Wood, hands, beauty

Didier Simond is the kind of person who changes his blades depending on the season: a ski instructor in winter and a cutler in summer. This former joiner's workshop is in Chamonix, and it's in the mountains that he does part of his shopping. He unearths a rare species of alpine pine, found 3,000 years ago, where the Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice) once stood. While excavating the moraine, he unearths fossilised trunks caught in the glacier, which he transforms into knife handles. Knives made of ancient wood. Unique in the world. Didier and his son also work with Vallorcine larch, Servoz walnut, and frozen Chamonix birch. Their trademark: a handle as curved as Mont Blanc, woodburned with the route of the first ascent of the summit by Jacques Balmat and Dr. Paccard in 1786. It’s a powerful gesture, partly a homage and partly an everlasting legacy.

A striking name, a vintage photo look. Gavroche cap, wool shorts, or wide corduroy pants. A jacket with a pocket watch over a Norwegian cardigan… Peter Steltzner—the rabbit on the roof—is a quirky Californian who has been making wooden skis in Les Praz since 2005. Each pair is carefully handcrafted with limited editions; it's a perfect combination of fine woods and technical fibres. The result? High-performance, sleek skis, designed for both touring and freeriding. Guides and several extreme skiing legends traded their skis for Rabbit on the Roof prototypes. Their reputation grew, and the project took off.

Until 2016, when the rabbit became a phoenix. A fire ravaged his workshop, the "artists' mill." Everything went up in smoke, including the annual production he had just completed: a hundred pairs of skis ready for delivery. Everything gone, except passion.  Solidarity in the valley kicked in, and two years later, Peter got back on his feet and restarted the machines. This winter, you should spot Rabbit on the Roof skis. The kind you recognise from afar, but can’t decide whether to ride them or hang them in your living room.

23, chemin des Dailles – Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

06 64 35 80 93

In December, the valley lights up. From Servoz to Vallorcine, it's magical, and the Chamonix Christmas Market brings together the best of local creations. You'll meet Le Chamoniard—of course—and other wood craftsmen: the crystal maker Georges Moreira, who crafts necklaces made of wood, quartz, or fluorite, or Graveurs des Cimes, known for their mountain panoramas engraved on wooden boards. Gifts that smell of sawdust, snow, and passion. In the Valley, you leave with a souvenir and a story to tell.