Chamonix is by far my favourite place in the world. It is a small village situated to the north of Mont Blanc, and near the massive peaks of the Aiguilles Rouges and most notably the Aiguille du Midi, Chamonix is one of the oldest ski resorts in France. It’s regarded as well as the birthplace and one of the capitals of mountaineering and alpinism.
Traditional mountaineering was basically leading travellers over the mountain passes by the safest route. In 1760 the scientist Horace Bénédict de Saussure put up a prize for the first ascent of Mont Blanc. In those days the mountain lay in Savoy, an independent country that included Nice, Aosta, Piedmont and Sardinia. Not until 1860 was the territory definitively incorporated into France and Italy, with Mont Blanc marking the border.
De Saussure himself made several attempts, but the first successful ascent of Mont Blanc was on 8 Aug 1786 by Jean-Jacques Balmat and Dr Michel-Gabriel Paccard.
This years photo adventures there were a blast. We had great time and managed to take some awesome photos. Please enjoy a small selection and if you fell like joining a photo adventure in Chamonix, send me an email at: ivo.popov@gmail.com
