J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Dorset Boy

Fogg Travel - although never (yet) having had to make a claim, they were excellent in years gone by when working in resort. At that stage they were one of the very few insurers who ALL the doctors surgerys' accepted cover from in the £V.

On a pre-season seminar, they said that c.70% of bills submitted by surgeries from the previous season had not been settled by the UK insurers, so decisions were made locally to charge and let the skier sort out the claim later.

As said above, it's essential to check what the off piste cover is.

I'd also consider taking a catered option as learning to ski is pretty tiring and having to cook each evening may not result in a great holiday.

The likes of Inghams & Crystal have special beginners weeks.

Definitely worth having some lessons over here before you go to hit the snow sliding so to speak.

Tony, I may have fallen foul of their T&Cs regarding the luggage, but as MO'L has claimed he wants to reduce the number of bags processed,as they effectively pay the handlers by the bag, this T&C is in there purely to raise revenue.

I don't expect a favour, but I don't expect unfair T&Cs either!

Ryanair is in all fairness pretty good if you don't have young family, don't need a bag in the hold, have a Electron card and have a mobile printer. At certain times there are also some very good deals to be done.

Not so good if you don't meet all the above criteria, and often once bitten, twice shy.

My fingers are firmly crossed for another good year with an early start!!!

No doubt O'Leary is a very shrewd businessman and has built up a very successful airline.

However, I believe he is very much in danger of shooting his golden egg laying goose by adding compulsory extras rather than increasing the base price. He is peeing off a large number of travellers with some of these:

eg Making the only free way to pay a card which almost no one holds and is frankly useless for anything else
Charging for home printed boarding passes - you can't board without one, so sorry Mr O'L, it's not an extra and you're probably in breach of trading standard type rules. Charge more for an airport issued one, maybe, but not the alternative
His luggage policy is a rip off - not allowing people to pool their allowance is purely a revenue raising measure and only likely to up the number of bags people carry.
His floating of the idea to charge to use the toilet is another example.

Having been ripped off a Girona airport on the luggage front, and subsequent refusal to provide refreshment when stuck onboard for 2 hours on the ground, I would try to avoid flying with his airline ever again.

I used to respect him, I don't now.

Good on Skiworld if they've 'upped their game'. Their food was always wholesome, but basic.

As you say though Tony, if you look after your hosts, they usually look after you well!

Quick rule - the large the company, the worse they generally are!
If you want chalet holidays, search out the small specialist who have been around for a few years - they are owner run, have huge repeat business, and know their resorts inside out.

Staggered anyone can mention quality food and Ski World in the same breath unless things have changed massively in recent years and their food budget has gone up immeasurably!

Ultimately it depends on what you want. If moving permanently is your dream, then being a seasoner probably isn't the answer - it's not a career working for someone else for your board, lodging, ski hire, lift pass, travel and board plus a bit of cash. Running your own chalet operation or bar can however be a career move if you make it a success.

However if you just want to do something different, to gain some great experiences, and get a decent amount of skiing in , then working for a tour operator can be great fun.

My suggestion if you want to do a couple of seasons is:
1. Decide which resorts you'd like to work in
2. Find out which small operators go there
3. Get their brochures now
4. Call them to ask what jobs they offer
5. Ask what their staff to guest ratio is
6. Ask them when you should apply
7. Decide what job(s) you want to do
8. Apply

The Tarantaise resorts with small operators will generally mean being in the alps from the start of December until the end of April, about 20 weeks.

If you get yourself sorted, running a chalet to a high standard and efficiently can mean skiing from 10 am until 4 pm on 5 days a week.

Be inefficient and you'll be lucky to get 2 hours a day for those 5 days.

Doing a couple of seasons can open the door to a more permanent move if you integrate a little, without the need to get married!!!!