The Stade Olympique de Chamonix hosted the world's first Winter Olympic Games in January and February 1924. Today it continues as a working sports venue with an ice rink, and the Olympic heritage is marked by plaques and a modest monument. Watching a local hockey game here in winter has a certain historical resonance — the same ice (more or less) where Olympic figure skating was contested a century ago.
The 1924 Games drew 258 athletes from 16 nations and introduced bobsleigh, curling (as a demonstration sport), and ski jumping to Olympic competition. The bobsleigh track, the Piste des Pellerins, was built on the outskirts of town and still exists in partial form. The stade itself is worth a brief visit if you are interested in winter sports history, and the ice rink is open to the public for recreational skating through the winter season.