End to ski hosting in France

As someone who makes frequent use of ski hosting I've been reading this with interest. I really don't think the French resorts will benefit financially from this decision as your average skier who is looking to ski in company is not going to shell out €34 per person (or whatever the price was) for an afternoon of being shown round the resort – they'll just get the map out instead. You do lose a lot of skiing time doing this though which is why I prefer not to whenever possible. It's all very well saying that people can tag along with other groups but many people ski as families or groups of friends. I for one would not ask to join someone else's party, which is where organised ski days come into their own.

The law is the law and if showing someone around the mountain in France is illegal then so be it. However I really can't see why you would need qualifications to be a ski host. You're giving directions, NOT teaching or 'guiding' in the mountain sense of the word, which should of course be limited to those who have spent the necessary time and money getting the relevant qualifications.

I use the ski hosting in my favourite resort (Arabba) despite the fact that I know the area as well as (and usually better than) the guides. I can ski without a map unless totally off the beaten track but it's nice to ski in company, especially as my OH has knee problems so I will end up with an odd day on my own. A few runs is fine but I'm wary to venture too far from home unless I have someone with me. Nothing to do with ability but as others have mentioned nice to have a safety net if something goes wrong.

The Collett's hosts go to great lengths to point out that they are not qualified guides and everything is at your own risk. They cannot and will not provide instruction and are purely suggesting a route which is subject to change if anyone isn't happy. Piste grading isn't an issue and we ski plenty of blacks if those in the group are happy to do so. Off piste is a different matter for the obvious reasons. Anyone can leave the group at any time (such as if you find someone annoying or are not enjoying it) and we have done this on several occasions (usually because we're knackered after a full day – others are normally fitter and better skiers than we are!) Yes there are certain restaurants that are recommended (as they do get a free lunch) however the food is usually the best in the area (as far as Dolomites is concerned, I've tried a lot of places to make sure!) and they are happy to stop somewhere else if required.

I have used the Crystal hosting service once in Morzine, which was OK but the group was FAR too large (~25 I think, 2 hosts but group skied together). If that number of people try to ski as a group you're asking for trouble as the slope automatically becomes busy. Personally didn't particularly enjoy the experience and would only use again as part of a much smaller group (biggest one with Collett's was 7 and have often skied with just the guide, either myself or with my husband).

To those that suggest taking lessons if you can't ski the whole mountain, many people who are competent but not expert skiers don't WANT a week of lessons (I know I don't). An hour or two here and there is fine but at nearly €80 for 2 hours private tuition last year I simply cannot afford to do this every day. As for group lessons, I don't want to stop every five minutes for the instructor to correct someone else's technique (or mine for that matter) – I want to explore the mountain! There's also a chance you may not see much of the area anyway as instructors need the best slopes to TEACH on, not show you the scenery and have a feeling of travel. You're limited by how far you can go in 3 hours anyway as most lessons are ½ day.

My last experience of group lessons taught me one thing only, to keep up. This was also my experience of skiing with 'better skiers' - was only my second week and boy was it a baptism of fire! My skiing technique didn't really improve at all (speed and to some extent confidence did) though I appreciate this was down to a poor instructor.

Beginners looking to use as a substitute for lessons are an entirely different matter and should of course be stopped. Aside from the safety issue they are going to hold up the rest of the group who will quickly become annoyed. Surely a host has the discretion to refuse anyone who isn't of sufficient ability? Most brochures stipulate you have to be confident on reds so they could enforce this? May not be popular, but necessary. The Crystal guiding had 3 separate days, essentially easy medium and hard, of which we did the medium one (reds and an optional black).

It's also useful to know in advance roughly what a slope is going to be like before you take it on, something you can't tell from a map when exploring alone. Yes conditions will vary but a black in the Dolomites is going to be very different to a black in somewhere like Chamonix and even within resorts some slopes are more difficult an others (reds below Porta Vescovo vesus Corvara as an example for anyone familiar with the Dolomites). Just because you've have had a lesson in the morning, what happens when you end up on another slope of the same colour in the afternoon and out of your depth (which brings up Ally's point about questionable piste gradings)? Surely this is much more of a genuine safety issue than unqualified hosts? Most people can't afford an instructor all day and you can't realistically check how difficult every slope is in a large area by asking them. A host can plan an all day route knowing the quirks of the resort and the approximate ability of those they are skiing with (usually pretty good skiers), making for a fun and relaxing day in which you explore the area (and it won't cost the earth). I personally would pay (a small amount, certainly not what ESF were proposing) for hosting (be it a French, English, whatever nationality host) but NOT group lessons as that's not what I want.

It's a shame the French have spat their dummies out and clearly want to stop hosting which so many people enjoy, for what purely seems to be expected financial gain (I don't buy the qualifications or safety angle, sorry). However, I normally ski in Italy so don't really care anyway! :D

We seem to have ended up talking about how we all like to ski.
Luckily we are all different and like different things.
I tend to take a ski holiday with a small group of people who I know can all ski at the same level. Not hurtling around at light speed but skiing efficiently as I call it, with the ability to spot something from a lift and go for it. That group has come together through several trips of trial and error where we have skied with some people who have somewhat different ideas about a ski holiday to us. We like to ski as much as possible, first lift to last, take in the scenery with a number of stops along the way, not fanny about with a long lunch, have a beer on the way down, and go and have a couple of drinks after skiing to chat over the day, and then enjoy an evening meal together to plan the day ahead.

Everyone's different and has different things they want to get out of a ski trip.

Whether this whole thing about hosting will change anyone's destination, planning, or holiday altogether remains to be seen. I think a small adjustment to ones planning is all that is required for those that have relied on hosting to get around a resort.

Good post Lynn

Ditto but without the 'last lift', at least not every day (first isn't a problem). -)

We ski as a couple quite happily but a change of conversation is always nice, hence why guiding works for us. Hoping we can organise a trip with some friends next year who I think are similar ability. They have been working in Vancouver for the last couple of years with regular trips to Whistler.

Jealous, moi..... :mrgreen:

Tony_H wrote:Good post Lynn

Yep, Lynn's piece sums it all up really.

Thats the way girl ..... stick it to the French, Lets just hope everybody does not feel the same way as the Italian slopes may get a tad busy next year -)

Hmm, getting a bit worried about that, particularly as I keep recommending the Dolomites.

I lied, Italy's terrible, particularly the first couple of weeks of January, go elsewhere. :wink:

Lynn_D wrote:Hmm, getting a bit worried about that, particularly as I keep recommending the Dolomites.

I lied, Italy's terrible, particularly the first couple of weeks of January, go elsewhere. :wink:

:D