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Tips organising group chalet 2015!

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Looking for some advice on the best way to go about organising what will prob be a large group of skiier and boarder friends spending a week in a chalet together?

Hubby and I have sorted out group TO trip before for about 8 of us SC which wasn't too bad. Now we would be looking for a decent quality chalet in a good ski area w/ varied terrain, as were all late 20's early 30's so no dodgy apartments required!! just wanted to pick people's brains as to how best to start with this? Find an independent chalet that accommodates the numbers we want? Or go TO? I reckon it could be about 16-20 people at a guess.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I've done this loads for friends from groups of 6 through to 20 plus kids.
Settle dates early, now for next year.
And numbers. When your in that's it there's no going back lol. Cash is king.
Decide a rough budget for everyone making clear what it does/doesn't cover.
You can make it a lot easier on yourself making individuals book their own flights but if you want to do it then make it really clear when cut off points are and that there are no refunds. Ever.
You can never please all of the people all of the time.
Make sure everyone knows, subtley or otherwise that it's your role to get them there and home. You're not a bloody tour rep for the holiday.
It's not that hard to do and I find it enjoyable which might make me a bit of a sadist but hey I now know I can pull off a great week in the mountains.

I once made an agreement to pay a chalet in Morzine cash GBP when we got there. Carrying over £6k in grubby notes of other peoples money through customs was brown trouser time!!

I know of a fantastic place in chamonix which may meet your requirements PM me if you want to know.

Joe
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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?
Having been the organiser this year. Get the budget and date agreed first. Then try and firm up numbers.

And THEN go to the TOs. Giving "what about this" options to the group before having a final number turned into a nightmare.
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FiFi_Trixibell, I have organised 11 group trips now over the past few years for between 6 to 17 people, but usually around 10-14. The hardest part is getting people to commit because until you do that you can't find a chalet as you don't know the size of the group. This is fine if you're happy to be stung with underoccupancy supplements or if you're happy not to book the the chalet exclusively, otherwise this is the most frustrating bit in my opinion. The underoccupancy thing happened to friends of mine, they were the organisers, someone dropped out and they had to pay his balance, they didn't split it between the whole group, they were too nice to insist and the group didn't offer rolling eyes

Also don't ask everyone's views on every aspect, it will be a nightmare. Agree basics such as approx budget, standard of accomm, catered or not, etc. Then come up with either a single proposal yourself or else a very short shortlist, like 2 or 3 options.

Small operators and owner operated chalets tend to give you better value, more quality service and offer more choice in my opinion, downside is you then often need to arrange each aspect of the holiday separately flights, transfers, hires etc. Though I now leave all this to people to sort themselves and only coordinate the accommodation booking.

Tour operators are in some ways easier with one price, everyone on the same flights etc. AND big plus with that number of people you could get one or two free places, but then do you take those for yourself or share out the discount between the group?

It can be a real PITA when people don't reply to emails, don't make bank transfers, don't agree on stuff. It usually comes together in the end and the result is a really good holiday with good company. Good luck (you will need it!) Smile
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I'm a long term 'group travel' booker. This year I sent one email saying what the offer was (no discussion) - price and what it covered and dates, I sent a second saying pay up deposit - all paid within 1 day, sent a third saying pay up the rest.

This was the smoothest it has ever run. Take no poo-poo - hold no prisoners - bagsy the best room Very Happy
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Nadenoodlee wrote:
I'm a long term 'group travel' booker. This year I sent one email saying what the offer was (no discussion) - price and what it covered and dates, I sent a second saying pay up deposit - all paid within 1 day, sent a third saying pay up the rest.

This was the smoothest it has ever run. Take no poo-poo - hold no prisoners - bagsy the best room Very Happy


Amazing, but how do you that if you don't know the size of your party? Book a hotel or chalet not exclusive to your group? snowHead
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Meant to say I've always done groups as DIY. TO's seem to pretty poor value for chalets.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Get money as a deposit off those that are in ASAP. Nothing worse than organising a big bash and your early confirmed then pull out leaving you with either having to get more people or get other to cough up more money.
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I know roughly what people are prepared to pay and what standard we like etc sarah, this year were going full TO including flights and a substantial discount compared to booking direct and a lovely £100 Ellis Brigham voucher for the booker Very Happy
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Nadenoodlee, nice one Laughing I get peed off with my lot as the only perk I get (all I want really, as I generally enjoy organising the trips) is to choose my room, and often have it to myself. I have to make this move myself, group never suggest it themselves, the ungrateful lot Toofy Grin Though in the last couple of years I have found a snowHead ally who knows which room I'd like to have and organises a double bed in that room of her chalet wink Madeye-Smiley

FiFi_Trixibell, as the others have mentioned - don't give too much choice and don't be afraid to set deadlines. I've sent out an early interest email for next season (this year's trip fell apart right at the start) but two haven't replied so will presume answer is no Toofy Grin No more chasing. My group is weeny compared to yours but the principles are the same.

Good luck!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Nadenoodlee, do you book a hotel? My issue is that we always want a chalet exclusive to our group, but getting commitment is like getting blood out of a stone so I always have a period of time where I don't know if I am looking for 6 or 10 or more rolling eyes Apart from that I do know the budget and standard but I don't want to book a 14 bed chalet if we turn out to be 10 or whatever so I have to wait for commitment. Some people are really bad at replying too, they are good company when we get there but really poor at replying which is very annoying rolling eyes

igLou, smart move about the room wink and yes, I could do to adopt the no more chasing policy too rolling eyes
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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.
sarah wrote:
Small operators and owner operated chalets tend to give you better value, more quality service and offer more choice in my opinion, downside is you then often need to arrange each aspect of the holiday separately flights, transfers, hires etc.


Surely the smaller operators that provide transfers work well for this scenario, you co-ordinate the accommodation and dates with them and the group
you then tell the group to be in GVA for 10am or 17:00 and get on the transfer bus
On arrival in resort let them do their own thing on kit hire
Passes either organised via independent operator or let them do there own thing

So you end up only needing to do with cash for the accommodation/transfers, and people can then pay different bits at different times on different credit cards, which as we all know is the key to success for a good ski holiday.... Laughing
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
bertie bassett, yes, you're right most of the smaller operators do offer transfers, and what you say is pretty much what we do now and mostly we don't even have a transfer as around half of us drive and the others pick up a car at GVA.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
It's also worth speaking to the operator directly. We - and most other small companies - let people pay seperately even if they are travelling as part of a bigger group to make it easier for the party leader to organise.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Snow and Sunshine, yes, and that's appreciated Smile All the small operators we have used have allowed separate bank transfers.

Not happened to me yet but my biggest concern is someone dropping out after the deposit stage and us not being able to fill their places, a carefully sourced good value trip then becomes very expensive, I don't think there is any way round this risk either.
ski holidays
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Tell everyone the rough price and the rough plan and ask IN or OUT. Any fannying about and they are OUT. Speak to Ski Olympic and see what they have. They will hold the slots for a week to let you get sorted. They have always been fantastic for us and a sole use chalet is the best ski holiday you will ever have. There are other good small chalet companies out there.

Going diy does depend on you all getting cheap flights which can be hit and miss but can produce savings, especially on peak weaks.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Frosty the Snowman wrote:
Any fannying about and they are OUT.


I need to do this. I cannot tell you the amount of fannying about I have put with up over the years rolling eyes
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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?
sarah, this is our first time in a hotel, we've done everything from privately owned/ operated chalets to TO chalets and to be honest we wanted more flexibility around dining times and we wanted good spa facilities and decent sized rooms so we're going here http://alpinresort.com/the-resort/alpin-sport-and-spa/ the unlimited free booze did NOTHING to sway our decision.... wink
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Nadenoodlee, looks lovely, free booze always a bonus Toofy Grin A hotel would solve a lot of my group booking issues as you can just say thsi is where we're going, book if you want, unlike a chalet where you've got to commit fill it. At the moment some of my group are very wedded to the exclusive chalet option but as my son is growing up I am leaning more towards a hotel like the one you've chosen. I think our group will evolve as the kids get older, people will want different things.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
some people seem to have some pretty duff friends. I've organised groups in the past - once in a self-catering chalet in Les Gets with 6 en-suite bedrooms, 11 people (one single) and other larger groups in catered chalets or chalet hotels but not demanding exclusive use. I can't imagine any of those involved would have "dropped out" leaving others out of pocket but if your party includes flakey people I'd ask for a LARGE upfront deposit and that everyone agree to share the cost of a drop out.

Quote:

some of my group are very wedded to the exclusive chalet option

then I think I'd be inclined to offer to organise a hotel holiday, and hand over the organisation to them if they want to stick to exclusive chalet.
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pam w, Laughing Laughing

No one over my 11 trips has dropped out but someone dropped out of a friend's group years ago but I think that was a case of it being a friend of a friend, so really the mutual friend should have coughed up or recruited someone else.

Non-exclusive is definitely easier but exclusive chalet is a fab holiday when it comes together which it does but not without some stress along the way.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I have organised loads of summer/winter holidays & football away trips for groups of up to 10. People who don't respond to to emails is my biggest bugbear....if they do respond & ask for a bit longer to pay is fine by me as I always build in a bit of leeway to the cut off dates. We use Club Med for ski holidays generally, as the "all inclusive" formula works well (& is a hellva lot cheaper) for a group of blokes.

pam w I agree with your comments about some people have duff friends & always ask the pointed question of MY friend, whether their "friend", who wants to join the trip, is a knob or not & isn't the type who is going to muck me about. So far so good...and as quite a few of my friends are ex fireman, I guess they have a built in teamwork/trust mentality...which works for me as the trip organiser


Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Sat 25-01-14 22:22; edited 1 time in total
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
At the checkout in Géant in Albertville this afternoon I was behind a group of young English lads with 2 trolleys absolutely hugely loaded up with food (if they were a bit more experienced they'd have used 4 trolleys, as the stuff was overflowing the far end of the checkout long before one trolley was emptied!).

Their bill was nearly €600 - but it was all the essentials for 7 of them for a week, apparently. The haul included 210 pains au chocolat and a lot of pizzas. I suspect they were going to have a great time - they were even enjoying the shopping!

I also some older (boys trip) chaps stocking up with fish soup and making juvenile jokes about big courgettes. rolling eyes
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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.
Quote:

I'd be inclined to offer to organise a hotel holiday

Fair point, but every little thing you order in a hotel costs. That one cup of tea or coffee and you've paid a good few CHFs or Euros plus tax and service...soon runs away with the ol' funds. At least catered chalets are inclusive.
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Swissie wrote:
Quote:

I'd be inclined to offer to organise a hotel holiday

Fair point, but every little thing you order in a hotel costs. That one cup of tea or coffee and you've paid a good few CHFs or Euros plus tax and service...soon runs away with the ol' funds. At least catered chalets are inclusive.


So are a number of hotel operators...Club Med
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Wow thanks for input all, sorry I seemed to have started the thread then not got involved in discussion. 1st wedding anniversary weekend so not been around, but will crack on and read through the above! Smile
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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.
With a group I would always go TO then if something goes wrong (eg snow on transfer day, plane being diverted etc) you as the organiser don't have to frantically sort out an alternative as the TO has the obligation to sort out arrangements.

Decide dates and a rough budget and an indication of accommodation (eg catered chalet with a sauna, in a large resort and close enough to slopes so no ski bus required).

Then get a £200 deposit off everyone and set a date for payment - this way you know who is and isn't in.

Then go to TOs and book something.

That's all if you want exclusive use, of yore not bothered about that then you can be more relaxed and book 6 spaces in a chalet hotel type place and other friends can book in as and when they want.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Quote:

you as the organiser don't have to frantically sort out an alternative

When we did Les Gets in a self-catered chalet we flew easyJet and had hired 3 cars from Geneva. I basically organised the trip but if things had gone wrong - flight diversion, or problems with snow on the road etc, I was confident that I wouldn't be expected to pull rabbits out of hats - there were a number of entirely capable people in the group, and everybody would have done their best. One of my friends was utterly hopeless at anything involving speaking any French but would have been the one staying with me in the dark at the side of the road changing a wheel or cobbling up a repair to snow chains.

But if the group is going to look to you to solve any problems which crop up then yes, use a TO!

The Les Gets trip worked well - six bedrooms, each room organised an evening meal for everyone, from planning and shopping through to washing up, and we went out together on the last night. My mother, slightly disabled, wasn't skiing and made an afternoon cake or scones for when we came back. With the help of a couple of friends we got her up the Mont Chery gondola for lunch one day and as we had cars it was easy to take her up to the "front de neige" where she enjoyed having coffee and cakes in one of the cafés there. It was a real joint effort and very good value for money. We didn't do daft competitive "dinner parties" but decent home-cooked food, and played silly games (like "Articulate") after supper. I encouraged each "room" to bring a game or similar. I don't think anyone in the group would have wanted to pay for an exclusive catered chalet option - agreement on the budget has to be the best way of avoiding clashes of priorities. Our system meant that we had 5 nights "catered" in the chalet, one in a restaurant and one cooking; no great hardship!

Almost all the people involved have been out to stay with me in our apartment at some point since. I'm still working on my brother - but his lad, who was on the LG trip and had lessons with BASS, has been.

The oldest couple both had knee replacements this year, but have not yet given up on a holiday next year - ski holidays with good friends are terrific!
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