 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm looking for some advice for organising a solo ski trip as a vegan. I've done a few work trips in the past which were fantastic - pretty much everything was organised by someone else, the chalets all did vegan food and there were plenty of people to ski with. I don't have much experience organising trips myself though. A few years ago I found a great company in Bulgaria with catered chalets that did awesome vegan food and didn't have a single room supplement but I've been there twice now and the ski area isn't huge so I'd like to try elsewhere.
I'm not really sure where to start. Any tips for me? I saw UCPA had been recommended a lot and it looks great in terms of price and having pretty much everything sorted for you, but I get the impression that the food might not be suitable. Should I speak to a ski travel agent? If so, any recommendations.
I'm looking for a decent size ski area with plenty of blues and reds, ideally a single room and somewhere (hotel, chalet, etc) with vegan options for breakfast & dinner.
Thanks.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@sabbath, welxome to snowheads
Couple of vegan friends were with VIP in Bear Lodge, Les Arcs 1950 over Christmas (and New Year as it happens, but that was because they were isolating...) and said that the food and the care the staff took was great. Seems like that complex has chalet, self catering and hotel stylee accommodation & meals. The domain certainly meets your skiing requirements. Given them a call?
https://www.vip-chalets.com/resorts/arc-1950
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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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My Daughter is a Vegan and skiing is a nightmare - especially in France.
Our last trip was to Arc 1600 (Hotel Cachette), which said they would cope if we gave them notice. We did....and they didn't.
I googled Vegan restaurants and took that list with me. My Daughter is also in a Vegan Group who gave suggestions.
My suggestion, is go to a country that embraces veganism....and make sure that if being fed in your accommodation, they specifically list a vegan option.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I`m sure at the upper end of the market you`ll find something, Chalet White Eden for instance that, we stayed at In Ste Foy a few years back would I`m sure have accommodated your daughter. I`m not sure its being operated in the same way now though.
Mid range may be difficult.
It might be worth contacting this company https://www.hucksterslodge.com/
We stayed at their Mont Blanc Lodge a few years back and whilst the whole thing was quite bargain basement their attitude towards personal requirements including food issues was excellent. The cook in the Lodge we stayed at was catering for at least 3 different types of food allergies/intolerances/dietary choices whilst we were there.
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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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Studio apartment and self-cater?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@sabbath, this place popped up in my instagram feed recently. It‘s a „plant based“ chalet in Austria which also offers activities so seems geared towards single travellers.
https://www.wearactive.com/austria-winter
I‘ve never stayed and know no more about it than what is on the website.
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Thanks all for the replies.
@Arctic Roll, Bear Lodge looks good but they don't seem to have single rooms and charge a supplement if the room isn't full. I think that makes it a bit too expensive for me. The Paradiski area looks fantastic though.
@Old Fartbag, good shout. My own experience travelling in Europe (outside of ski resorts) has certainly been mixed. It's increasingly easy to find vegan cafes and restaurants in larger towns and cities (and hotel chains will usually cater if given notice), but it can be difficult in more rural areas and some countries are certainly better than others. A bit of preliminary research seems to suggest Austria and Sweden might be my best bets - I'll probably concentrate on looking in Austria for now.
@CaravanSkier, Hucksters looks interesting, thanks for that. It sounds similar to the company I used in Bulgaria. I'll ping them a message.
@rjs, That's definitely a possibility. I'm fine with sorting out breakfast but was hoping to not have the hassle of cooking after a long day skiiing, plus I like the idea of meeting other people at meal times. I'll look into it though - I wouldn't mind the cooking that much.
@Gämsbock, That looks interesting too, though on first glance it seems like skiing may be secondary to other activities there. I'll explore their website a bit more...
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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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Last visit to Austria and there was hardly a vegetable in sight 
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There is/was a small chalet operation in Lenk (Switzerland) "Live Life" specialising in vegan and vegetarian food.
I found a website which suggests the operation is in abeyance, it may be worth a phone call to sound out exactly what they are doing.
In case you are wondering Lenk/Adelboden is well worth a visit, there is plenty of skiing.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Rogerdodger, the chalet owner is a snowHead too. I remember them posting about it.
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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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@sabbath welcome fellow vegan skier!
I used to run Veggiesnow, which was a website recommendeding vegan friendly places and I organised one catered trip a year. That was back in the days it was tough, but now it's really easy once you follow a few basic principles:
look at Happy Cow for the areas you are interested in - there is even a vegan catered mountain hut in Monte Rosa!
 join the vegan skiers and snowboarders group on Facebook - for tips, discussion and community without trolling
 decide catered - go on recommendations / Happy Cow/ Snowheads events (Off Piste Bash is great for vegans, I'm also trying Gnarli this year), and talk to British small/medium chalet companies as these are more likely to care
- send them questions and information on booking (before paying)
- ensure your vegan requirements are noted in the booking when you pay
- at least two weeks before the trip ask what they need you to bring, whether they need any recipe ideas, etc. Try to have direct contact with the people cooking, as intermediaries rarely realise how much trouble it causes if the message doesn't get through. Your group event organiser will also be happy not to have to do this if it's not within their knowledge base.
 decide self-catered - all resort food shops seem to have plenty of plant-based alternatives, especially in France (eg plant milk, yoghurt, yeast flakes, biscuits, pate, veg, lentils, carbs, basic groceries). Gressoney Saint Jean even has a vegan shop! This is also usually the cheapest option.
 think about organising a vegan catered or self-catered small group trip, asking here and on Facebook groups if anyone is interested. Do ask me too 
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Basically any half decent hotel in Austria will have good vegetarian and vegan food on the menu these days. Though tbh the salad bars are normally so good that you don't even need the rest of the meal after stuffing yourself haha!
The one thing to be aware of is the clear soups are often beef stock, even if they might not obviously look like containing meat.
On the hill can be a bit trickier, especially at the smaller and more rustic huts, but any larger restaurant will definitely have options.
Generally Austria seems much easier in this regard than Italy. No idea about France, other than Morzine has a few restaurants in the town serving poke bowls etc with vegan/vegatarian options.
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You know it makes sense.
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| CaravanSkier wrote: |
I`m sure at the upper end of the market you`ll find something, Chalet White Eden for instance that, we stayed at In Ste Foy a few years back would I`m sure have accommodated your daughter. I`m not sure its being operated in the same way now though.
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Watch out for up market food snobbery - you can end up with pretty vegetables rather than a balanced meal. Mid market, particularly the smaller and medium sized companies, are much more likely to care about individual requirements and take suggestions.
As for getting what you asked for, guests/organisers often forget the essential stage of checking in with the caterers a few weeks in advance of the trip. This brings it to their attention again (plus the booking team may not have told them in the first place) and gives them time to shop and plan.
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