The Musée Alpin occupies a handsome building in the centre of Chamonix and covers the full history of the valley from the first tourists in the 18th century through to modern alpinism. The collection includes paintings, photographs, climbing equipment, and personal effects from the great early ascents — among them pieces connected to the 1786 first ascent of Mont Blanc, the defining moment in European mountaineering history.
The museum is particularly strong on the social history of alpine tourism: the guides who led nervous Victorians up the glaciers, the hotels that sprang up to house them, and the way Chamonix transformed from a farming valley into one of the world's most famous mountain resorts. There is a detailed section on the 1924 Winter Olympics, the first in history, which were held in Chamonix. Labelling is primarily in French, though key exhibits have English summaries.