For the first two decades of my skiing escapades, I didn’t know what a hoohah it was to book a ski trip. Thanks to school/college/university trips – or my very organised mother – I never realised quite how much planning went into a ski holiday.
From sorting flights to booking transfers to the mountains, choosing accommodation, securing lift passes and booking equipment hire, few holidays require quite as much admin as a ski trip – and when I was hit with the never-ending to-do list of booking a ski trip myself in my late 20s, I vowed to never do it again.
But in the last couple of years, I’ve found myself longingly watching my friends’ Instagram Stories when they hit the slopes, jealous of their snowy adventures and envying the après ski. And so I dove back into the perils of planning a ski holiday – and very quickly came across WeSki.
Created by two ski enthusiasts, WeSki is like a helpful parent – without the nagging. All I had to do was add in the details of my dream ski holiday (location, dates, preferred airport, budget, ski ability) and they do all the hard work, putting together the trip for you, right down to the lift passes.
A bit like CompareTheMarket but for finding a dream ski holiday, the platform compares countless trip combinations to find the options that match your requirements, and it’s instantly bookable. From the moment you click ‘book’, your hand is held by the WeSki team, with regular check-ins via email and WhatsApp to make sure you know what to expect.
Prior to setting off, they sent reminders to check in. Once I landed, a WhatsApp pinged to let me know my transfer was waiting. Upon arriving at the ski resort, an email dropped into my inbox telling me where and when to pick up my lift passes and ski equipment. All I needed to do was acclimatise to the altitude – they couldn’t do that for me, sadly.
When departure was near, the treatment was the same, with reminders of when our transfer was coming, when he was outside and so on.
Truly, I have never felt more like a child than I did on my WeSki trip. Other than what I was packing (thermals!), there was nothing I needed to think about ahead of my trip; it was all done for me. As someone with a busy life, this was ideal, and I found myself quickly telling all of my mum friends about the platform, knowing they’d love someone doing all the planning for them, leaving them free to enjoy their holiday without more admin being added to their already long to-do lists.
Since I went skiing, WeSki has also introduced weski.ai, a platform which curates a fully personalised trip for you, simply by you describing what you want, making it even easier to find your holiday, as you don’t even need to fill in any forms (which I did – minimally, might I add).
You just have to say “I want a family friend alpine ski trip” – or whatever your heart desires – and AI is used to scan millions of trip combinations, creating a personalised itinerary that includes flights, accommodation, transfers and ski extras. As a journalist, I’m naturally sceptical of AI (don’t take my job, I beg of you!) but this seems a good use of it!
My trip
I told WeSki that I wanted to go to Val Thorens (the highest resort in Europe), for the promise of guaranteed snow, along with my preferred dates and airport, plus my ski ability, and in seconds it scanned hundreds of hotels and flights, offering me a selection to choose from.
The beauty of WeSki is that it only shows hotels that have availability for your dates, meaning you’re not left pining for a hotel that’s at capacity when you’re there.
I went for Le Val Thorens, a Beaumier Hotel, because it had a very cool vibe (think a big deck right on the slopes for après ski, several restaurants, including a fondue spot – an essential on a ski holiday), plus it was ski-in ski-out. If you’ve ever lugged your skis or snowboards around while wearing cumbersome ski boots, you’ll know how important ski-in ski-out is.
© InstagramLe Val Thorens also had a spa, which was one of my main criteria. There’s nothing like kicking back in a sauna after a hard day of skiing or having a quick swim to stretch the muscles. One of the best things about the pool was a series of jets, positioned exactly where you need support after skiing – shoulders, lower back, thighs and calves. I heard one fellow resident saying it was as good as a massage – high praise!
Aside from the chic, 1970s-style décor, the delicious food (try the slopeside pizzas, so good!), one of the best things about Le Val Thorens is something very simple. The boot room (where you keep your ski equipment) had heated cupboards! So when you left your sopping wet gloves and chilly ski boots in there overnight, they dried off, nice and cosy for you to strap into the next day. Like I say, simple, but it made all the difference.
© InstagramAs well as the hotel being perfectly placed for skiing – and the variety of food options meaning you don’t need to leave if you’re exhausted post-ski – the resort itself really made my trip.
Val Thorens is the biggest of the French ski resorts, within the famed Les 3 Vallées, with plenty of runs for every ability. I stuck to green and blue slopes (though the blue Nord Face run was most certainly a red, and I was rather spooked!), but there were plenty of red and black slopes for experience skiiers, and off-piste options too.
Despite being busy, there was never a wait for the ski lifts or gondolas, and you never felt crowded on the runs. Plus, there are plenty of charming alpine restaurants up the mountain to ski into and rest your legs while you tuck into their iconic cream-topped hot chocolates.
© InstagramOne afternoon, we skied with a guide, which I recommend doing as they’ll show you the best routes and combinations of gondolas and chairlifts for your ability. As a slightly nervous skier, being with a guide gave me such confidence.
For when you’re tired of skiing (and your legs will get tired, I promise) Val Thorens has fun non-skiing activities, including a zip line which sees you soar above the piste, taking it all in from a bird’s eye view. You can even use it to get back down the slope, with your skis attached to your back if you don’t fancy skiing back down the mountain.
We also booked into CosmoJet, a 6km tobogganing course, which was absolutely hilarious. I fell out of my sledge at least 10 times, whizzing down the mountain beside myself with giggles, as the mountain sped by on either side of me. Even though it felt perilous, you’re equipped with a helmet and it’s ideal if skiing is a bit intimidating at times.
When it was time to go home, I felt truly sad to be leaving the fresh mountain air and peaceful pistes, and quickly logged onto WeSki to see if I could fit in another last-minute trip before the season is over… (I can’t, but the site has a great functionality for last-minute trips, meaning you still have a brilliant time rather than being left with the less desirable accommodation options).
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