Welcome in 1911
Welcome to 1911. You are entering the village of Saint-Bon, capital of the commune of Saint-Bon Courchevel. On your left, the Lac Bleu hotel (first hotel in the commune to open for the summer season in 1908 and for the winter season in 1925) and, on your right, the Town Hall (completed in 1870).

We are in 1902
We are in 1902. The forests of the valley of Saint-Bon are rich in wood. Each winter, strong and courageous men do not hesitate to face the cold and snow to look for it with sturdy sledges. From the top of the forest, they slide the imposing logs called "billons" in French down a straight path to the village.

September 1921
September 1921: the Sunday visit to the high-mountain pastures and the Pralong farm. This place has for many years been worked for the richness and extent of its pastures. Today, this magnificent site still exists with some of the original buildings. At the time, the first reckless skiers used to spend one or two nights there.

Superb view of Le Praz and its panorama
The village of Le Praz and its lake in 1908. In the very early days of the valley becoming populated, this pleasant plateau at an altitude of 1300 m, above Saint-Bon, was occupied by humans. It was here that a touching grave was found with two human skeletons and jewellery dating back to the Iron Age (750 B.C.).

We are in 1925
We are in 1925, it is winter and the valley of Saint-Bon is waking up to the first winter sports with its hotel and the enormous snow fields suitable for developing skiing. The skiers frequently walk up to the heights of Moriond and Courchevel, or else they ski up (with sealskins on) to make one single and memorable downhill run. (The ancestors of mountaineering skiers!).

Have control of natural wild elements
Here is a fine example of a communal building in the valley: the hamlet's sawmill in La Jairaz, in 1902. This is certainly one of the first constructions built at the order of the Count-Archbishops of Tarentaise, using water as the driving force. You can still admire it today even if is no longer working.

Mountain's way of life
This is the picture of life in the mountains which no longer exists as such. Today, in Savoy, the families of farming people in the mountains no longer live with the animals under the same roof in winter. However, this is not exactly true for the valley of Saint-Bon Courchevel where the inhabitants never lived for the six months of winter with their animals in the same room: the barn, the stable and the dwelling house were always separate within the village and during all the seasons.