The battle between British tour operators in France and the 'French authorities' in some of the country's top ski resorts, back by the all-powerful Ecole du ski Francais (ESF) has taken a new turn.
As we reported in the spring, French Authorities took action last winter against several British Tour Operators whose staff had been working as ski hosts, providing 'social skiing' – essentially showing skiers and boarders around ski resorts ion arrival, sticking to easy runs, pointing out good routes, how to avoid queues, best places to eat and so on.
This on-going legal action, continues in November when a test-case against tour operator Le Ski will continue in the French courts on 6th November, with the ESF seeking damages against the company which brings tens of thousands of skiers to the French Alps each winter. Le Ski is being supported in court by around a dozen other British tour operators.
Last month the biggest operator, Crystal, announced that while it could no longer offer what it calls its 'social skiing' service while the legal action continues, its staff would meet clients at key lifts in the morning and provide similar advice, as best they could, to that which they previously provided when skiing with them.
In a new development, Crystal Ski now say they will offer customers a free social skiing service run by qualified ski instructors from one of the most respected ski schools in France, Evolution 2, to help them get the best out of their chosen resort.
In eleven key ski resorts (of the 30 or so they offer) in the French Alps Evolution 2 instructors will ski with Crystal Ski customers every Sunday from 10:30 – 16:00hrs. The service will be offered in Avoriaz, Chamonix, La Clusaz, La Plagne, La Rosière, Les Arcs, Les Menuires, St Martin de Belleville, Tignes, Val d'Isère and Val Thorens.
Customers will meet the Evolution 2 instructors at 10am to discuss a plan of the day which will take into account the snow and weather conditions as well as the ability of the group. It will aim to include all the key routes and lunch hot spots in the resort, experience the best runs in the ski area and provide tips on how to make best use of their time as well as avoiding bottlenecks and queues.
Crystal Ski reps will also be on hand at various points during the day to assist and share their local knowledge and expertise.
"The main aim is to assist skiers and snowboarders to discover the ski area in a fun and safe way giving them some tips along the way if needed," said Hervé Favre, founder of Evolution 2. "We are delighted that we can show our expertise and guide Crystal Ski customers through our beautiful mountains."
"With this new service we are providing a more comprehensive, flexible ski school product to our customers as well as days out on the slopes for those who don't want instruction, but want to discover the ski area as part of a group," said Crystal Ski overseas director Nikki Hooper.
Evolution 2 ski schools are one of the most respected organisations in the French Alps and are winners of several awards in their 25 year history. They offer a personal approach to learning in small groups and put an emphasis on real progression and fun.
Social-skiing or ski hosting is offered in many resorts around the world without problem. Most larger North American ski areas offer a similar volunteer-run programme offered by locals and Davos and Klosters in Switzerland is introducing a similar service this winter, 'Davos Insider'