British ski operators meet to discuss strategy following French court ban

British ski operators are meeting in London tomorrow to work out how to respond to a decision by the French courts last week that bans them from offering ski hosting services to clients in resorts.

A court in the town of Albertville ruled last week that ski hosting, whereby reps show guests around the slopes, is against French law. It said all leaders of organised groups on ski slopes must have an instructor’s qualification, which can take years to achieve.

The case was brought against British operator Le Ski after its reps were stopped by authorities on the slopes in the Three Valleys ski area last year while leading groups of clients and asked to report to a police station.

Following the court ruling, other British ski operators temporarily suspended their ski hosting services.

However, Le Ski managing director Nick Morgan said the company had formally lodged an appeal to the decision, which will be heard in Chambery. He said a group of British ski operators will meet tomorrow to discuss their strategy.

He added: "We’re extremely grateful for the unprecedented support we’ve received from the tour operating community.

"And the amount of positive messages we’ve picked up through social media has been amazing.

"Ski hosting is obviously an issue very close to the hearts of British skiers."

Many British tour operators have offered free ski hosting services for their British clients for years, but it has always been a bone of contention with the French national ski school, the ESF who have been known to stop British hosts and ask for their qualifications.

Ski Total recently changed the name of the service to ‘social skiing’ to make it clear its hosts are merely accompanying guests on to the slopes, rather than coaching them. It stressed that they stick to the pistes and don’t take guests down the trickiest runs.

In its ruling last week, the French court sided with the French Public Ministry, which brought the case in conjunction with the ESF, saying that it was unsafe for non-qualified leaders to show guests around the mountains. Operators believe the decision is less about safety and more about the ESF trying to protect its business.

However, ski hosts receive only a couple of days’ training at the start of the season – often from the ESF –  which some ski instructors feel is insufficient to guarantee the safety of the skiers.

The hosts are taught how to respond in an emergency, such as a client becoming badly hurt, and where to stop safely on the pistes, but they don’t all have First Aid training and they aren’t taught guiding techniques.

"I don’t see a problem with tour operators’ hosts showing their clients around the mountain, and some of the companies are very careful about who they employ to show their guests around, but some of the bigger ones have got guys I wouldn’t feel safe with," a British instructor in the Three Valleys told TravelMole last week.

"Also, they aren’t supposed to teach their clients to ski, they’re not instructors, but I have seen them giving ski tips, which is why the ESF are angry and I think they’ve got a point.

"It’s only natural for clients to ask the hosts for tips to improve their skiing and that’s where the problem lies."

Morgan insisted Le Ski hosts had never given any instruction of any kind.