Iglu Ski is here to help take the hassle out of organising and booking your group ski holiday this season. Our advice doesn’t stop there, we’ve put together 10 tips to assist you manage your group before and during the trip to make your holiday the best it can be! Read more about organising a group ski holiday.
Top 10 tips for a group ski holiday
1. Plan ahead. You are far more likely to find the perfect holiday for your group if you leave yourselves lots of time to look around and get organised. Read more about choosing a group ski holiday.
2. Encourage the group to have realistic expectations. It is not always possible to satisfy everyone on every aspect of the holiday.
3. As group leader, be prepared to make some of the decisions and stand your ground. Set deadlines for potential group members - whether for joining the group, giving opinions or making payments - and make them stick to these dates.
4. Once you have confirmed numbers, obtain as much information as possible from them - full name (as on passport), date of birth, dietary requirements etc and find out if they will need equipment carriage on the flight. This will make the booking process much smoother.
5. Once on the holiday, accept that group members may have different ideas of how they wish to spend their days. It sounds obvious, but every chalet host can tell stories of guests spending their entire evening disputing the following day's activities.
6. Don't try to ski in a mixed-ability group - invariably, either the advanced skiers will get bored, or the intermediates will become frustrated that the advanced skiers are trying to push them too hard. Let everyone tackle what they are happy with - it's a holiday, not a route march! If a beginner is travelling with the group, try to make sure there's at least one other beginner going too, as it's unlikely they will be able to spend much of the day with the rest of the group. If there's a non-skier, make sure you go to a resort with lots to do!
7. Ask your resort representative or chalet hosts for suggestions or help with reservations for restaurants on any free evenings. In many resorts it's best for groups to book at the start of the week for popular restaurants to avoid disappointment. Many mountain restaurants accept lunchtime bookings made on the morning of the reservation.
8. If a number of your group are interested in having lessons (and are a similar standard), or ski guiding, why not look into hiring a private instructor? Private lessons can often be very cost effective with groups of 4-8 participants - as much so as standard group classes - and will guarantee you can tailor the session to your group's needs.
9. It can be worth investing in a set of good quality walkie-talkies, to save on mobile phone bills during the day! They often have a good range and are useful if the group decides to split up.
10. If staying in a chalet or accommodation where you know which rooms you will be taking, allocate these to group members before you go. Many properties are not purpose built and so do not have standardised rooms - make sure everyone is happy with the rooms in which they are staying to avoid problems when you arrive.
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