VIP SKI Blog

For those that are happy to fly to Geneva and maybe wait a little at the airport over a cup of coffee we will continue to offer complimentary coach transfers to and from all of our resorts with three scheduled departures a day. We will have a manned desk at Geneva Airport to provide welcome and assistance to all arriving and departing VIP SKI guests.

For those after something a little bit special at a price that didn’t break the bank we had to work a bit harder. So we manhandled our local taxi suppliers into an armlock, asked them to sharpen their pencils again and again, and threw some of our own money at the prices we negotiated. We’ve ended up with some amazing rates.

So for those worried about waiting unnecessarily at the airport for others, those who prefer the intimacy of their own company, or indeed those who would like to fly to Lyon, Grenoble or Chambery, we can now offer unbelievable upgrade prices for your own personal driver to meet your flight and transfer you directly to and from your chalet.

Private transfer supplements from only £20 per person in the Portes du Soleil and £40 per person to the Tarentaise. See prices for private transfers.

To move with the times and facilitate this change, and to give our guests access to the full gamut of scheduled airline services available, we have instead concentrated on the part of the journey that is hard and expensive to organise, getting from the airport to resort and back again. We will therefore be operating Geneva as our transport hub, the airport with the most arrivals and departures to the UK.

We will have a manned desk at the airport as a liaison point for those that have booked to travel to resort independently and to provide assistance to all VIP SKI guests throughout the day.

For those who would like to make use of our complimentary transfer service, we are offering three scheduled buses up to and down from each resort at intervals every Sunday (and on a Wednesday for our December departures), seats only available by prior reservation. Click for full details and timings.

Whilst our complimentary scheduled coach transfers from Geneva are comfortable, reliable and efficient, we recognise that they may not suit everyone. Guests might worry about being inconvenienced by flight delays, waiting unnecessarily at the airport for others, or might wish to fly to Lyon, Grenoble or Chambery and take advantage of a flight route, timing and price that suits better.

We have therefore negotiated with local taxi partners and subsidised the cost substantially to provide private taxi transfer at some amazing prices. The comfort and intimacy of a personal driver and vehicle to take a party straight from the airport terminal to chalet, and then back to the airport a week later, costs as little as £20 per person to anywhere in the Portes du Soleil or £40 to Val d’Isère and Les Arcs.

If you need our help researching flight options, availability and prices then of course we are more than happy to assist.

We would hope that travel restrictions will be a distant memory in a year’s time and that the small print of Brexit will have been agreed, meaning that we can rebuild our collection of guest favourites to a wider choice of resorts in time for the 2022/23 winter season. We are extremely sorry for those loyal guests that we leave disappointed for the forthcoming season.

We do have plenty of exciting alternatives including our amazing new piste-side complex at 1950m altitude in Les Arc, Bear Resort, for which we have a number of introductory offers in order to tempt guests across from their previous favourites (if only for one winter!)

We very much hope to welcome you in the mountains this winter. If you have any questions please do call the team on 0203 892 4060.

The clothing collection has been collated with the help of some of the best connoisseurs, including well-known brands such as Volcom, Dare2b, Scott, Legowear and Reima Frost.

1.   Browse their extensive online collection
2.   Choose the perfect colour, size and style
3.   Enjoy free delivery to your chalet and a collection service at the end of your stay

Here are some of the reasons we think it's an ingenious idea.

Millions of pounds worth of clothing goes into landfill each year in the UK. Whilst ski clothing certainly isn’t the only thing to blame for this, a great way to ensure you are not adding to this accelerating issue, is to share and recycle gear.

We can all revel in that moment of relief when your luggage gets weighed and it’s below the maximum allowance. On most holidays this doesn’t prove too tricky but a week or two weeks’ worth of ski clothing can rapidly push you over the weight limit! How easy would packing be if all you had to think about was what clothes to lounge around in after a day on the slopes?

We don’t wish it upon anyone, but should disaster strike and your luggage get lost along the way, it doesn’t have to stop you heading up the mountain or embracing the alpine weather.

Whether you’re taking your toddler on their first ski holiday or your teenagers seem to be experiencing daily growth spurts, why not hire clothing? Forking out on new gear every year can add up rapidly.

It’s not just a fantastic selection of pants (salopettes that is, not underwear) and jackets for adults and children! You can buy socks, gloves, mittens, base layers and neck warmers too!

Delivered in a backpack to your accommodation, you don’t even need to step foot out of your chalet to get your hands on your kit for the week. Simply choose what you would like to hire online, carefully taking note of their size guide and advice and they will have it delivered to your (chalet) door.

If you are interested in booking a holiday with us or you have already booked, give us a call today on 0208 875 1957 to discuss this and much more!

I am acutely aware that our insolvency caused much pain and inconvenience to a great many people and I remain sincerely sorry that I was not able to find a way through the pandemic. Everything that we previously achieved was due to the unstinting support and loyalty of our guests who we clearly let down. It is true that everyone will get their money back for holidays not enjoyed, the vast majority have already done so, but this is a prolonged and laborious process and I remain ashamed that we were not able to honour our commitments in the first place.

Despite the nuisance caused to so many, I have been completely humbled by the groundswell of support since our demise from guests, colleagues and industry partners and it was this support that fuelled my determination to continue.

Having secured the future of VIP SKI, I don’t yet know how or what I feel. Certainly not victorious or even happy. I am minded to remember the late summer evening in 1989, with my family on their knees in front of the TV, stuffing my first brochure into envelopes. When I ponder everything that has happened since, I am panicked at the thought of having to do it all again. But then I realise that maybe I’ve got the chance to cut and paste the half I got right onto a blank sheet of paper. That must be a unique and compelling opportunity.

So the journey back begins now, and I can’t deny a frisson of excitement at the prospect of putting only the best bits all back together again. I guess it’s a bit like putting a bomb under 30 years’ work, I’ve just got to dust myself down, pull myself together and go back out and pick up all the pieces.

I never considered VIP SKI as my business, but rather a community of people and skiers; hundreds of thousands of guests, tens of thousands of colleagues, landlords, partners and suppliers, many of whom have become close friends, drawn together around a common love of skiing. My colleagues and I are simply relieved to have the opportunity of putting this back together again.

It will take a few months to be ready to open our doors to bookings once more, please bear with us whilst we put the team back together and sort out some admin, but this will be in good time for the new ski season, which my colleagues and I can now look forward to with both relish and new purpose.

We very much hope you will join us again in the mountains next season. Here's hoping 2021 is a brighter year for everyone.