This coming winter season will, for many British skiers and snowboarders spending their ski holiday in French ski resorts, be the first time in over 30 years that they will not be able to enjoy the services of a ski host on their ski holiday! Following a court case earlier this year between the Ecole de Ski Francais (ESF) and the ski chalet company, Le Ski and in the face of continued court action, British ski holiday tour operators have been obliged to remove their ski hosting services from their ski holiday offer! Much to the disappointment of many holiday makers.
As this is an important time of year for skiers and snowboarders who are starting to think about booking their ski holiday, as promised, I’m keeping you up to date on the developments in this rather ridiculous legal battle launched by ESF. If you don’t know the story already, read my article Ski hosting put on hold to find out how it all started back in 2012/13 winter season. France is, and has long been, the most popular ski holiday destination with British skiers and snowboarders but ESF’s action may indeed tip the figures as British skiers decide to go elsewhere to benefit from this kind of social service.
Le Ski is preparing to return to court in November to contest the decision and states it will go as far as the European Court of Human Rights if necessary! Le Ski’s main argument is that this “social” service does not include ski instruction and is simply part of the ski holiday package but ESF still believes that it discourages skiers and snowboarders from taking professional lesson with their ski school and that the hosts are not professionally trained guides.
In the meantime, Le Ski and other ski holiday companies have been hard at work concocting variations of the ski hosting service. Holiday makers on a Le Ski holiday will now be met by a host early in the morning who will gives tips and advice about the best spots and places for lunch (depending on current weather conditions, snow conditions, etc). That host will then join the group at lunchtime and at the end of the skiing day! This will take away a large part of the whole idea of SKI hosting but at least the social part will remain!
One of the UK’s largest ski holiday companies has joined ranks with another well-respected French ski school (not ESF) and will offer an official social skiing service supplied by qualified instructors that will be included in the price of the holiday. The Ski Club of Great Britain’s Leader service is unaffected by this case as the staff that supply these services are unpaid volunteers!
We, at Snowplaza UK, hope to see the return of ski hosting on the slopes in France for the 2014/15 winter season!
This coming winter season will, for many British skiers and snowboarders spending their ski holiday in French ski resorts, be the first time in over 30 years that they will not be able to enjoy the services of a ski host on their ski holiday! Following a court case earlier this year between the Ecole de Ski Francais (ESF) and the ski chalet company, Le Ski and in the face of continued court action, British ski holiday tour operators have been obliged to remove their ski hosting services from their ski holiday offer! Much to the disappointment of many holiday makers.
As this is an important time of year for skiers and snowboarders who are starting to think about booking their ski holiday, as promised, I’m keeping you up to date on the developments in this rather ridiculous legal battle launched by ESF. If you don’t know the story already, read my article Ski hosting put on hold to find out how it all started back in 2012/13 winter season. France is, and has long been, the most popular ski holiday destination with British skiers and snowboarders but ESF’s action may indeed tip the figures as British skiers decide to go elsewhere to benefit from this kind of social service.
Le Ski is preparing to return to court in November to contest the decision and states it will go as far as the European Court of Human Rights if necessary! Le Ski’s main argument is that this “social” service does not include ski instruction and is simply part of the ski holiday package but ESF still believes that it discourages skiers and snowboarders from taking professional lesson with their ski school and that the hosts are not professionally trained guides.
In the meantime, Le Ski and other ski holiday companies have been hard at work concocting variations of the ski hosting service. Holiday makers on a Le Ski holiday will now be met by a host early in the morning who will gives tips and advice about the best spots and places for lunch (depending on current weather conditions, snow conditions, etc). That host will then join the group at lunchtime and at the end of the skiing day! This will take away a large part of the whole idea of SKI hosting but at least the social part will remain!
One of the UK’s largest ski holiday companies has joined ranks with another well-respected French ski school (not ESF) and will offer an official social skiing service supplied by qualified instructors that will be included in the price of the holiday. The Ski Club of Great Britain’s Leader service is unaffected by this case as the staff that supply these services are unpaid volunteers!
We, at Snowplaza UK, hope to see the return of ski hosting on the slopes in France for the 2014/15 winter season!
Being lucky enough to have parents who were crazy about skiing, my love for the mountains started when I was 4 years old on our first family ski holiday to Austrian ski resort of Obergurl. One ski holiday a year was never enough and tears rolled down my face as I looked out the back window of the car on the drive down the valley on the way home!
