Chamrousse, Isère

Chamrousse ski resort is located in the Belledonne mountain range, only 30km away from Grenoble. It extends over four levels: Chamrousse 1600 (Arselle plateau), Chamrousse 1650 (Recoin), Chamrousse 1700 (Bachat Bouloud) and Chamrousse 1750 (Roche Béranger) that are linked by the ski slopes and the forest tracks. The Croix de Chamrousse is the highest point (2250m).

Winter sports are a tradition in Chamrousse. The first ski descents by Henry Duhamel date back to 1878. The resort reached worldwide fame in 1968 when hosted six of the Grenoble Winter Olympics events. Today, a 90-km alpine ski area and a 40-km Nordic ski area await ski enthusiasts.

A pioneer resort of French alpine skiing

In 1863 appeared the first chalet in Chamrousse. Father Tasse built a chalet-hostel at Roche-Béranger, where he stayed about five months a year on average until 1885. In 2008, the republishing of a rare book written by Henri Vincent “Les 22 années du Père Tasse à Chamrousse” dating back to 1888, allowed us to better understand the life of the “hermit of Roche Béranger”.

This site subsequently receives many visits from French and foreign people fond of hiking and open spaces.

Chamrousse, Olympic ski resort

In 1968, the Chamrousse resort, near Grenoble, was transformed in order to host the Alpine Skiing Olympic Games at the tenth Winter Olympic Games.

Dates: the events were meant to take place on February 8th, 11th, 12th and 17th, but were delayed due to bad weather conditions. The Men’s Downhill event took place on February 9th, 1968 (rather than the 8th). The Men’s Slalom finals, on February 17th, 1968 were notable because of an intense fog.

Events: the main alpine skiing events in the Olympic Games are Men’s and Women’s Downhill, Giant, and Slalom.

Mascot: the “Shuss” or Schuss; a blue and red cartoon character skiing man

Specificities: global television broadcasts in colour for the first time and the great contribution of the army in preparing the grounds.