The History of Snell Sports in Chamonix

Harold Snell was an American who served in France during World War I. Four years after the war ended, he was back in France met Marthe Devouassoid and in 1927 they were married. They opened an antique shop in Chamonix, however there were so many English tourists – hikers, skiers, alpinists – who hung out in the shop, that they decided to switch to sporting goods. If you are a fossil alpinist, that spent time in Charmonix during the late 60s, or early 1970s you're sure to know three places; Snell sports where you may have bought your first pair of Galibier mountain boots, Snell's Field where you bivvied, and the Bar Nationale where you drank beer with other English-speaking climbers.

There is a great little article about the story of Snell's in VERTICAL #48.