Combloux first appeared on parchment paper in 1284 sealed in wax with a wolf head stamp from which must come it’s etymology CUMBA LUPIS, « la combe aux loups » or the valley of the wolves.
A few milestones
Located on an ancient Roman road and then the track that joined Sallanches and Megève, the village of Combloux apears to have been inhabited since the XII century, when the Benedictines from Megève decided to map the area.
The Haute-Savoie, which has only been a department of France since 1860, was part of the grand dynasty of the House of Savoy with a succession of Counts, Dukes and then Kings of the Piedmont-Sardaigne region, the last of which (Victor Emmanuel II) became the first King of Unified Italy in 1861.
The village was essentially made up of farmers until a fairly recent time. In the XVIII and XVIX centuries, the village included 1 000 inhabitants which were called the "Comblorans". Agricultural resources were not enough for the entire population, therefor a fairly important migration began towards the large cities of France, in particular Paris.
As in many villages, what came of the harvests and the raising of animals allowed the farmers to live off their farm, anything extra was sold at the market in Sallanches.
In 1942, Combloux had 134 farms and 26 are still actively working today. Small herds of milk cows and sheep are raised by farmers who generally have a second job in the tourism industry : ski instructor, ski lift operator, hand crafts, carriage driver...!
Tourism began with the turn of the century, thanks to a few persons from the big city who came to Combloux to relax during the summer months. A rich clientele, mostly Anglo-Saxon arrived in 1912 at the « Grand Hôtel du Mont-Blanc.» After the first world war, it was bought by the company PLM (Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée) which was a large transportation company at that time. This veritable palace had a golf course, an ice-skating rink, a tennis court...and hosted interesting people from the world over (artists, aristocrats, bankers, generals, industrials ...)
Tourism in winter was developed after the Winter Olympics in Chamonix in 1924. A few hotels and apartments were opened for guests. The PLM installed one of the first drag lifts in France in 1935 in Combloux. The second world war stopped all tourism in Combloux. The Hotel PLM closed it’s doors and was sold in separate apartments in 1955. Having lost it’s fairy godmother, the village of Combloux took it’s destiny in hand.
Even though Combloux has become a winter ski resort and summer alpine resort, we must not forget that we are foremost a year-round mountain village that has kept the customs of the past and is looking towards the future