This year, in 2023, we celebrate the 200th anniversary of our chalet, which has remained in the family since it was built in 1823. Surprisingly for its time, the chalet has been semi-detached since it was built in the early 19th century. My mother inherited the chalet from my grandmother in the 1980s and it has been renovated ever since. The stable became a carnotzet, the barn became a mezzanine bedroom, the linoleum - a revolutionary innovation in the 1950s - was ripped out to restore the original floor, the kitchenette and bathroom were transformed, a second bathroom was added, a spiral staircase was built to link the three floors, and the balcony was enlarged. The chalet is still semi-detached.

I live and work in Neuchâtel (as an English teacher in high school, but my parents are from the Valais. So I've kept a strong link with Valais, having spent a lot of my holidays in my parents' home canton, where a large part of my family still lives. We are very attached to our 'old chalet', which has been lovingly renovated over the last 40 years, and which has seen 4 generations living in an increasingly comfortable chalet.

Our chalet is located at the top of the Mayens de Chamoson, about 15 minutes' walk from the centre of Ovronnaz and the thermal baths. The chalet is less than two minutes' walk from the bus stop. During the season, a free shuttle bus takes skiers to the start of the chairlift. The small road beneath the chalet is a dead-end road with little traffic, serving only the neighbouring chalets.