Skiing the Alps with a group sounds complicated, and it can be. Twelve people, three ability levels, two flights landing at different times and one chalet that has to work for everyone. The good news is that most of the hard decisions happen in the first week of planning. Get those right and the rest falls into place.
We plan group ski trips to Europe and across the U.S. for companies, ski clubs, families and friends. Here’s what we’ve learned about getting them right.
How to pick a resort for a group ski trip
Pick for your weakest skier, not your strongest.
This is the mistake we see most. The group’s best skier picks somewhere famous for steep off-piste, and half the group spends the week on one green run.
Resorts with big linked areas give everyone room. Les 3 Vallées in France (Courchevel, Méribel and Val Thorens) is one of the largest connected ski areas in the world, so beginners and experts can ski all day and still meet for lunch. Zermatt in Switzerland links to Cervinia in Italy, which means you can ski across the border for pasta and come back in the afternoon. St. Anton in Austria suits stronger groups and has some of the best après in the Alps.
For mixed groups with kids, look for resorts with a well-run ski school close to the lodging. Walking toddlers and ski boots across a village every morning gets old fast.
When is the best time for a group ski trip to the Alps?
The Alps season usually runs from December into April. Christmas, New Year and February (when European school holidays hit) are the busiest and most expensive weeks, and the best chalets for big groups book up a year out.
January is often the sweet spot. Crowds thin out after New Year, rates drop, and snow is usually reliable at higher resorts. March brings longer, sunnier days and a more relaxed feel, which works well for groups who care as much about lunch on a terrace as about fresh powder.
Chalet or hotel for a group?
For groups of eight or more, a catered chalet is hard to beat. You get the whole place to yourselves, a chef handles breakfast and dinner, and there’s a living room where everyone ends up after skiing. Many French and Swiss chalets also include a driver to run you to and from the lifts.
Hotels make more sense when the group is loose (friends who want their own space) or when you need meeting rooms for a corporate retreat. Some groups split the difference and book a block of rooms in one hotel with a private dining room for the evenings.
Sort out the flights and transfers early
Most Alpine resorts are a two to four hour transfer from the nearest big airport. Geneva serves the French resorts and Verbier. Zurich works for Zermatt (mostly by train) and several Austrian resorts, and Innsbruck is close to St. Anton and the Tyrol.
Group flights from the U.S. rarely all land at once. We plan private transfers around arrival times so nobody waits at the airport for four hours, and we book them before the season fills up.
Book lessons, gear and passes before you arrive
Group lessons, private guides and rental gear can all be booked ahead, and in peak weeks they need to be. Having skis fitted and waiting at the chalet on day one saves a morning of standing in a rental shop. Lift passes for groups can also be arranged in advance so everyone walks straight to the lift.
Let everyone pay their own share
The person organizing a group trip usually ends up fronting the deposit and chasing money for months. We set it up so each traveler pays their share directly. It keeps friendships intact and takes the organizer out of the banker role.
How we help
We don’t charge a planning fee. The hotels and chalets pay us, so you pay the same rate you’d get booking direct and get someone handling every detail. There’s no minimum group size, and we plan in the U.S. and across the Alps.
Tell us your dates, how many adults and kids are coming, and where you’d like to ski. We’ll send options within 24 hours. Start planning your group ski trip.