 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello. Following a bad experience with awful chalet guests when the two of us were in a chalet for 8 (the other 6 were hard drinking/porn reading lads - chalet staff had no control over them), we've normally gone to hotels when it's just the two of us. However, we've been told to try larger chalets for 12 upwards to get a bigger spread of people as we would both rather be in a chalet. Ski Beat was recommended. Anyone have experience of them? Or can recommend a company they've found good. Looking in France, Switzerland.
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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Sorry, never heard of Ski Beat.
I've always had good chalet experiances with the major players, ie, Ski Olympic, Crystal, Inghams & Neilsons. I've found that it really comes down to ability of the chalet staff, although that doesn't help if the problem is with the other guests which must be a nightmare. I've always liked the larger Chalet Hotel places which give the cost & service benefits of a smaller chalet but with more guests so you can keep away from the to$$ers - plus they have a bar  .
If you fancy Verbier then Peak Ski are excellent having a number of 12-14 person chalets in the town, as is our very own Parlor but he only accepts bookings that fill the chalet of approx 12.
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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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I stayed with ski beat in Plagne 1800 good as anyone else- you can never be sure of who you are going to spend your week with ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 
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Beverley - my sympathies, a friend had his skiing holiday ruined by a similar experience.
Personally, I reckon that you'd be ok staying anywhere where the owner is eating with the guests and lives "in". Having met snowandtrek and her husband, I can't imagine they'd put up with much and I know that Jane and Rob at www.skiblueridge.co.uk wouldn't.
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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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| Quote: |
6 were hard drinking/porn reading lads
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Have we met, Beverley? 
Seriously tho, if you like chalets but want to avoid potential nob-heads the chalet hotel is a good option, as spyderjon has already said. I stayed in one with Ski Miquel in Bad Gastein that was pretty decent.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Beverley, we're going with Freedom Ski - gorgeous chalets and hopefully no riff raff. Unless we're the riff raff, in which case the normal guests must be MEGA rich and posh and possibly graduates of some sort of finishing school....
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I have used Ski beat and would use them again, they are very good.
A Bit spooky me reading this as this next season's ski beat brochure came today and instantly sent me off into dream land full of white mountains 
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Used Ski Beat for 3 years in La Tania - nice Chalets and as generally in quieter resorts usually get quieter groups of families (which can be as bad!)
Would recommend them, but as others have said its difficult to know who you'll get. We went with a group of friends and family and booked the entire chalet
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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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Beverley, I would heartily propse ypou try Silver Ski or Ski Olympic. I am sure that neither would have left you in the lurch based on our fairly extensive experience. They only do France unfortunately.
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Beverley, SkiMiquel in Monetier are really good, seem to attract couples rather than groups of blokes .
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Used ski beat in la Plagne 1800 a couple of years ago ( chalet beryl ) great chalet great food. We were looked after by a "mature" couple as our chalet hosts and they were absolutely fantastic. Would use them again even though we might have been lucky with the chalet staff we encountered.
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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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| loatie wrote: |
| Would use them again even though we might have been lucky with the chalet staff we encountered. |
I was at the Chalet Edelweiss, Peisey Nancroix. Our staff were a young couple on gap year, I got talking to them a lot and found out that ski beat does a very full training program for all their chalet staff and expect good standards of them. Which I found to be very true, they were a great couple.
I went with a group of 5 (mixed ages/sexes) made up off the Neilson chat room and only met up at the airport. The rest of the chalet were made up of two you guy boarders(who joined up with us for the odd session, three lawyers and a well to do family (late teen kids).
It worked very well for a very mixed group but I could see how it could have gone well wrong.
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Beverley, I have had two very bad experiences with Ski Beat in the past.
I would however highly reccomend Silver ski.
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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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Beverley, A tip: If the chalet staff do nothing then ask for the resort manager. A letter often helps further.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Beverley, I sympathise. My experience has generally been good. The worst I've had was long ago and not so bad, when Crystal was a small, very cheap company. It consisted merely of constant racist jokes which everyone else thought funny and I learned after a while to ignore. (Hilarious sample: "Why do Pakis smell? Answer: so even blind people can hate them.") I felt like a Martian.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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we've used skibeat for at least the last ten years - often twice a year and recommend them. On the odd occaision when we stay in a chalet as a couple rather than a group I always check that we are not sharing with a single group, a same sex group and find the age range of the other people staying. Most companies will provide this information and it gives a good steer to the type of people you will be shairng with. as a couple I'd advise booking late for a discount.
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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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I've always avoided chalets for the same reason. i have however been on 4 chalethotel holidays with good experiences.
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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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BTW, the TO's I went with were Inghams & Mark Warner, both excellent.
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I never leave my FHM/Zoo/Nuts lying around as some tea-leaf will pinch 'em!
Forgot to mention have also stayed in large chalets/hotels with Crystal and Le Ski and they were both fine.
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| fatbob wrote: |
are there really people who take Richard Desmond style publications to chalets and leave them lying around publicly? 
Obviously I've led a sheltered life ,) |
And there was I imagining hard porn...
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We travelled with Ski Beat to La Rosiere last Xmas, just me the missus and the little 'un. We were among the first ever guests in the new Chalet Papillon complex. I found them excellent as a company, the group we were with were all professional couples or similar families, very easy going, no pretentions. We ended up skiing with a couple from the chalet for most of the week.
Needless to say, I would travel with them again, they were reasonably priced, the service was excellent, the food was fantastic. The only grumble is that they use Grenoble airport which can add a bit to the transfer.
You are always taking a bit of a risk with a chalet holiday, but the benefits have far outweighed the negatives for us. Also the Ski Beat childcare was excellent.
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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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Used them last year in La Plagne in the Chalet Becoin, chalet was excellent and food was flexible as we had booked the whoile chalet the host was very accomodating as we had a party including 5 kids, some very fussy.
Had used them prior to that on a very late deal and suitably impressed to book from the brochure rather than a bucket shop.
We originally booked to go via Grenoble, but they rang us to switch us to Chambery flights, wanted to charge us the suplement at first, but gentle persuasion they waved the fee.............
The also do the ski train as an option, which I would highly recommend as this always for 7.5 days skiing.........
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Stayed with Ski Beat a few years back in La Daille.....they were great, and had an excellent nannying service as I recall....they were most accomodating
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Myself and friends have used Ski Beat several times in the past in different resorts, and always found them to be very good. We had very friendly and efficient staff, very good food, and excellent accomodation. I would use them again if considering a chalet holiday.
Peak Ski in Verbier (mentioned by Spyderjon) were also very accommodating, especially as I was only looking for somewhere for a couple of nights at short notice.
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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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Glad to hear they are good, booked l'arpette in Plagne 1800 in the new year (whole chalet.. on account of our predilection for leaving ski porn about the place!)
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I stayed with Ski Beat in La Tania a couple of years ago with a friend in an eight (I think) person chalet (Chevallier?). Good food, well run, although dinner took ages, Chalet staff ran it more like a dinner party than a catering event - which would be great for some I expect but we wanted to nip to the boozer for afters - mostly to escape fellow guests.
We wouldn't do it again as the other guests, while not a group, were very right wing (relative to us). Favourite quote "immigrants are overrunning our tiny island".
We have since resolved to be at the very least in the majority in any chalet we stay in.
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