Do you think resort workers have a general tendency to be patronising about holiday makers?

A snowHead

Holiday makers are the bread and butter of a ski resort yet I read so much about how resort workers often degrade them as 'punters'. Whilst in the majority of cases this term is deployed unconsciously as a figure of speech it nonetheless reveals the degree of contempt to which this vital sector of the skiing community is held.

I suspect the term loosely refers to the two week 'holiday hacker' who'll get down anything but with little technique and is there to have a good time. These holiday makers are merely viewed as conduits to the real business of resort workers having a good time themselves and getting on with the real business of 'freeriding'.

Having worked in the ski industry and now being a 'punter' myself, it's often nice to see how poor these resort workers are at skiing and snowboarding themselves. My mind goes back to 1993 when a Crystal 'guide' joined our group of 'punters' for a day of off-piste (sorry, that's now called 'freeriding') in Val D'isere. He was full of the non-sensical skiing mantras and wore all of the garb to identify himself as some sort of authority but could he ski? Like hell could he! Falling over every three turns, holding us back, getting stressed-what a laugh! Ironically, we did see him later in the week 'guiding' the easily impressed on a green run above Solaise; we didn't want to spoil the illusion so we held back from telling his 'punters' the limitations he had!

So the next time you hear a so called authority deride holiday skiers as 'punters' you might want to think about what they're trying to convey and hide.........

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I was hugely impressed with the resort workers on our recent trip to La Rosiere. All from tour reps to lifties were a delight

You need to Login to know who's really who.

well, on natives for a start.

I think it depends - there is a fairly vocal minority with this attitude, mainly IMV "seasonnairs", but among those who live in the mountains year round you can find real welcome

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

You'll need to Register first of course.

PG-er, just use the search engine on this site and you'll get a miscellany of articles that refer to us 'punters' in varying shades of admiration.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Only time I've come across that attitude is with (young) British TO workers. Never been aware of it among the Brit ski instructors I know, or among local resort workers. Natives has good (bad) examples for saisonnaires mocking punters/billies, although by no means would all the TO workers I've come into contact with fall into that category.

After all it is free

I'd tend to agree Rob.

Some excellent examples of the hubris of English resort workers on that Natives site! I've just read one about a worker losing his rag with punters skiing off piste-hilarious!

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

I have always found resort workers to be pretty good, only gripe would be with TO rep's in general.
Considering some of the pra*s that lift operators etc have to deal with I think most do a pretty good job. snowHead

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

I can honestly say that I haven't come across this attitude face-to-face, from British or French resort workers. Maybe I just don't notice. Funnily enough, I've felt it in the States, to a small extent, with a condescending attempt to fob off me and the family with inferior rental kit on the grounds that we obviously had inflated opinions of our abilities. Curious, since plastic is king in the States, usually.

snow reports

sniffing the air for non-sequitur's are we, PG!!!!!

You know it makes sense.

Just trying to make sense of just who you are suggesting may be guilty of alleged derision - and failing so far. Seasonnaires? Ex-pats? Locals? Perhaps the whole lot, lumped into the same bag?

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Didn't meet any seasonaires at LDA - unless you include easiski, and Lyn and Pete of scuba-ski. And they were very pleasant to me. Well - to my face, anyway wink

Well, I did feel hard done-by when easiski was criticising my style on frozen hard pack crust in a blizzard with a roaring, freezing wind. But hey, that's a perfectionist for you, and she was just making sure I was getting value for money snowHead

The resort locals were great, too. Very friendly - and tolerant of my attempts at French Very Happy

A snowHead

I have just got back from seeing my daughter who is working the season in Morzine. My heart dropped when I saw where she was working, a bit like Colditz with a motorway cafe attached to the side. The rooms for the guests were pretty dire but the staff accomodation was on a level with a stay at HM Strangeways, four to a room. She knew what she was letting herself in for, long hours, little pay etc before she started, but she was not expecting the added pressure of dealing with lots of paying customers angry with the holiday they had been sold. She could have left. She was offered other work with a better TO but she decided to stay and make the best of it because of the friends she had made amoungst the staff. Out of loyality to each other they have tried to make the stay for the guests the best possible given the circumstances. it has worked in that she has twice had tips left for her of over £100 from guests so she and her colleagues must be doing something right.
There must be over 70 staff at the hotel and there maybe one or two who would fit the description of the title of this thread. The overwhelming majority try to make the stay for the guests a good one.

A snowHead

Surely the "punters" are just the paying public? i.e. those who pay to be in the skiing environment as opposed to being paid to be there? I have no qualms whatsoever about calling myself a punter.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Good grief: some snowHead

are a wee bit over-sensitive! Does it matter if resort workers call us punters? I am sure every profession who deal with the public refer to them as "punters" now & then. Get over it! I am a punter and proud of it. I'd rather be that, than get a job in the ski industry and have one of my favorite hobbies turned into WORK.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Well there seem to be a minority of seasonnaires who forget who's paying for them to be there in the first place and don't seem to have clocked that they're there to work, not just have a paid holiday. As far as I can see, the question is really about the attitudes of some seasonnaires - worrying about a term that we all use and usually in a relatively affectionate way just clouds the issue

You'll need to Register first of course.

Isn't that the same in any industry/workplace?

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

I don't see the problem? Surely we _are_ punters?

This thread seems to be the reverse of one you might find on Natives. I am a punter and a seasonaire,
it seems to me that this is punters moaning about seasonaires. rolling eyes

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Lizzard,

Personally I dislike the term "punter" as I do think it has derisory connotations, but it's better than being called "sheep" which I've heard some reps using when talking about their customers. Shocked

snow reports

There's a vast difference between those who work in the ski industry and have chosen to make a career of it, and those who are just out for a season or two after uni before starting work. The former tend to be more mature in their attitude - aware that it is a service industry, and without customers it wouldn't exist. The latter are generally just there to have a good time, and it is the arrogant attitude of (some, ot all) of this type of person that leads to the derogatory useage of the word "punter". However, I don't think this attitude is confined to them in their short stint as seasonaires. They are also the people who behave like idiots whilst on holiday with their uni ski club, and at a later stage of life when they have themselves become "punters" and are back with their families, they'll be the ones being the arrogant pr*ts again, thinking they own the mountain cos they did a season there once 10 years ago...

Just my view anyway.

You know it makes sense.

ise,

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

ise,

A snowHead

ise,

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Why is it that many of the seasonaires I spoke to were on their 2nd or longer year in resort working for the same company and LOVING IT

EDIT: And doing a great job

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Love my job, most relaxed thing ive ever done, as long as you know what to expect and whats expected of you. No bills to pay, no commute to work. Pays crap, perks are great, can say the former not the latter about most jobs! I'd love to come back next season for the same company im working for now.

The only time i've heard Billys or punters mentionned is when we're told not to "fall in love" with them rolling eyes

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

You'll need to Register first of course.

Nadenoodlee,

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

On other industries using the term, a few years ago William Hill the bookmakers had in their training, advice to their staff along the lines of:
Never call your Customers, Punters because one day you will muck your words up and call them a Pustomer or even the other way round Laughing

I think the term 'punter' is used to describe all tourists but primarily the one week package tour ones. I thinks it's a natural development and sort of a 'cool' thing to differentiate the cool (and usually young) resort workers from the uncool tourists. If you're working a season you will naturally build up a network of friends and to some extent, particularly on your time off, you don't necessarily want to spend your time with the people who are only there for a week. It's an obvious term to differentiate yourselves.

Skiing/Boarding ability does come in to it as a way to differentiate too, as a resort worker should be pretty good but let's be honest who hasn't at some point looked down on the divot who has just fallen off the steep drag lift in front of them or the gaggle of one week snowboarders making love to each other as you attempt to get off a chair.

In summary I know the term is used and in a mildly derogatory way but to be honest it doesn't really worry me. I'm not going to get all PC and start a campaign to be referred to as a 'guest' at all times, even by workers in their personnel time.

Good post kevin mcclean, you come up with a lot of the more interesting angles.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Help!!

Do you think resort workers have a general tendency to be patronising about holiday makers?

snowHeads Forum Index >>> The Piste