Simon Butler, the British ski instructor who also runs a successful holiday business, and who has been in the headlines for the past two seasons after the French authorities declared his 30 year old ski teaching operation in Megève illegal, threatening him with jail and fining him €30,000, has carried out his threat and moved part of his business to Crans Montana in Switzerland, while continuing his legal fight and continuing to operate his ski holiday business in France.
Arrested on a ski lift, barred from teaching in France, by this point many would give up, but Simon has instead turned his personal battle into business expansion and has secured a three-star luxury chalet over the Swiss border, the Hotel du Lac in Crans-Montana, in order to be able to provide continuity and offer guests a fresh location and new pistes.
Bookings are already being taken with dozens of regular clients eager to sample the Hotel du Lac, Crans-Montana, with a week’s package starting at £525 per person, which includes accommodation, Swiss buffet breakfast, afternoon tea, five course dinner, and two hours of instruction each day.
Meanwhile those who prefer the slopes of Megève can still book a holiday with Simon’s handpicked instructors at Chalet d’Antoine, a TripAdvisor award winner this year.
“Many people know about my public battle against the French authorities and how they have discriminated against me. But in fact it has encouraged me to expand my business. I am turning this public battle into a personal victory and having sourced one of the most stunning locations in Switzerland I am confident that we are turning my troubles in France into a success story,” said Simon, who previously taught in Crans Montana when he first qualified as an instructor.
Simon holds an ISTD level 4 Diploma but has been banned from teaching in France because he does not hold an additional qualification called ‘Eurotest’ which the French insist on.
“All the other BASI level 4 instructors and French instructors who passed before the Eurotest was required like me are all able to work freely,” says Simon, who has been told his name was not included on the list drawn up more than a decade ago due to an “administrative error.”
Simon’s legal fight to be able to teach in France continues and the next appeal will be held in Chambery in January, with a final appeal (assuming the Chambery one fails) likely in Paris by the end of 2015.
“The chance of winning in France are at best slim, but the final appeal will take the case out of France to the European court and at this stage we are confident of winning and overturning the previous decisions,” said Simon, adding, “I have already been to the EU and held meetings with the Commission. I have also supplied them with my qualifications and paperwork and been told they are in order and perfectly correct and mean I am entitled to work in France.”
The process of proceeding from one court room to the next is automatic, but also very expensive,
“The costs involved are huge, legal costs and lawyers rack up bills of hundred of thousands very quickly, especially when you have four lawyers and you are up against a French government department with an endless supply of funds,” said Simon, adding “I have been forced to close half of my business in Megeve and move to Crans Montana in order to ski with my guests. How am I able to do this in Switzerland who are not even members of the EU? The answer is the Swiss have signed an agreement with the EU to obey the employment regulations for EU nationals ensuring access to the EU for its own nationals as well as accepting EU citizens working in Switzerland. So the same law is in force in Switzerland as it is in France but the Swiss obey it and the French do not. My case although of enormous importance to me personally has far wider reaching benefits ultimately to all EU citizens from various work places who wish to work in France.”