Page 9 - Guida di Claviere e Montgenevre

Introduction 1907, sotto l’impulso del Club Alpino Francese (CAF), del Touring Club di
Francia e dell’esercito, la stazione accoglie il suo primo concorso di salto
con gli sci. Il norvegese Durban Hansen vincerà la competizione superan-
do più di 26 metri. Nel dopoguerra il villaggio vede sfilare un’élite di turisti
dove aristocratici si mescolano con borghesi oziosi. Con l’installazione di
uno skilift al Prarial nel 1936 la pratica dello sci diventò gradualmente un
vero e proprio fenomeno di massa.
Negli anni ‘30 e ‘40 Montgenèvre è luogo d’appuntamento del jet-set pa-
rigino. Il proprietario del ‘Boeuf sur le toit’, celebre cabaret di Parigi, M.
Moyses, rileva il Grand Hôtel e trascina con sè una scia di famosi artisti e
scrittori. Durante quest’epoca, si potevano incontrare nel villaggio Cocte-
au, Gabin, Colette, Paul Emile Victor, Mistinguett ed altri ancora...
Situated at 1.860m., Montgenèvre joins the charm of an alpine village to
the presence of modern skiing structures, it is in fact the only French resort
connected to the Vialattea. It is easily accessible: 4h30 from Paris; 1h5
from Turin; 19Km from the train station of Oulx; 12Km from the train station
of Briançon.
Situated between two mountain slopes, the town is made up of two villages,
Montgenèvre on the hill and Les Alberts at the entry of the Vallée of the
Clarée. The top of the hill, that represents the watershed of the Durance,
is set among mountain lawns and river springs like that of the Dora that for
its geographical position, enjoys an exceptional exposure (300 days of sun
a year). Its slopes follow larch trees, woods and pines and the valleys offer
a panorama at the Massicio of the Oisans, of the Queyras and of Italy. The
slopes stretch over 400km.
Since 2010 the Monty Express has been operative: a sleigh track 1,400m.
long. It is in fact a resort of excellence for families: entertainment, luge
piste, safe skiing area for beginners, playgrounds, etc.
The name of Montgenèvre derives from the word ‘auberge’, in fact in ancient
times it was a stop for the travellers that transited to the hill. Still visible
testimonies are the ‘cours’, porticos where the wayfarers mended wagons
and mounts. Montgenèvre has been able to maintain its mountain ‘charme’
despite the adverse historical events: part of the delfinato from 1255, was
then incorporated in the Kingdom of France in 1349, the village was set on
fire by the troops of the Duke of Savoy in 1706. Montgenèvre, intended as a
real skiing district, was opened in 1907. In 1895 skiing presented itself in
the village for the first time: two Norwegian officers effected a ski demon-
stration and the French soldiers were introduced to this discipline.
In 1903 the Department of War created the first ski school in Briançon: more
than 5,000 soldiers, up to 1914, learnt the techniques of skiing. At the time,
a baton was used for maintaining balance and, to stop, you simply let yourself
fall to the ground, an empirical technique that is still known as ‘Briançonnais
stop’. The transformation into a real ski resort is marked by the organiza-
tion of the 1st international competition in Montgènevre: in 1907, under the
impulse of the French Alpine Club (CAF), of the French Touring Club and and
of the army, the station welcomed its first ski jump contest. The Norwegian
Durban Hansen won the competition by jumping more than 26m.
In the postwar period the village saw an elite of tourists where aristocrats
mix with the idle bourgeois. The installation of a skilift at the Prarial (1936)
accelerated the phenomenon and gradually the practice of skiing became
a real mass event. In the 30’s and 40’s, Montgenèvre was the rendez-vous
spot of the Parisian jet-set. The owner of the ‘Boeuf sur le toits’, famous
Parisian cabaret, Mr. Moyses took over the Grand Hôtel and took with him
a group of artists and writers. During this period, it was possible to meet
celebrities such as Cocteau, Gabin, Colette, Paul Emile Victor, Mistinguett
and many more...