Immersion at Simond

Long before mountaineering became a codified discipline, Simond was already designing the tools to reach the heights. Ice axes, crampons, and carabiners bearing the eagle emblem—these are the tools with which pioneers opened routes, took risks, and wrote the great Alpine epic. Founded in the valley in 1860, the company grew in step with the ascents in the mountains (and far beyond), driven by generations of blacksmiths, craftsmen, and passionate climbers.

Relocated from Les Houches to the outskirts of Chamonix in 2020, its base camp is neither a sterile factory nor a marketing-driven showroom. It's a hybrid space where design, innovation, testing, and production coexist under one roof. They imagine, they manufacture, they inspect. And they (deliberately) put each product through its paces before sending it to the mountains.

At the heart of the site, an impressive abseiling tower is the crucial stage for prototypes and rope-based products. When you know that someone's life can hang by a thread—a carabiner—nothing is left to chance. Add to that a climbing wall and a bouldering wall, essential for developing climbing shoes—and incidentally, providing a place for the teams to let off steam. At Simond, the playground begins at the bottom of the valley.

No dusty nostalgia here, but a vibrant memory. Ice axes worn smooth by time, dented crampons, personal stories, archival photos… Every object on display has seen the mountain up close. Very close. Yet, half the pieces aren't behind glass. Here, you touch, you weigh, you understand. And you realise that before ice axes, Mont Blanc was tackled with a stick and a ladder.

The project's starting point is almost like something out of an adventure novel. While searching for antique ice axes to add to the museum, Denis Pivot stumbled upon the stick of Jacques Balmat, hero of the first ascent of Mont Blanc in 1786. The object lay dormant in the Devouassoud family home, where Adolphe Simond had learned the art of blacksmithing. The stick, damaged but still bearing witness to its history, is now kept at the Alpine Museum in Chamonix. The circle is complete.

The scenography also plays with symbols: a tunnel of ice axe blades retraces their evolution, a wooden ski fence structures the space, and ropes meander and intertwine throughout the exhibition. They connect eras, uses, and gestures. And above all, they remind us that everything is a matter of connections.

150, Route des Papillons - Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

Self-guided tour of the Heritage area every Wednesday from 2 pm to 5:30 pm. Free with registration.

Guided tour of the Heritage area and the factory every Wednesday from 2:30 pm to 4 pm. Free with registration.