Snow bubbles are the future

With privacy and social distancing in mind, the ski industry is taking self-catering options to a new level, says Lucy Aspden

Whether British skiers and snowboarders will be able to travel to the French Alps without restrictions or quarantine this winter remains to be seen. However, many hope that by spring there will be a chance to make fresh tracks, so ski businesses have pulled out all the stops to adapt, with some new trends emerging.

According to research from the likes of The Ski Club of Great Britain and the Mountain Trade Network, self-catered and self-drive ski holidays are set to boom once Britons can travel again. Both present the chance to remain in a family or bubble.

Ski Solutions is the latest big name to join the likes of Peak Retreats, Erna Low and Pierre & Vacances to offer DIY ski holidays in increasingly luxurious selfcatered accommodation. Apartments at the four-star ski-in/ski- out Caseblanche residence in Saint-Martin-deBelleville, for example, can sleep up to 16 in total privacy, while Alpen Lodge in La Rosière has an indoor heated pool and spa facilities – both are new openings this winter with Peak Retreats.

“Gone are the days where self-catering equated to sleeping like a battery hen in compact and run-down apartments,” said Cathy Rankin, sales director at Pierre & Vacances. “Guests now stay in high-end residences with facilities that rival top hotels.”

For the first time, many restaurants are now offering takeaways. In Les Carroz, eco-friendly hotel La Croix de Savoie has launched Les Carroz Eats, a service that delivers homemade food cooked with local produce. In Courchevel, chefs from the Michelin-starred L’Azimut are offering cooking classes in guests’ chalets. In Les Menuires, restaurant Peuf Daddy is allowing skiers to pre-order a takeaway raclette kit

and all the essential ingredients to recreate the traditional Savoyard meal.

The pandemic has also forced catered chalet operators to innovate. Treeline Chalets has launched a “flexi-catered” option for its guests. “Freshly prepared chalet meals are delivered to our guests at the chalet, for them to enjoy in their own time and in their own space,” says general manager Hannah Kinnear.

The allure of the mountains is proving too much to resist for some. Retailer Snow+Rock found that 60 per cent of skiers and snowboarders who lived in

London had considered moving to the slopes semi-permanently this winter.

Elevation Alps, based in Morzine, has seen a marked increase in this new long-term let phenomenon. “Inquiries are ranging from four weeks to the whole season,” said director Kathryn Leake. “Guests still get everything they would expect from a holiday rental, but we also make sure the working bit is catered for, with printing and other office support.” All-inclusive operator Club Med has also built remote working spaces at its residences.

In vogue: smarter apartments, longer lets and high-end takeaways will appeal to this lot