Les Houches
Encyclopedia
Les Houches is a commune
in the Haute-Savoie
department in the Rhône-Alpes
region
in south-eastern France
.
with a ski domain which extends from an altitude of 950 metres up to 1900 metres. The skiing combines long descents through tree-lined slopes, with impressive views of the Mont Blanc massif and the Chamonix valley. The village is twinned with the Russian villages of Sochi and Krasnaya-Polyana, which it has been chosen by the International Olympic Committee to assist organise the Winter Olympic Games in 2014. The pistes of Les Houches are regularly used for international events most notably the 'Kandahar' run is used annually for the Men's Downhill World Cup Ski Championships. Les Houches provides a training ground for the French National Ski Team and the Ski Club of Great Britain. The skiing area consists of 1 international black run, 12 red runs, 5 blue runs and 4 green runs, cross-country trails, and two snow parks. Extensive artificial snow coverage is provided by a new network of 67 snow canons covering 19 hectares. There are nursery slopes at Le Tourchet in the centre of the village itself, a Jardin du Neige for very young children skiers next to Lac de Chavants, and a new nursery area at the top of the Prarion lift.
There is a famous physics summer school here (l'École de Physique des Houches
) that was started by Cécile DeWitt-Morette
. It has been attended by two dozen Nobel prize laureates as teachers or students before they received their prize. Also, the Les Houches Accords
were written here, which are important in high energy physics.
Les Houches is the start/finish of the popular Tour du Mont Blanc
, A 7-10 day walk around the base of the Mont-Blanc Massif which takes in France
, Italy
and Switzerland
.
Coupeau has sun all year long, whereas Les Houches for the most part, stays in the shade in the winter. At the heart of the village of Coupeau, is a truly wonderful animal park called "Merlet", which draws many visitors each year. There you can see llama
s, but also local types of deer
and rams, plus marmot
s. Below the animal park, a statue of Christ 4 stories high, overlooks the valley, with its right arm outstretched, as if greeting newcomers entering the valley below.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Haute-Savoie
Haute-Savoie
Haute-Savoie is a French department in the Rhône-Alpes region of eastern France. It borders both Switzerland and Italy. The capital is Annecy. To the north is Lake Geneva and Switzerland; to the south and southeast are the Mont Blanc and Aravis mountain ranges and the French entrance to the Mont...
department in the Rhône-Alpes
Rhône-Alpes
Rhône-Alpes is one of the 27 regions of France, located on the eastern border of the country, towards the south. The region was named after the Rhône River and the Alps mountain range. Its capital, Lyon, is the second-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris...
region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
in south-eastern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Overview
It is a ski-resort, and is located 6 kilometres from ChamonixChamonix
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix is a commune in the Haute-Savoie département in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics, the first Winter Olympics...
with a ski domain which extends from an altitude of 950 metres up to 1900 metres. The skiing combines long descents through tree-lined slopes, with impressive views of the Mont Blanc massif and the Chamonix valley. The village is twinned with the Russian villages of Sochi and Krasnaya-Polyana, which it has been chosen by the International Olympic Committee to assist organise the Winter Olympic Games in 2014. The pistes of Les Houches are regularly used for international events most notably the 'Kandahar' run is used annually for the Men's Downhill World Cup Ski Championships. Les Houches provides a training ground for the French National Ski Team and the Ski Club of Great Britain. The skiing area consists of 1 international black run, 12 red runs, 5 blue runs and 4 green runs, cross-country trails, and two snow parks. Extensive artificial snow coverage is provided by a new network of 67 snow canons covering 19 hectares. There are nursery slopes at Le Tourchet in the centre of the village itself, a Jardin du Neige for very young children skiers next to Lac de Chavants, and a new nursery area at the top of the Prarion lift.
There is a famous physics summer school here (l'École de Physique des Houches
École de Physique des Houches
L’École de Physique des Houches was founded in 1951 by a young French scientist, Cécile DeWitt-Morette.Historically the first lessons were given in 1951 by Léon van Hove on quantum mechanics...
) that was started by Cécile DeWitt-Morette
Cécile DeWitt-Morette
Cécile Andrée Paule DeWitt-Morette is a French mathematician and physicist. She founded a summer school at Les Houches in the French Alps. For this and her publications, she was awarded the American Society of the French Legion of Honor 2007 Medal for Distinguished Achievement...
. It has been attended by two dozen Nobel prize laureates as teachers or students before they received their prize. Also, the Les Houches Accords
Les Houches Accords
The Les Houches Accords are agreements between particle physicists to standardize the interface between the matrix element programs and the event generators used to calculate different quantities...
were written here, which are important in high energy physics.
Les Houches is the start/finish of the popular Tour du Mont Blanc
Tour du Mont Blanc
The Tour du Mont Blanc or TMB is one of the most popular long distance walks in Europe. It circles the Mont Blanc Massif covering a distance of roughly 170 km with 10 km of ascent/descent and passes through parts of Switzerland, Italy and France.It is considered one of the classic long...
, A 7-10 day walk around the base of the Mont-Blanc Massif which takes in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Coupeau and La Flatiere
Across Les Houches but part of the town, (across the river l’Arve) is a little village called “Coupeau.” A windy road climbs high through the village and lead all the way up, 3 miles or so, to the foot of its own mount; l’aiguillette, at the foot of which another little village resides, called; “La Flatiere” well known across the valley for its panorama sites, and a little Christian hermitage. From there many path wander through the mountain. One path especially beautiful, breathtaking in fact, leads to an old sheepfold, called Chailloux.Coupeau has sun all year long, whereas Les Houches for the most part, stays in the shade in the winter. At the heart of the village of Coupeau, is a truly wonderful animal park called "Merlet", which draws many visitors each year. There you can see llama
Llama
The llama is a South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since pre-Hispanic times....
s, but also local types of deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
and rams, plus marmot
Marmot
The marmots are a genus, Marmota, of squirrels. There are 14 species in this genus.Marmots are generally large ground squirrels. Those most often referred to as marmots tend to live in mountainous areas such as the Alps, northern Apennines, Eurasian steppes, Carpathians, Tatras, and Pyrenees in...
s. Below the animal park, a statue of Christ 4 stories high, overlooks the valley, with its right arm outstretched, as if greeting newcomers entering the valley below.
Famous People
- Professor Jean DelumeauJean DelumeauJean Delumeau is a French historian specializing in the Catholic church history and author of several books regarding the subject...
, historian, stays frequently in Les Houches and practices mountaineering. - Catherine DestivelleCatherine DestivelleCatherine Monique Suzanne Destivelle is an Algeria-born French rock climber and mountaineer. In 1992 she became the first woman to complete a solo ascent of the Eiger's north face. She completed the climb in winter in 15 hours...
, mountaineer. - Pierre-Gilles de GennesPierre-Gilles de GennesPierre-Gilles de Gennes was a French physicist and the Nobel Prize laureate in physics in 1991.-Biography:...
, Nobel Prize for Physics, came to study and teach at the Physics School of Les Houches (l'École de Physique des HouchesÉcole de Physique des HouchesL’École de Physique des Houches was founded in 1951 by a young French scientist, Cécile DeWitt-Morette.Historically the first lessons were given in 1951 by Léon van Hove on quantum mechanics...
). - Christophe Profit, mountaineer.
- Marie ParadisMarie ParadisMarie Paradis was the first woman to reach the summit of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain of western Europe, on July 14, 1808....
(1778-1839), first female to climb Mont Blanc in July 1808.
Places and Moments
- Bellevue cable car entered service in 1936.
- Statue of Jesus Christ inaugurated 19th August 1934
- Mountain Museum (Musée Montagnard), in an 18th century house on a theme of the traditional habitat