Chalet Host Q&A - Emma
My Story: I worked as a seasonaire from 1989-1991, so when my current job was closing for a refurb during the winter I thought about going to the mountains again. I initially thought about a shorter spell but soon saw the opportunities for a whole season and started to apply to work a full season! The 23/24 winter season was my first season back in a long time. I was totally unaware of how many older people are working seasons now, the chalet I worked in was mainly older staff.
Before The Ski Season Begins
How many seasons have you worked?
I worked as a seasonaire from 1989-1991 and then continued to work in the ski industry until 1995 working in sales and as a rep during the high season, before returning as a Chalet Host with SkiWeekends in 2023.
What did you do before you started seasonal work?
After working in the ski industry initially, I then went to work for British Airways until I got offered redundancy when Covid hit. I started a new job and when it was announced that it was going to close for a winter refurbishment, so I started talking with a friend about going back to the mountains. The idea was to go for a month, but it soon developed into a full season!
Once you got offered the job did you need to put anything in order before you left to work abroad?
Other than having to find a replacement to cover work, it was relatively easy. I didn’t have to rent the house as my husband stayed at home and he was happy to cover day to day life.
How did your husband feel about you going to work a ski season?
My husband is retired and we also have an older child living at home. He has also worked in the ski industry too so knew the ropes. Other than the family getting to grips with me being away for Xmas and new year, they were all fully supportive.
How did you get a work permit to work in France?
I've got a British passport so the resort manager sent out all the information that I needed to help me with the application. Compared to pre-Brexit it's long winded; you now apply online, then you go for an interview - I went to London, your passport is sent to the embassy and once all that's done and you've got your passport back, you get a work permit to work in France for 3 months. You then have to extend this whilst you're out there, we all had to go to Annecy to get the stamp, which then gave us a 3 year seasonnaire visa. It's complicated and constantly changing. I think it's already more straightforward than it was the previous year, maybe it will change again for next season. But Vlad (the resort manager) supported us with very straightforward instructions.
During The Ski Season
How did you get to the ski resort?
I flew into Geneva. SkiWeekends contributed towards my flights and they arranged a transfer from the airport to resort. Same on the way back too.
What training did you do to learn how to be a chalet host/assistant at Ski Weekends?
We had 2 weeks training in resort. It was fantastic, a really great course. Really comprehensive, I don’t feel like it could be improved. We stayed in one of the chalets and did a week of cooking, running through the chalet menu. In the second week, Dan and Sarah (the company owners) delivered various training. We had a useful course on customer service, company values and mountain safety. All useful tools for the season ahead.
Other people who haven't worked a season may have felt a bit less prepared, not because of the training, just because of the unknown. We actually had a delayed start in our chalet as the resort opened late, so we had plenty of time to get it up and running and get processes in place before guests arrived, we all felt prepared to get going.
What responsibilities did you have in your role?
I worked in Chalet Marjorie, a larger chalet which runs differently to some of the smaller ones as it has a dedicated chef. My role consisted of cleaning, housekeeping and hosting. At breakfast and dinner I'd serve the meals and make sure I was visible to guests.
The main challenge was trying to keep the balance in a shared chalet between the larger livelier groups and the quieter groups, making sure that everyone was happy. I think being older, the skills and experience I've learnt, have helped when dealing with customer issues.
What support did you receive to continuously develop and to help with any challenging situations or illness?
It was a very straightforward season, we had the same team from start to finish. We knew that the resort manager was there for any support we needed.
I think that having more mature people on the team attributed to it be a straightforward season, we were all more realistic in terms of time - 4 months is gone in a flash, the commitment to season is more of a definite. We also weren't out partying all the time so we weren't getting run down and tired.
How did you feel being in a mixed age team? Were you able to make friends? Were there any team building activities? Did you feel part of the team?
We were actually mainly older staff in this chalet. We had two younger members, who I think were a bit concerned at the beginning being stuck with an older team, but we all gelled really quickly. Once the younger ones met friends in resort then we didn't really socialise with them, so we were a bit separate in that aspect. I think it would have been weird if we went out and partied together! In saying that, we did go out at the beginning of the season together, in fact, someone came up to them and said: "It’s amazing to see you and your mum and dad doing a season together!", an hilarious moment we all remembered for the whole season. Whilst we didn't go out together, we still had good relationships with the younger staff.
Where did you live? Who did you live with?
I lived in the chalet, in a shared room with en-suite bathroom. I shared with a friend from home, who I came out with.
What did do you do for food? Were any meals included? Did you have facilities to cook/ store food?
We ate the same food as the guests, we didn't have a separate dining area so we ate breakfast after the guests had had theirs and then we ate our dinner out of sight of the guests in the evenings.
On my day off I generally ate the same breakfast and then often went out for dinner. Sometimes I'd buy my own food and cook in the chalet.
What did you do on your days off?
I skied most days off with colleagues. We also did a couple of day trips out to Thonon (a nearby town). Toward the end of the season we would go for hikes up the mountain.
Did you always ski/ board in the same area? Could you leave resort and explore other ski resorts?
Because I didn’t have a car, I always skied in the Portes du Soleil, but other people who had cars did go elsewhere.
Did you have any transport when you were over there? Did you feel like you needed transport?
By the end of the season I felt like I needed transport and if I came back again, I probably would bring a car. It definitely helps, especially if I needed to get things from the supermarket.
Who did you socialise with outside of skiing? What did you do?
It wasn't all après based, there’s plenty of other stuff to do. We went swimming, played tennis in Morzine, went to the cinema and went for hikes. I mainly socialised with colleagues, but we started to meet other people outside of work too.
Did you feel part of the resort community / get to experience the local culture whilst you were there?
I would say so, by the end of the season you become more recognised and know more people in town. There is definitely a smaller community of older people working seasons, the youngsters were better at going out and making their own groups of friends early on. We left that a bit too late, probably because were happy and self-sufficient, but there certainly were other older people around Les Gets that we could have could have met up with.
What did you get paid per week / per month? What else gets paid for you?
Salary, 2 days off a week, travel allowance, transfer to/from resort, food and lodgings.
I bought my own lift pass and then on completion of the season you get up to a certain amount back on it.
I was required to sort out and pay for my own insurance too, there are specialist companies that provide season insurance, so I went with one of those.
What other perks did you get?
Free ski hire for the season, cash tips that we got left from guests. Oh and uniform – we got to keep the t-shirts!
REFLECTING ON THE Season
Was there anything that surprised you about working a ski season?
I was surprised how much better it is to work a season now than it was before. Back in the 80's I only got one day off a week and would work really long days. Now you get two days off a week and there are strict rules about how many hours you can work. I was expecting it to be more like before and so I was prepared for long hours, but I got a lot more time off than I realised! SkiWeekends are very fair and generous in making sure that people only did their allocated hours too.
Another was that although I wasn't in a particularly young resort, I was surprised at how many older people were doing seasons.
What were the worst bits?
I didn't have that many low point - perhaps I was lucky or it's my personality, or maybe to do with being older, but I was determined to make the most of it! Although, sometimes living on the main floor of the chalet did have its challenges with it being noisy. Sometimes guests would forget the code to the chalet and I'd have to let them in at 2am. You just need to be prepared for some disturbances and be adaptable.
What were the best bits?
Finishing in the morning and getting on a chairlift! Just being in the beautiful mountains was a massive highlight. I felt like I got fit and lost weight. I met some really lovely guests, had a lot of fun and made some new friends.
Would you work another season? Why?
Yes! If I have the opportunity to have the winter off again. I enjoyed it enough to want to come back, and I think I would enjoy another one. I'd be happy to go back to the same place and do the same role, I'd equally be happy to take on a new challenge.
Finally, Is there anything that you'd like to add, or any advice you’d like to give to anyone over 40 who might be thinking about doing a season?
You'll make some great friends, have lots of laughs and lots of fun. Life is too short, so take the opportunities and do what you want, when and while you can. If you're in a fortunate enough position to do it and you really want to do it, then do it. You never know where it might lead.