One of the few serious contenders for the title of "world's most famous ski resort," Chamonix Mont Blanc has the world's biggest lift-served vertical drop of 2807 metres (9209 feet ) and one of the world's longest runs through the Vallée Blanche at 22 km (13.7 miles). Chamonix hosted the world's first Winter Olympic Games in 1924.Beyond these spectacular statistics is Chamonix's rarely disputed status as the world's mountain sports capital, the subject of endless (and often witless) ski magazine reports from writers wishing to prove they descended between the glacial crevasses and lived to brag about it. For lesser mortals, there are plenty of on-piste kilometres to enjoy and a lift link over to Italy's Aosta Valley, all dominated by the spectacular scenery of Mont Blanc. Chamonix is located at the foot of Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps and the second highest in Europe (top elevation 4,810 m/15,771 ft). Mont Blanc was first climbed in 1786 by two French mountaineers, Jacques Balmat and Michel-Gabriel Paccard.