Historic Sports Shops

Snell Sports didn’t simply celebrate its 90th anniversary — it marked a love story. That of Marthe Devouassoud and Harold Snell, an American soldier smitten with a Chamonix local (and with Mont Blanc itself). In 1928, they opened Aux Armes de Savoie — antiques in the front, ice axes and carabiners in the back. Word quickly spread among British climbers — Roger Frison-Roche among them. The shop became a true basecamp for the alpine community. By 1934, Snell, Articles de Sport had taken root on rue Paccard, offering cutting-edge gear and drawing the greats of mountaineering. In the 1960s and 70s, skiing boomed, the Mont Blanc Tunnel reshaped travel, and Chamonix evolved into the world capital of mountain life. Snell expanded across the street and even added an indoor climbing wall. Next door, Snell’s Field — the family plot where the Orthaz Stone still stands — became a hangout for beatnik climbers. Later, waves of devoted Japanese alpinists arrived, so attached to Chamonix that locals nicknamed them the “Japoniards.”

Today, Olivia — the fourth generation of Snell — continues this long-running adventure, keeping the family’s pioneering spirit alive at the Valley’s legendary sporting hub.

While Snell was building its legacy, Sanglard Sports was forging its own path. Arriving from the Swiss Jura in 1924 — the year of the first Winter Olympics — Fernand and Claire Sanglard opened their shop on rue Paccard. Skiing ran in the family’s veins: their son Maurice became a French champion and Olympian, while their daughter Nicole became a ski instructor. Nearly a century on, Sanglard remains a local touchstone— trusted for meticulous equipment servicing, precise boot fitting, and straight talking advice. With two locations in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc and Argentière, its family ethos and Swiss-born precision still define the brand.

More recently, Ravanel & Co injected new energy — that of endurance sports: trail running, ski touring, and everything in between. Founded in 1998 in Les Praz, the brand soon gathered pace. By 2003, a second shop opened in the centre of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, dedicated to running, climbing, and descent. Ravanel didn’t just follow trends — they anticipated them. From international trade fairs to the first-ever trail-running stand at the UTMB, from in-house events like the Nordic Monster Test to Run & Skate Chamonix, Ravanel has become a cornerstone of contemporary mountain culture. Now comes Sentier — the family’s next chapter.
In 2025, Léo and Tom Ravanel will open an ultra-modern trail-running concept store, born from a collaboration with Nike ACG. For them, trail running is not just a sport but a lifestyle, a field of expression, an aesthetic all its own. Proof that the story goes on — evolving, innovating, yet still firmly rooted in the Valley’s soul.

In the Valley, no one tells its story better than the sports shops. From hand-forged ice axes to high-tech mountain wear, they trace the same line along the ridge — that of passion, handed down through the generations.