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This is the story of a refuge, up there in the mountains.
1907. Imagine, it was a century ago. The Tré la Tête refuge welcomed its first visitors. Its rich, very rich, history began.
At that time, the mountain was a farming land. The place called Les Contamines-Montjoie was not an exception. But Chamonix was not very far away. The Mont Blanc neither. In the early twentieth century, and for several decades, it was the era of the great alpine conquests. Many firsts ascents were done.
The mountain crystallized attentions. And the people here started to see the possibility of earning a living from tourism. Chamonix and Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, used to be quite attractive places for mountain tourism. The people of « les Contamines » started to dream also about better days. So the first hotel got out of the ground. The hotel of the Union. Followed closely by the first refuge at altitude : your host, the refuge of Tré la Tête.
The first guardians
The idea of its first owners – Joseph and François Barbier – was to offer more than just a base camp for mountaineers, wishing to discover the Tré la Tête area.
«There was already a hut that used to be a shelter for climbers. The idea was clearly to build an altitude hotel.” Firmin Mollard is a guide in Les Contamines. He used to sleep in the refuge since
the 60s. He knows his history. It testifies : « Tré la Tête offered a much better comfort than most refuges. This is also what made his reputation.»
Then Leon Orset bought Tré la Tête
In the early 30s, the famous guide and alpinist Leon Orset – well known in the region – bought the refuge to Barbiers brothers.
Leon Orset changed the face of the refuge. But then the war began. In the 50s, the « Ski club alpin parisien » found in Tré la Tête one of its favorites base camps. Because of the mountains of course, they used to ski on the Tré la Tête Glacier. But it was in the early 60’s that they brought the refuge in the next level. Les Contamines passed from a small alpine village to a mountain resort, including skiing. White gold.
Ness Orset: the « golden age »
This is also the beginning of the “golden age” for the Tré la Tête refuge. Leo gave the property to his son René “Nes” Orset and his wife Colette. « It quickly became one of the great places in the valley. The equivalent of « Albert 1er » in Argentière, mostly. » Firmin Mollard was one of those guides who arrived with his customers in the late afternoon. « We were always pleased to sleep there. The soup was hot and beds were comfortable. » And the story continues.
Leon Orset changed the face of the refuge. But then the war began. In the 50s, the « Ski club alpin parisien » found in Tré la Tête one of its favorites base camps. Because of the mountains of course, they used to ski on the Tré la Tête Glacier. But it was in the early 60’s that they brought the refuge in the next level. Les Contamines passed from a small alpine village to a mountain resort, including skiing. White gold.
Tradition is safe. Up there, in the refuge of Tré la Tête, the story continues.