It’s the dream that seems too good to be true. Spending more time on the slopes but taking less annual leave doing it (so that you can, if you like, do it all again and STILL have holiday time to spare for the rest of the year!).
Holiday company SkiWeekends (who, despite their name, do much more than weekends and short breaks), have come up with the answer to make that dream come true. And they’ll even save you money in the process.
SkiWeekends have long been “disruptors” of the standard ski holiday model. They couldn’t accept that skiers need to stick to a Saturday to Saturday ski week, getting six days on the slopes and needing to take five days of leave to get that.
In the worst cases, people get up in the middle of the night to make an early morning flight on the Saturday, spend too much time in busy airports and on busy roads, and not get on the slopes until the next day.
SkiWeekends looked at all aspects of a standard ski holiday and focused on ways to improve on the traditional ski week flaws.
Their findings:
- Why not ski on the afternoon you arrive? If lift tickets, rentals and everything else you might need are pre-arranged, why wait until the next morning?
- Avoid weekend travel – pay less to travel midweek when airports are also quieter and more pleasant to travel through. You can also ski Saturdays when the slopes are empty while everyone else is doing ye olde changeover day routine and standing in huge queues at overwhelmed airports or stuck in traffic to from the airport and/or resort. Even transfers are cheaper and easier midweek than at weekends.
- On the return trip, why get up early to go home? Why not ski as long as you can, then take a late afternoon or evening flight?
As you can see it’s not rocket science.
Transport
SkiWeekends simply focus on weekday flights at times that allow you to get at least half a day on the slopes on the way out or even a full day the way back. This reverses the traditional ski holiday model of lots of days in resort/travelling and a big chunk of annual leave taken for it for six days on the slopes to spending more days on the slopes for less time of work – with a lower cost and much more pleasant travel experience being the added bonuses.
Efficient
SkiWeekends also focus on holiday efficiency so that everything you need to get skiing or boarding straight away is waiting for you when you arrive in resort. They ensure there’s somewhere to leave your bags and get changed so you’re straight off, with 90% of their guests skiing on the day they arrive. Many hit the slopes by as early as noon on arrival day and then on the last day of the trip some get to ski until 4.30 (that’s pm not am!) before getting their transfer home. They even welcome you from the free transfer minibus with tea and cake … and then hand out cake again for the journey back at the end of your stay.
Ski More
So for a short break you can get three and a half days’ skiing on a three-night holiday taking only two days of annual leave. Result! Take two three-night holidays and that’s seven days skiing for only four days off work. But you get similar benefits on four- or seven-night stays too. On a week-long holiday, SkiWeekends will get you seven and a half days on the slopes … if your legs can take it!
The Resorts
SkiWeekends have chalets in some of France’s best ski resorts, including Avoriaz, Morzine and Courchevel, where you’ll enjoy great catering and unlimited wine. They also have over 100 flexible hotel options across resorts in Austria, Canada, France, Italy , Norway, Spain and Switzerland.
Find out more at SkiWeekends.com
