep mountains and discover Chamonix Canyon glaciers and alpine meadows. They published a travelogue that attracted an endless stream of tourists. On August 8, 1786, two locals, Michel Gabriel Paccard and Jacques Balmat, climbed highest peak of Mont Blanc together, which at time was considered a remarkable and extraordinary feat, which is why two climbers are considered to be the pioneers of modern mountaineering techniques.
Statue of Jacques Balmes and patron of climbing
Today, a statue of Jacques Balmes and Patron of Mountain stands in center of city. The feat of these two climbers started development of outdoor sports industry in Chamonix and also gave rise to climbing movement in Alps. In 1821, 34 local climbing guides in small town of Chamonix founded a professional guiding company, starting a corporate and industrial climbing service business. After over a hundred years of development, Chamonix has become a holy place for mountain sports in Europe and world.
1. The city of Chamonix is famous for its beautiful nature and rich cultural heritage.
The city is very close to snow-capped mountains. Whichever street or corner of Chamonix you stand on, you can see towering Mont Blanc and sparkling glaciers as soon as you look up. The famous British poet Shelley once famously wrote: "When Mont Blanc was still high, Alps were already heaven on earth in Europe". It shows its stunning natural beauty.
Natural scenery of Chamonix
The city itself is a beautiful city with picturesque natural landscapes and diverse buildings, ancient monasteries, alpine farms, baroque churches, arts and crafts buildings, quaint wooden houses and convenient transportation. a city that combines tradition and modernity, as well as nature and humanity. It is said that there is an old man in streets of Chamonix who drives a magnificently decorated four-wheeled carriage and wears traditional Alpine costumes and carries passengers in small town of Chamonix. Many people who come to Chamonix will make a special trip to see heroic look of old man driving carriage.
Secondly, unique natural conditions are basis for development of sports industry in city of Chamonix.
The Chamonix area is covered in snow
Every year from September, snow season begins in Chamonix region, and Mont Blanc region is covered with snow. Dense snow and moderate snowfall make this a natural ski resort.. In Chamonix Valley there are large and small ski resorts, with a total length of more than 100 km. Many skiers come here to enjoy unique ski resorts. The ski season here can last until May next year, and extra-long ski season is also an important reason for long skiing.
Thirdly, professional premises and service system will form brand of city of Chamonix.
Hundreds of ski slopes in Chamonix
There are 13 major ski resorts near Chamonix, hundreds of ski slopes, with a total length of more than 100 kilometers. From elementary green runs, intermediate red runs to ultra-difficult black runs, skiers of all levels will find their ski runs here. There are currently over 150 professional mountain guides registered in Chamonix. Ordinary people who meet physical requirements must undergo five years of training and assessment before they can be registered as professional mountain guides. These guides serve over tens of thousands of tourists from all over world. around world every year.
Ski Instructor Training Centre
French National School of Skiing and Mountaineering (ENSA)
The small town of Chamonix also has an Alpine Rescue Team that is responsible for mountain rescues in area, on duty 24/7 to ensure safety of tourists. In addition, mountaineering training is very developed in city. School of Alpine Skiing (ENSA ), as well as educational institutions such as National Training Center for Ski and Alpine Police, Alpine Military Academy and Alpine Medical Research Institute. These professional facilities and service organizations not only guarantee development of outdoor alpine sports industry, but also shape image of professional sports brand of city of Chamonix.
Fourthly, a variety of professional competitions and sporting events determine overall development of city of Chamonix.
Since first Winter Olympic Games were held in 1924, winter sports on ice and snow have been a flagship project in city of Chamonix. In addition, many summer sports are developed locally: in Chamonix there are 160 different forest hiking trails suitable for everyone, more than 5,000 climbing routes, extreme sports such as alpine paragliding, on one hand, outdoor water sports air, such as canyoning. , torrent surfing, river tracing and canyoning, as well as amusement pools equipped with waterfalls, torrents, water jets and massagers, which are very rich in content. As for professional events, Chamonix has carefully prepared world's most famous cross-country event, Tour Mont Blanc Supercross (UTMB). The development of these professional and sporting events has greatly contributed to integration of sports and tourism industry, transforming city of Chamonix from a city of ice and snow sports to an integrated city of sports and recreation.
Tour Mont Blanc Supercross (UTMB)
5. An integrated leisure support system to promote development of public leisure and leisure industry in city of Chamonix.
The first bistro in Chamonix
In terms of leisure and business services, Chamonix is second to none. Back in 1770, first tavern opened in Chamonix, marking rise of hotel industry. Today, a variety of accommodation options, including star hotels, apartments and campsites, homestay and youth apartments, is very diverse. In terms of shopping and experience, world's leading luxury brand stores, unique boutiques, first-class spas, chocolate shops, sports shops, etc. make people feel like they are in a metropolis. In terms of food, cheese fondue, shabu-shabu stir-fry, thick cheese bread, and other delicacies with a strong Alpine flair make people linger and forget to come back.
Sixth, special transport assistance to create an unforgettable sightseeing experience.
Due to area's unique topographical conditions, cog trains and mountain cable cars have emerged as not only a means of transportation, but also a characteristic method of sightseeing. strong>.
Gear gear
In 1892, a plan to build a gear train was put on agenda. There was widespread opposition to plan at time, especially from mule-driving guides, because they considered it unfair competition. After intense debate, Parliament announced plans for a railway line in 1897. The huge project began in 1905 and was commissioned on August 9, 1908.
After completion of this cog railway, cultural celebrities such as Rousseau, Hugo, George Sand, Goethe, Shelley, Liszt and many other tourists came to see this beautiful and majestic glacier. In first year, it received 24,000 passengers, and in 1924, year of Olympics in Chamonix, number of passengers reached 100,000 people. The train travels at an average speed of 8 kilometers per hour, with a gradient of 22%, and takes about 1 hour from Chamonix-Mont-Blanc to final station, Monteverde train station. In 1950s, electric locomotives gradually replaced steam locomotives. Today, gear train carries up to 2,200 passengers per hour. Since 1992, trains have run all year round, in winter and summer, with exception of October, when maintenance personnel are required. As train slowly climbs uphill, you can have a great view of Chamonix city panorama along way. Glacier.
Chamonis Alpine cable car
In 1955, Chamonix cable car was officially put into operation, connecting small town of Chamonix at an altitude of 1,035 m with Aiguille du Midi at an altitude of 3,842 m. 600 travelers ascended and descended. mountain. The cable car takes you to Aiguille du Midi at 2700 meters in 20 minutes. The summit has both covered and open terraces so that visitors can enjoy magnificent views of summit from all directions in all weather conditions. Standing on top of Aiguille du Midi, in clear weather, you can enjoy a panoramic view of dozens of peaks and enjoy a 360-degree panoramic view of snow-capped mountains and glaciers in the Alps, which is very magnificent. .
Step into Void Hanging Glass Box
In order to enrich tourist experience, in recent years, a new observation deck has been built on top of Aiguille du Midi, with five sides of transparent glass inserted in a glass box, called "Step into Void". You can stand in a suspended glass box and look directly at a deep valley over 1000 meters below your feet, which is absolutely breathtaking and shocking.
Factors such as superb location, unique resource elements, professional facilities and services, birthplace of modern mountaineering and first Winter Olympics have collectively shaped brand of city of Munich, making it a name. After 200 years of development, little-known agricultural town in valley has become a world-famous center for alpine sports and recreation.
Case Overview and Background
By analyzing development process of small town of Chamonix, we can find that its success is result of many factors working together. The sports and outdoor recreation industry in my country is in a phase of rapid development and development model of city of Chamonix gives us many learning opportunities:
Firstly, there are many sports focused on balance between winter and summer. The city of Chamonix is famous for winter ice and snow sports. In non-ski season, you can also do various sports, understanding that winter ice and snow sports lead, diversify development of integration of sports and leisure.
Second, to focus on integration of professional sports and mass leisure. Professional sports and events are critical to expanding influence and building a brand, but participation is limited and mass tourism participation is key to success of a sports town. In terms of skiing, city of Chamonix has both top-level professional pistes and pistes suitable for beginners, as well as many very spectacular sports such as sledding, which strongly increases popularity of tourist tourists. The interest in participating increases attraction for mass tourists. .
Thirdly, this is a comprehensive system for servicing sports guarantees. Modern sports events not only have a high level of specialization, but also need a systemic system of service guarantees. The city of Chamonix has established a system of services such as training and education, guide services, rescue service and medical security, which provides a reliable guarantee for development of industry. In particular, services of guides and medical rescue services are most worthy of our study and familiarization. Accidents caused by an imperfect guarantee system, when sports events are held in some places in China, also show thatThe attention and capabilities of our country in this area are still very weak. When some donkey friends climbed wild mountains, got trapped and called for help, they lacked professional rescue forces, which also reflected shortcomings of our country in terms of guides and rescue services. With rising income of Chinese people, demand for sports and outdoor recreation has also increased significantly. It can be said that it has entered stage of rapid development of sports and outdoor recreation. and outdoor recreation. 【End】
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