La Tania - The Chalet, the Skiing and Some Fabulous Days Out
After a fabulous summer at home and after 5 years in the sun, we decided to go to the French Alps for a spell of cold for a change. Well at least it wasn't raining...most of the time!
We applied literally last minute for a job as a couple hosting and running a ski chalet and got a few offers back on day one! Before we knew it we were on a bus winging our way to La Tania, a tiny resort in between Courcheval and Meribel in the Trois Vallee region, ironically where we had decided 5 years previously to give up our corporate lives and travel the world!
We were lucky enough to be allocated the only 'Select Service' chalet in the resort which basically meant that we had to create our own cordon bleu style menu (all the other Ski Beat chalets had to follow set menu plans) and provide a superior level of service for a greater fee.
After the first couple of weeks we weren't sure anymore if this was as lucky as we'd thought, as while all the other hosts were out on the slopes by 10.30am we were still slaving away in the kitchen! By Christmas (only two weeks into the season) we were ready to quit as we had never worked so hard for so little money in our lives. Luckily we were persuaded by everyone that it got much easier after Christmas and they were right. Our first group of 2010 were brilliant fun and so easy going, and by then we had settled into a routine, the snow had finally arrived and we started to see why people did this!
The rest of the season went by in a blur. We met some fantastic and interesting people (and a few fruitcakes along the way!) had some brilliant parties and nights out, and our skiing improved tremendously. We were fortunate (and cautious enough) not to get injured during the whole season and the only really sad times where when our flatmate (and by then very good friend) Katy decided it wasn't for her and went home, leaving a very big hole in our shared staff cupboard of a flat, and Andy's brother getting so seriously ill that Andy went home for a couple of weeks. Luckily Brian made a miraculous recovery and Andy was soon back in the kitchen doing his beloved carrot parcels and omellettes!
So the question we always get asked is 'would you do another season?' the answer depending on who you ask is either 'When hell freezes over' or 'possibly but only if I could turn back the clock and be 20 years younger!'
All in all we worked extremely hard but also played hard and skiied hard so not a bad way to pass the time before we headed back to the land of eternal sunshine!
Here are a selection of our favourite photos of our chalet, some great days out and fabulous snow in and around Les Trois Vallees, France
Read MoreWe applied literally last minute for a job as a couple hosting and running a ski chalet and got a few offers back on day one! Before we knew it we were on a bus winging our way to La Tania, a tiny resort in between Courcheval and Meribel in the Trois Vallee region, ironically where we had decided 5 years previously to give up our corporate lives and travel the world!
We were lucky enough to be allocated the only 'Select Service' chalet in the resort which basically meant that we had to create our own cordon bleu style menu (all the other Ski Beat chalets had to follow set menu plans) and provide a superior level of service for a greater fee.
After the first couple of weeks we weren't sure anymore if this was as lucky as we'd thought, as while all the other hosts were out on the slopes by 10.30am we were still slaving away in the kitchen! By Christmas (only two weeks into the season) we were ready to quit as we had never worked so hard for so little money in our lives. Luckily we were persuaded by everyone that it got much easier after Christmas and they were right. Our first group of 2010 were brilliant fun and so easy going, and by then we had settled into a routine, the snow had finally arrived and we started to see why people did this!
The rest of the season went by in a blur. We met some fantastic and interesting people (and a few fruitcakes along the way!) had some brilliant parties and nights out, and our skiing improved tremendously. We were fortunate (and cautious enough) not to get injured during the whole season and the only really sad times where when our flatmate (and by then very good friend) Katy decided it wasn't for her and went home, leaving a very big hole in our shared staff cupboard of a flat, and Andy's brother getting so seriously ill that Andy went home for a couple of weeks. Luckily Brian made a miraculous recovery and Andy was soon back in the kitchen doing his beloved carrot parcels and omellettes!
So the question we always get asked is 'would you do another season?' the answer depending on who you ask is either 'When hell freezes over' or 'possibly but only if I could turn back the clock and be 20 years younger!'
All in all we worked extremely hard but also played hard and skiied hard so not a bad way to pass the time before we headed back to the land of eternal sunshine!
Here are a selection of our favourite photos of our chalet, some great days out and fabulous snow in and around Les Trois Vallees, France
