Les Contamines-Montjoie
Encyclopedia
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Haute-Savoie
Haute-Savoie
Haute-Savoie is a French department in the Rhône-Alpes region of eastern France. It borders both Switzerland and Italy. The capital is Annecy. To the north is Lake Geneva and Switzerland; to the south and southeast are the Mont Blanc and Aravis mountain ranges and the French entrance to the Mont...
department in the Rhône-Alpes
Rhône-Alpes
Rhône-Alpes is one of the 27 regions of France, located on the eastern border of the country, towards the south. The region was named after the Rhône River and the Alps mountain range. Its capital, Lyon, is the second-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris...
region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
in south-eastern France.
History
The history of Les Contamines :The name of the village originates from ancient local dialect. The word "Contamines", derived from Latin condominium through condaminium, once meant ploughable land on the squires estate.
Important dates
1760: Birth of an independent parish (detached from the parish of Saint-Nicolas de Véroce)
1850: Creation of the local Mountain Guides Company
1900: Development of the first tourist infrastructures, hotels etc.
1911: Creation of the local ski club
1937: Creation of the first ski lift
1949: Les Contamines is renamed Les Contamines-Montjoie
1952: Creation of the first chair-lift and the summer playground at l'Etape.
1971: Development of Bellevue, La Ruelle and the Col du Joly.
Location
Les Contamines Montjoie is located in the French AlpsFrench Alps
The French Alps are those portions of the Alps mountain range which stand within France, located in the Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions....
. It is approximately 1 1/4 hrs from the aeroport of Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
which is convenient and 15 mn from the Le FAyet St Gervais Railway station (highspeed trains) and from the A40 Autoroute (exit 21). Les Contamines is located in between the well known resorts of Chamonix
Chamonix
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix is a commune in the Haute-Savoie département in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics, the first Winter Olympics...
and Megève
Megève
Megève is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.Megève is a famous ski resort near the Mont-Blanc in the French Alps...
, it is close to Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc or Monte Bianco , meaning "White Mountain", is the highest mountain in the Alps, Western Europe and the European Union. It rises above sea level and is ranked 11th in the world in topographic prominence...
which means that it is used for both mountain climbing in the Summer and skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
in the Winter. Its proximitiy to Chamonix means that access to Italy is easy via the Mont Blanc Tunnel
Mont Blanc Tunnel
The Mont Blanc Tunnel is a road tunnel in the Alps under the Mont Blanc mountain, linking Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, France , and Courmayeur, Aosta Valley, Italy . It is one of the major trans-Alpine transport routes, particularly for Italy, which relies on the tunnel for transporting as much as...
.
Aspect of the village
The village of Les Contamines is a jewel at the heart of the Mont Blanc region. The sensation of a hidden valley results in a very close knit local community.The village has preserved its historic aspect. More than 70% of old farm buildings have been restored in respect of the local Savoy architecture.
The nature reserve
Created in 1979, the nature reserve covers more than 5, 500 hectares of varied terrain rising from 1 000 to 3 900 meters high and covering forests, pastures, torrents, rocks, snow fields and glaciers.A local association ensures a link between the reserve and the general public. The information centre, located in the village centre, proposes various activities for all age groups.
Ski resort
Les Contamines Montjoie main industry is tourismTourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
through its Skiing Area which is moderately sized. It ranges from the village at around 1100m to l'Aiguille Croche
Aiguille Croche
The Aiguille Croche is a mountain in the Beaufortain Massif in Savoie and Haute-Savoie, France....
at around 2500m. There are four sections of the ski area: The Tierces section, the Roselette section, the Montjoie section and the Hauteluce section.
The Tierces section is south facing, it is the highest section of the resort and possesses the resorts hardest black runs: Grevettaz and Rebans. The Tierces section also has easier blue and red runs such as Coins (blue) and Tierces (red). From most places in the Tierces section one can see (weather permitting) a vivid panorama of Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc or Monte Bianco , meaning "White Mountain", is the highest mountain in the Alps, Western Europe and the European Union. It rises above sea level and is ranked 11th in the world in topographic prominence...
and its neighbouring peaks including Aiguille de Bionnassay
Aiguille de Bionnassay
The Aiguille de Bionnassay is a mountain in the Mont-Blanc massif of the Alps in France and Italy....
and Domes de Miage.
The Roselette section is a north facing section of ski runs which range from blue to black, the hardest run in this section is the black of Olympique. The Aiguille de Rosselette towers over the majority of the section giving it its name. There is off piste potential in the steep couloirs of the Aiguille de Rosselette.
The Hauteluce section is the name given to the section of runs on the other side of the Col du Joly in the Val Joly (rather than the Val Montjoie) the run difficulty is varied in this section.
The Montjoie section is the name used to describe the lower runs.