 Poster: A snowHead
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ben wright, I'd assumed the use of a skidoo and driver; very disappointing. Pru Leith is the girl as far as I'm concerned.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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richmond you can borrow our sledge if you like  It's a nice wooden one.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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ben wright, coming into this a bit late but what a fascinating thread. I've never done a chalet holiday. Normally I'm 'flying solo' so I've tended to hotels where you can meet people in the bars, other nationalities yet not get 'trapped' with the 'punter from hell'. I'd go with Masque's recommendation of a decent tureen of soup instead of tea and cake. I've appreciated a beer on the transfer bus - especially since the price was very reasonable but still put a few Euros into the drivers pocket. You could stock a selection of snowHeads T's and Hats for sale to your guests. 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Just know the details of every service in resort (from ticket office to massage therapist), who runs it, and have good relationships with them, and be willing to book the services for your guests if there's a language problem.
Speaking of massage therapist, yes please!!!!! If you're not one, then find one in resort that's happy to take your guests any time, day or night, and let you guests know about it. Offer to book it for them, even! Stuff the spa (a bath does the trick just as well) - there's nuffink better than a good massage carried out by a good massage therapist at the end of a hard day's skiing. To date I've only been able to have one in resort because there's a service already in the hotel or chalet. If there's not then I have never previously gotten sensible info about an off-site one out of chalet staff or tourist office people.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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perhaps I should re-train as a massage therapist if i go to France permanently then.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Helen Beaumont, I've already dug out my old table and certificates to put in the van, but I think I'll stick to feet and legs. I tried cold water immersion for the first time this Feb and was VERY pleased with the result, Lactic acid levels and muscle fatigue were completely eliminated. . . albeit accompanied with a little ‘shrivelage’. 
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Masque, That method will take care of the problem of hitting the nerve on the inner thigh 
What are you going to do about insurance ex UK
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snowbunny, It's a nightmare as a single practitioner, but since I'm not there for that purpose, casual work contracted through a local registered company (as long as your qualifications are accredited) is fine since it piggybacks on their cover. I wouldn't do anything privately for money without a VERY specific signed and witnessed waiver. The real problem with massage in the chalet environment is getting the history. A lot of skiers have pre-existing conditions and old injuries. Whilst 99.99% of them are probably immaterial but you don’t want to screw up with that 01%.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Therapeutic massage is not easy to get into over here. I've done the ITEC courses and still do massages for family and friends, but last time I checked basic ITEC was not even close to being worthy of equivalence for professional purposes. Anything that suggests "treatment" is the domain of the physios. I think you can get away with being a "relaxologue" and other such vague terms, which basically only involve massage for pleasure and relaxation with no hint of treatment of conditions/injury etc.
That's the official situation anyway.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Done chalets in both Europe and North America (Whistler, Vail), private operators and TO, as well as hotels and s/catering. So feel qualified to comment.
Chalets are great, and for those of you who haven't tried them, I would suggest give it a go. Skiing is about friendships, about companionship, about more than just one or two people holidaying together. Talking a good run, sharing a bad moment, it's all part of the experience. And if you are not travelling with a ready-made group of like-minded friends, then the chalet is as good a place as any to start. After all, you obviously have a love for skiing in common.
IMHO, the differentiator between a good and bad chalet is often about attitude. Yours.
Yes, having the right staff helps. No doubt about it. But if they are bad, or 'young' or inexperienced, you don't need to get the grumps about a spoiled holiday - 9 times out of 10 you can work around it or through it.
The other concern expresssed in the thread - the crushing bore, the "been there, got the t-shirt before you" the "Oh! only done 2 blacks have you, we did 14 today" nightmare, from whom there is no getting away.
Here's a tip: If you find you just can't get on with any of the others in the chalet, then OK, treat it like a hotel, you aren't forced to talk to your fellow chaletateers. If you are so certain that are not PLU (People Like Us), then just as with a hotel, you can always find a bar / restaurant if you really, really hate them so much you can't even face sitting at a meal table for an hour.
My experience is, it rarely happens that you don't get on with anyone .
But it is possible that you don't get on with some.
At varying times we have been the only people other than a big group in a chalet, we have been the oldest, the youngest, the best and the worst skiiers in a chalet. Sometimes we've had the small child, othertimes, before my daughter came along, the only childless couple. Most people, most of the time, have been great. But there have been the odd (and I mean that in all senses of the word) few who haven't...
The most important thing a chalet can offer in those circumstances, Ben Wright , is alternatives - DVD as you suggest yes, but also a quiet area for those that don't want them. A sitting area that can be formed into one communal space when everyone agrees, but can be left in a default divided configuration for when those who may prefer cards to CDs choose to not 'join in'. If people do want to get it all together, they'll soon move the sofa with it's back to the games table!
Most people in a chalet holiday will make the effort to get along - that, after all, is why they are there. But occasionally, it doesn't work. Sometimes, you may want your own space, if only for an evening, but not be confined to the bedroom, or feel forced to make a trip out. Make sure the furniture layout can cope.
Otherwise, bootwarmers / dryers. An absolute must of you are going upmarket.
But generally, your suggestions look good, and I think you've got it about covered.
PS I am going to register my vote for the "yes to slippers" party (ducks to avoid incoming) I would rarely use them myself, but see the advantages. And if provided, would surely give them a go.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I thought chalets were all about skiing without spending too much money, or, having a place just for your group.
I have done both.
It may be nostalgia - because I have not done a chalet holiday for a while - but I suspect they were better in the old days of the smaller operators. Then again, I was probably more adaptable when I was younger if it saved me money. Budgets were tighter. Sharing bathrooms and the hot water running out was part of the deal.
I have usually enjoyed chalets. Chalet hotels can be difficult as you are more likely to get people acting up than in smaller groups.
If I wanted extras I would pay more and go to a suitable hotel.
If I wanted a better class of chalet I would go for a smaller quality operator. The extras would be intangibles, like the committment and dedication of the staff in a good smaller company.
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Most important things for me is a boot room with enough space for everyones boots and skis, heated enough so boots are warm and dry to put on the next day. Also somewhere, even if in the bedroom, where you can get all your wet kit dry. (Plus all the usual of course - unlimited hot water at a decent pressure, good food, comfortable beds, sufficient storage in the room, not having to ask for more wine, etc.)
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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boredsurfin, Slippers Hmmm nice 
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Poster: A snowHead
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How about high speed internet? As much as I don't like to take my pc with me, there are times when I must, and when I do I often have the other guests asking to use it to check email, weather, etc.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Some people seem to have got the stick back to front (as it were). I should have specified in the original post that all these things come at no extra cost to the guests.
Yes, they're free (no, prices won't go up to hide the cost of these additional items, we've already set our prices for the coming season).
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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For all you Slipper fans out there. How about these beauties 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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boredsurfin, that's just what's needed. We've been given these when staying in an Austrian hotel and very suitable they were too!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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boredsurfin, Ideal for slipper haters, I'll bring my own fluffy bunny ones
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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boredsurfin, those bad boys are just what the doctor ordered.
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The mods need to get busy here; boredsurfin is posting obscene web links. I imagine that many of you will find that your web filter prevents access to the linked site; believe me, you don't want to see it.
But to be serious for a moment, those sort of slippers are fine for trolling around the bathroom and bedroom immediately before or after a bath or shower in order to avoid slips and wet patches on the carpet, if you have to. However, they, in common with all other slippers, have no place downstairs.
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richmond,
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wet patches on the carpet
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Towels are extra?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Bizzarely, Silver Ski did not provide bath towels. Considering the care they put into the holidays i found this most odd.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Spanking.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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laundryman, are you for or against?
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laundryman, Is that a chalet option? What with and by whom?
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You know it makes sense.
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Definitely against. Can't stand the things. Each to his own though.
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FAQ
