Powder White Radio Interview
Fraser Ewart-White talks to Lucy Taylor on The Travel Show aired on Dubai Eye radio on 17th December where he shares a brief history of Powder White and his top tips and trends for 2014.
Listen to the Podcast by clicking here or the button below; alternatively continue reading for a summary of the interview.
Introduction
Powder White has been running for over 10 years being formed back in 2003. The idea came to Fraser and co founder Claire Freeland when they were working a season and discovered there was a lack of flexible ski holiday options for consumers with only bootcamp like ski holiday packages available to the general public. Knowing they could provide something better, Fraser & Claire contracted a single chalet in Verbier to start their venture to provide flexible ski holidays.
Today Fraser and Claire have grown their property portfolio to over 50 chalets as well as offering a large range of hotels and apartments in some of the top ski destinations in Europe. The decision was taken to operate in the top 5 resorts of Courchevel, Meribel, and Val d’Isere in France to Verbier in Switzerland and St Anton in Austria. Fraser went on to explain that these resorts offer the best skiing experience due to their popularity and extensive ski facilities and ski lift systems. With higher elevations, these resorts offer better chances of snow coverage creating the trust that you will experience a good holiday. In addition, Powder White also provides hotels and apartments in many other resorts around the Alps from Tignes to Val Thorens and more.
Fraser also explained how Powder White holidays provide a different, more flexible opportunity to enjoy your break. The unpackaged ski holiday allows you to tailor your holiday by choosing your accommodation, selecting a catering choice from fully catered to self catered then adding extras from ski hire, ski passes and lessons to tours and excursions. Flights & Transfers can be arranged but is usually handled by the client. This not only allows holiday makers to manage how they want their holiday, but also allows booking of flexible dates from more than a single week to weekend breaks. In addition, the location of the Alps and unpackaged holidays gives greater access to global markets such as the Middle East and Asia.
2014 Skiing Trends
With the easing of the recession and stabilising markets, the number of holidays being booked is on the rise; however there has been a small shift in attitudes when booking a ski holiday.
Many skiers are now looking for better value for money while still expecting the same level of service from a normally priced holiday which Powder White aims to provide.
Shorter breaks will also increase in popularity. Powder White can play to its strength by offering weekend breaks or several weekend breaks in a season. The client is then not tied to flights and can arrive any way they wish. This gives greater access to skiing.
Although last season was blessed with good snowfalls, previous years were somewhat lacklustre in snow levels hence more people will be booking holidays in resorts at higher elevations to ensure good snow coverage.
Skiing Advice & Tips
Fraser’s Skiing tips and advice are centred on ensuring you have a good holiday experience.
- Organise Early: Ski holidays are complex and have a lot of moving parts from accommodation to passes, lessons, equipment, travel etc. Organising your holiday early gives you time to get all the necessary components in place as well as securing better discounts, especially if booking a popular period like half term.
- Pre-Book: It is a good idea to pre-book things like ski passes, equipment, lessons etc. If you do this early, you not only secure availability, but you can have these items waiting for you in resort again giving you more valuable time to enjoy yourself and avoid queues.
- Wear the right clothing: It can get extremely cold at the top of the mountain, sometimes as much as -20C in January & February. My advice is to wear lots of layers of natural fibre clothing to keep warm. Take extra layers as it is easy to take some off.
- Ski Boots: Ill filling ski boots can cause lots of pain & misery and ruin a holiday. Make sure when you hire your boots to have them fitted correctly for you at the point of hire as it can make a big difference to how comfortable you are. If you have your own boots, take them to a hire shop and get some help to adjust them.
- Destination: Choose the right destination for your skiing ability. It is no use being a beginner and ending up on the scariest slopes on earth or being a great skier and only having access to beginner slopes. Out top 5 resorts cater to all levels of skiing.
- Ski Lessons: Getting tuition is a good idea even if you can already ski. When you get to the slopes and a 10 year old boy whizzes past you, you may realize that you are not as good at skiing as you think. Getting lessons will help you enjoy the sport more and help keep you safe.
Visit Powder White to see our range of Ski Holidays. Simply pick your accommodation and build your holiday the way you want.
Source: Dubai Eye Radio, @LucyTaylor_UAE, Fraser-EwartWhite
If you would like more assistance or accommodation advice, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with one of our holiday experts or simply search our website below!