The truth about chalet girls for rich skiers in Europe

The truth about chalet girls for rich skiers in Europe

It is 7 a.m. on an ice -cold Januarmorgen in Les Gets, a ski resort in the French Alps. The sun will open in an hour, but Sophie Crowther , sprints up the winding, icy mountain path for 25 wague guests prepare.

It is your first working day in the mountains. Just a few days earlier, she received the call that she would work as a cook in a luxurious chalet. Her welcome ceremony the night before sounds in her ears when she reaches the chalet while her guests have no idea of their excitement.

"I literally thrown out almost everything while I made eggs and bacon for everyone," she told CNN. "Unspertunate." This is the reality of the glamorous and not so glamorous life of the "chalet girl"-the staff who meets every wish of the rich and famous in Europe's most luxurious ski chalets.

Who are the "chalet girls"?

"chalet girl" are an institution in the most luxurious skiers in Europe. They are a small group of the millions that are employed in the European winter sports industry, but they are inextricably linked to the luxury chalets from Chamonix, St. Anton and Courchevel.

arose from a combination of the increasing affordability of foreign vacation in the 1960s and 1970s as well as the decline of the British nobility, which was able to maintain large real estate in Europe, a ski season as a chalet hostess became an adventure for girls who had just escaped British boarding school.

The wages were low, working hours long, and drinks in the local bars were cheap. The term "chalet girl" began to penetrate the British awareness and wore the call of a hedonistic lifestyle that dominated the bars and night clubs of the French Alps.

an outdated term?

The film "Chalet Girl" from 2011 stands as a monument to how many perceive the profession. Tamsin Egerton embodies Georgie as the architectural chalet girl: elegant, thin, thin, flirting with guests and mainly interested in drinking in the early morning. "This film has no relationship with the current industry at all," Andy Sturt told VIP Ski to CNN.

Above all, the role is no longer exclusively reserved for the privately trained girl from the south of England. Former and current chalet hosts with which CNN spoke for this article reported that the role is still predominantly female, but are a growing number of chalet hosts.

The change in the industry

"You can't look terrible and smell of alcohol if you stand towards these wonderful guests. You have to have everything under control, so there are limits for what you can do," said a chalet employee.

The industry has increasingly professionalized, according to the one who is working in it. The luxury ski chalet company Consensio Chaleets receives about 15 applications for each available position, said the co-founder and managing director Ceri Tinley CNN. "We have around 240 jobs abroad for this next winter. We had 2,000 applications last year," added Sturt.

"We have already received 500 applications this year and we have not even completed the winter. The demand for the few available jobs is huge, and it is now very, very difficult to get a job in a catered chalet Holiday in the Alps."

The reality of the "chalet girls"

There is no doubt about the cake of the chalets in which these people work. Saunas, wine cellars, priceless works of art and even raclette rooms that are dedicated to serving melted cheese are not uncommon. "Our customers expect luxurious accommodations in combination with an exceptional service," said Tinley from Consensio Chalets to CNN, and added that the guests are looking for "owners with facilities such as whirlpools, swimming pools and cinemas, supplemented by attentive staff who anticipate their needs."

While their guests live in luxury, the same cannot be said for the chalet hosts. "You are in the luxury sector, but you are not the guest," said a current chalet host CNN.

The morning pendulum route is often a 20 to 30-minute, early morning hiking on a mountain in the snow. During her time as a cook in a luxurious chalet in the French Resort Les Gets, Crowther lived in an accommodation under a bar. "We could literally not sleep until 4 a.m. on some days," she said CNN. "We had to use earplugs. And the tape that was created by not being able to sleep really welded us together."

The working days usually start before 7 a.m. and end after midnight. During this time, the staff prepares the meals of the guests, the ski equipment and drinks, cleans, makes beds and tries to spend as much time as possible on the slopes.

guests who pay more than $ 3,000 per person expect every conceivable wish to be fulfilled. "You can't say no, it's this high -grade service," said Hogg about her time as a hostess in a luxurious chalet.

Those who try to use the chains' facilities while their guests are on slopes, risking without job or accommodation. "When setting chalet staff, everything revolves around the personality," said Sturt to Cnn.

"You have to have personality and depth of character and experience to shape every dinner. This is the basic being.

The payment is usually not very high, some report a monthly salary of around £ 1,000 ($ 1,325) - potentially less than the minimum wage in Great Britain if you look at the working hours. The content is usually supplemented by drinking money, which can be more than the monthly content. Accommodation and ski equipment and passes are usually also included in the package.

The long working hours and demanding guests can be a burden on the chalet staff, many of which are away from home for the first time in their lives. "I definitely had ups and very deep depths," said Hogg to CNN. "I remember that I came into a bedroom and it was an absolute chaos. And I thought I couldn't do that.

"But I have to remember that I am in the mountains and I think only these ups and downs really bring me through."