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 The Savoyard resort of Pralognan-la-Vanoise has been welcoming tourists for over one hundred years. Over the century, the resort has been an innovator in numerous mountain activities. Pralognan-la-Vanoise is one of the oldest mountain villages. The most ancient constructions date from the 12th century. This authenticity is personified by the predominantly local origins of the reception staff. The French and overseas clients who come to Pralognan-la-Vanoise know that a warm welcome awaits them in a village in harmony with its natural environment and attached to its land and its language.
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 Pastoralism: Before the 19th century, Pralognan lived off rearing animals. Our ancestors cleared this land to make pastures for their animals and cut hay for the long winter months. Agriculture was not easy; rye was the only crop that grew. At the end of spring, the animals and their masters returned to the high mountain pastures: this was called the emmontagnée.
Many vestiges of this era are still visible such as the rudimentary arbé chalets, the chalets in the mountain pastures, the cellars, the hay barns, the tracks and a natural environment that is still nurtured by our farmers and their herds.
You can discover this heritage in the company of mountain leaders, guides and farmers.
The Salt and Beaufort Road was trodden by pedlars and smugglers. It lies along the Vanoise Pass, which was an easy crossing point between Italy and France. Salt from the salt mines of Salins-les-Thermes and cheese from Beaufort were transported to Piedmont to be traded for fabrics and spices. Barioz, which means ‘gate’ in the patois dialect, served as a customs point.
 Mountaineering and the English. In 1860, an Englishman named Matthews climbed the Grande-Casse for the very first time. Pralognan discovered mountaineering. Our proud chamois antelope hunters and hardy farmers were the first high-mountain guides in Pralognan-la-Vanoise
Félix Faure, President of France, reviews his Alpine troops and climbs to the Vanoise Pass in 1897. The Vanoise refuge took his name in homage several years later.
 Skiing arrives in Pralognan: In 1903, Mr Rey the postman had the funny idea to travel around on 2 wooden planks that slid over the snow. He brought the idea back from one of his numerous trips and was quickly copied by other villagers. The 1st ski race took place on the Barioz slope in 1904. A ski jump was inaugurated in 1920 and a natural ice rink with a speed-skating oval, in 1930.
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Documents |
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 Books:
Pralognan-la-Vanoise, 1860-1930 by Jacques De Leymarie
Brothers in the Canopy by Geneviève Ruffier Lanches
Films and video cassettes:
- Couloir du Foin
- Piocheurs de Gentiane
Anne and Eric Lapied
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Timeline |
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1860 1st ascent of Grande-Casse
1895 1st Grand Hotel
1897 Inauguration of the Félix Faure Refuge, by the President of France himself
1905 Creation of the Tourist Office
1912 Pralognan becomes
‘Pralognan-la-Vanoise’
1916 Pralognan-la-Vanoise is classified as a ‘health resort’
1937 1st ski tow
1957 Mont-Bochor cable car
1992 Winter Olympics Curling event
2000 ISF skiing world championships for schoolchildren
2002 Resort telethon (big donations for the smallest village hosting an outdoor TV studio)
2006/07 Pralognan-la-Vanoise has managed to keep its charm and is now the last resort village of its size in the Tarentaise Valley.
Pralognan-la-Vanoise has many special features: the first access to the Vanoise National Park, the first information point in the Vanoise National Park, the first Savoie Guides Company, the greatest number of National Park rangers, the most popular refuges in Savoie, the most popular trails in Savoie, the biggest ice cap in the Alps and more than 30 summits over 3000 m of which one is the highest in Savoie: Grande-Casse – 3855 m... |
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