Equity in resort
Our customers tell us that our service in resort is just as good as our service
from the office. You will see friendly Equity staff everywhere, available
for advice about snow conditions, best places for lunch, good runs today,
etc. We want our people to be where it matters, joining in the fun and making
themselves useful. At night, they will be there to help the après ski
go with a swing.
Welcome
Our Reps meet you at the airport, show you to the coach and give you a pack
of useful information. Then there's a short welcome meeting when our reps
will tell you all about your resort, ski fitting, ski school and après
ski. We also organise a fire safety briefing.
Duty Hours
Representatives are on call 24 hours a day, not just for a "surgery
hour". If your hotel has only a few guests during your week your
rep may make a special arrangement to call you or visit you instead
of being resident in resort. We are always immediately contactable and available to deal
with any problem or provide any information. Please see Important Information.
Problem?
We want you to enjoy your Equity ski holiday to the full, so if you
aren't happy, please make sure you tell your representative immediately
so that we can get on the case straight away. We can usually solve a
problem on the spot so please don't wait until you get home before reporting
it.
Après Ski
Our resort reps will help you find the good places. Unless you want
to party every night you needn't worry too much if your resort is quiet,
because we will organise things like tobogganing, skating, fondue, folk
evenings, karaoke, and a nightclub or two. In your hotel, our reps organise
optional après ski fun like fancy dress, bingo, talent night,
karaoke, video evenings, party games and quiz nights.
No Sales Commission
Equity resort representatives are not employed to sell you extras. Ski
passes, equipment hire, ski school or ski companion are included in
your price so your rep is free to help you have a good time. They will
suggest après ski events and so on but there's absolutely no
pressure and Equity take no commission on sales in resort. We allow
our reps to accept commission from local attractions, but this is from
a negotiated price based on our high volumes, so Equity clients always
benefit from the best deals available.
Emergency
In an emergency our reps go into action straightaway and deal with doctors,
hospitals, insurance and repatriation with the minimum of fuss.
Representatives' Training Course
Our superb training course covers all eventualities including emergency
procedures and fire safety. Representatives who have worked for other
companies tell us our training course is the best.
Overseas Management
We can respond quickly to any situation because we employ senior directors
and managers overseas with the authority and experience to make quick
decisions.
Ski Promise
(Snow guarantee)
Our insurance covers all adverse weather conditions (not just poor snow),
which, in the opinion of the ski school, may prevent you from skiing
safely. We take pride in our ability to make alternative arrangements
if necessary. We always give accurate snow reports before you travel
and if conditions are very poor, we will, if possible, offer you an
alternative holiday, or transport you to better snow. Sometimes, although
the resort may be still partially open, we will still trigger our ski
promise in the interests of giving you the best holiday we can. If we
offer you an alternative holiday, which is advertised at a lower price
than the original, we cannot offer you a price reduction because cancellation
charges will apply on the original holiday. If the alternative is significantly
more expensive we may ask you to pay a supplement. You can be sure that
we will do our very best to minimise extra cost and avoid disappointing
our customers. Please ask for a full copy of our insurance cover.
Snow Cannons
We not only pick resorts with proven snow reliability, we also look
for snow cannons. A modern system can virtually guarantee cover on the
most important runs.
Ski and Snowboard Hire
Our ski shops provide good quality ski equipment from top manufacturers
then fit and service it properly. Your price includes the hire of skis,
boots and poles. If you wish to switch to snowboard, please see resort
pages for supplements. We can also offer an upgrade policy. We have
three categories of ski equipment, bronze, (which is included in the
price), silver and gold, and we quote prices for each on the resort
page. As a guide for the ski technicians, we always ask for shoe and ski
sizes before you travel so that we have sufficient skis and boots in the
right sizes (also to make sure any special requests are catered for).
Of course all equipment is individually fitted and the sizes you give us are
an indication only.
Bronze
Our prices are based on this category, which means you will receive good quality
rental and recreational ski equipment suitable for beginners up to strong
intermediates.
Silver
Most of our customers will be happy with the bronze standard but good intermediates
may wish to opt for an upgrade. If so, the next standard is silver. This is
high quality equipment designed for competitive or leisure skiing for good
intermediates.
Gold
Finally, for demanding, advanced skiers, we offer the gold standard, which
is top of the range, competition standard equipment, usually brand-new and
state-of-the art, suitable for strong advanced skiers.
Our Inclusive Equipment
We offer a reduction if you want to take your own equipment but we always
recommend you take ours. It's good value because we negotiate low prices for
high volume, it's up to date (quite important considering how quickly technology
and fashions changes these days), you can change it if there's a problem or
if something breaks; and finally, who needs the hassle of lugging skis, boards
and boots through airport lounges?
Ski Helmets - Changes in Italian Law
These are now compulsory for all children aged 14 and under, skiing in Italian
resorts (and Montgenevre if you ski across the border). Our ski shops cooperate with
us to keep the price down. Before you travel we will obtain sizes so that
we can pre-book helmets along with other ski equipment. The price for each resort
varies but it is advisable to budget around £8 for France and Italy, and £12
for Austria and Switzerland.
Austria Ski Shops
In Austria, we spare you a journey down to the ski shop by either fitting
you en route to resort or at the hotel. This special flexible arrangement
suits our clients really well.
Ski Schools
Equity skiers get fantastic value for ski tuition. We usually hire our instructors
by the hour, just for Equity classes, and we work to an average of 12 per
class. We can't precisely know in advance how each week's clients will break
down, but if we can't make an economic class size of Equity skiers in any
ability level, we will arrange standard Collective Classes which are sometimes
at a supplement. If you do not wish to pay this we can refund the cost for
not taking lessons on return. We normally arrange 6 x 2 hour lessons but we
may, at our discretion, substitute 3 x 4 hour lessons or similar. We regard
classes of 7 and over as viable, and regard 1 hour lessons in a small class
of 6 as a fair alternative to 2 hours in an average class of 12. We rarely
need to offer this alternative. We always ask you to estimate your skiing
ability (beginner, intermediate, advanced), so that we can help Ski School
plan their instructors in advance. Naturally, this gives us an idea only,
and each skier will be judged at the "ski-off" on the first morning
of lessons to ensure everyone is in the correct class. There will also be
changes during the week. If you don't want lessons, please consult the price
panel on each resort page for the applicable reduction.
Ski Companions and Guides
Most ski holidays to chalets, Austria and certain other resorts work best
with a Ski Companion instead of Ski School. Our Ski Companions work hard with
our chalet hosts and our reps to make your ski holiday a success and add a
special dimension to it. They should be able to tailor their sessions to suit
everybody. They ski with guests on five out of six days and will take groups
of similar abilities together. Ski Companions are not allowed to teach but
will show you around and tell you the best runs, best views and best restaurants
for lunch. Ski School is always available at a supplement. We strongly recommend
some tuition for practically everyone but certainly for beginners. We grade
ski ability in the following way. a) Novice b) Beginner c) Intermediate d)
Advanced. Ski guiding service applies to C and D only. Please see 'Ski school
or ski companion' in the price grid. Guests are responsible for assessing
their own capabilities and they participate in the Ski Companion service at
their own risk. Ski Companions are under no obligation to escort a guest to
easier terrain or to a ski lift. The service is restricted to runs that are
officially open and within the secure area of the resort. It is the guests'
responsibility to ensure that they are aware of the standard required to ski
a proposed route. This service is dependent on safety, numbers and conditions.
The decision of the Ski Companion is final.
Montgenevre, Serre Chevalier, Les Arcs and Les Gets
We employ a fully qualified, English-speaking French instructor who can teach
and offer technical tips as well as a full guiding service.
Children's Lessons
Local ski schools have their own policies specifying how old children must
be before they are allowed to join adult classes. Please consult the relevant
resort page for more details. Please see "Supplements" and "Child
Ski Lessons". Because entirely different teaching techniques are required
for children, broadly speaking, most ski schools are reluctant to accept children
below 12yrs in normal lessons but a few resorts draw the line at 8yrs (Folgarida,
Andalo, Prato and Claviere), and Prato Nevoso allows children aged 6yrs and up.
Your price includes ski lessons in Equity classes. For child ski lessons the brochure supplements apply. When ski schools for
young children are available, we always recommend these, because children
learn faster and have more fun when they ski together. In Tonale, Folgarida, Andalo and
Claviere, childrens classes may start slightly later than adult classes.
Please Note: Child Ski lessons are subject to availability and are
dependant on there being a sufficient number of children to make an economic size
class. If the ski school decides there are not enough children we will refund
you the full amount and do our best to provide an adequate alternative.
Lift Companies
We prepare our prices before some lift companies confirm their rates for next
season so we sometimes have to estimate. If we estimate too low that's our
problem not yours and you won't be surcharged. However, if the lift company
builds new lifts, thereby significantly improving the ski system described
in the brochure, this is an extra service that's not included in the price
so a supplement may be added.
Where you will stay
This is your holiday home for the week and you can be sure we know the importance
of getting it right. We will be happy to fill out the brochure information
and help you choose exactly the right hotel. All our hotels offer excellent
standards within their category. They range from simple family-run pensions
to luxury hotels which are almost a resort in their own right. Some hotels
charge for saunas, swimming pools, nightclubs and other facilities. If you
have any special requests regarding rooming please let us know at the time
you book. Beds are usually singles but doubles can be provided in some hotels
on request. Sometimes twins are pushed together as a double, but still have
separate mattresses and duvets. In Austria we have 'Austrian Twins'. These
are two single mattresses within one double bed frame. Bunks may be used for
children or group bookings.
Room Supplements
The supplements we charge reflect the cost charged to us. Single rooms are
more expensive because only one occupant pays for the entire room service,
heating and so on. There may only be one or two single rooms in an hotel so
when twin rooms are used for only one occupant the price may be even higher
than that shown for a single room. Apartments are costed on multi-occupancy
so supplements will be charged for under occupancy.
Special Requests
Please ensure that you recieve written confirmation from us of any special
requests, to ensure that anything agreed in a telephone call has been correctly
enetered on our system.
Equity-run Hotels
We staff and run these hotels ourselves, solely for Equity clients, so the
hospitality, food and evening entertainment is organised specifically for
you.
Hotel and Chalet Ratings
We have star rated out Equity-run hotels and TOPS ClubHotels based entirely
on our own opinion of their comfort, location and ambience. This rating does not
apply to official tourist office classifications which some of our properties
do not have, as they are on exclusive long term leases for Equity only guests.
Beginners
We don't forget how daunting learning to ski can seem, so just give us a call and after a short chat we should be able
to recommend exactly the right holiday. We want you to have a terrific first
experience. Travelling low season is certainly best because it's not a good
idea to pay top money for your first ski holiday. We recommend a small or
medium ski circuit because lift passes are expensive and there's no point
in paying for mileage you won't use. It's also worth considering an attractive
village with good facilities to help you enjoy the whole winter holiday experience.
Your resort rep will know you haven't skied before and will make sure you
are given all the basic pointers on equipment, ski school and safety. It's
a very good idea to take a few lessons before you go so you waste less time
getting your ski legs. It's like riding a bike, once you have mastered the
basics it's all downhill (literally) from then on. Ask us for details of your
nearest dryslope or snowdome.