The enduring nightmare of ski transfers – and why they are getting worse
Rare is the skier who hasn’t sat for hours in the back of a coach, minibus or taxi, bored and tired, stuck in traffic on the way from an airport to a ski resort.
We’ve all done it, but with half term beginning this weekend, French ski areas still on red alert after protesting farmers blocked roads around the country, and snow falling in some areas, traffic levels might be at an all-time high.
“I’m not convinced the protests are all over yet – and a truck full of horse muck on a mountain road is too tempting an option for the region’s farmers,” said Angus Kinloch, the managing director of Ski Line. “It’s important we warn skiers to be ready for delays when heading for the French Alps this week, many with young children.”
The threat of road blockades aside, snow is currently falling in France, which is likely to compound problems on the roads, increasing the risk of accidents and delays with drivers stopping to fix snow chains. All this adds to the expense of a transfer, too.
Long days on the road, inflation in staff wages after Brexit, insurance, fuel and vehicle servicing mean that the all-important journey from the airport to resort can cost more than flights.
Rich Smith is the managing director of transfer company Ski-lifts.com which has operated for 19 years. He explained: “Costs of airport transfers are directly related to distance and time of journey. Ski resorts are challenging places to get to, with high distances and often poor weather and road conditions, leading to long journey times.”
In France, school-age children get two weeks off for half term, with the country split into three zones with each taking a different fortnight, which results in heavy traffic every Saturday throughout February and the first weekend of March. And it’s not just France – the Interstate 70 in Colorado, United States, is often gridlocked at weekends with skiers escaping Denver for the mountains, and in Austria where many resorts including Iscghl and Kitzbuhel are fed from a single-file road from motorway and holiday pressure builds as Dutch, German and Austrian children all have the same time off school.
Richard Shead, a yacht sales manager, said he had a “13-hour transfer from hell” in 2017, when his family and two others – with seven children ranging in age from five to 12 – travelled to Les Menuires.
“It was New Year and we took an early flight to get to the resort early, leaving Geneva about 12.30pm on a group transfer with Family Ski,” he said. “The coach was full, and we took the usual route via Lake Annecy but there was snow on the ground from a very heavy storm the night before. With diversions, driver breaks, long queues of cars chaining up, we rolled into the chalet at about 3am where the hosts tried to serve us a very burnt cottage pie.”
Mr Shead had the foresight to stock up on food and drinks – though he admits toilets were an issue – and their driver ploughed on (despite questions of the legality of doing so) while other coaches stopped, leaving guests stranded overnight in Albertville sports halls.
“It was so awful one of the families we travelled with has not been skiing since,” he said, adding: “We now drive and stop the night on the way down.”
One former transfer driver in Méribel, who wishes to remain anonymous, told The Telegraph: “Disasters do happen, especially with only one road in or out. But all the reputable companies work together, with hives on transfer days monitoring real-time traffic and alternative routes, flight delays and so on, so they tend to have knowledgeable drivers and are on top of things.”
Brexit, he says, has reduced the number of transfer companies and made sourcing drivers very difficult: “Transfer companies have a limited pool of drivers to choose from and are taking less skilled drivers from Eastern Europe and Bulgaria, which produces language and cultural differences in regards to road safety.”
Alison Roberts, a former bus driver, has operated Morzine and Back Transfers for 13 years. She had a number of 16-seater buses before Brexit, employing British coach drivers. “They would come over for four or five months and work on French seasonal contracts. But post-Brexit getting their visas has become too long-winded and expensive so I’ve sold my big buses and now just operate one small minibus which I drive myself.”
Roberts said accommodation in resorts has become hard to find and expensive, and that Switzerland also requires all staff to be paid Swiss rates when driving in Switzerland. Fuel has also doubled in price – her shared transfer price has risen from €25 per person to €48 per person, while private transfers, for up to eight passengers, are up from €200 to €300.
There is, and always has been, a black market for resort transfers, where seasonnaires undercut established and insured businesses by giving lifts to fund their skiing. But these are uninsured.
To combat the price rises, Ski-lifts.com is offering more shared transfers this season. “This is a great option for customers, offering door-to-door transfers at a lower price,” said Smith. “We have also introduced electric and hybrid ski transfers to provide our customers with more sustainable travel options. We want to help our customers get to and from their ski resort as safely and cost effectively as possible.”
Steering away from popular French resorts might be another option for families sick of traffic – not only is traffic lighter in Italy and Spain, where half-term holidays don’t clash with the UK, but the transfers are cheaper.
“Door-to-door transfers, when you’re greeted at the airport, will always be the most popular and convenient,” said Ski Line’s Angus Kinloch. “We can organise this at a fraction of the cost of France, using local taxi firms in Italy, where there isn’t the sheer number of British skiers creating this need for British-speaking coach drivers.”
How to combat the transfer traffic and cost
Take the train
It’s cheaper and, when faced with weekend traffic, often faster. Many Swiss resorts have train stations directly in resorts, as does St Anton in Austria. But Italy, France and other parts of Austrian resorts can be less convenient, with a train journey sandwiched between two short taxi rides.
Go all inclusive
A holiday that includes a transfer takes away the organisational strain.
Avoid peak times
The radio DJ Chris Evans has been moaning to listeners about his 2am departure for a family ski holiday in Valmorel this half-term, but he’s not so wrong. Peak time on mountain roads is between 11am and 3pm, with ring roads and motorways busy either side of that, too. Club Med offers Sunday travel and includes transfers in the holiday price.
Don’t skimp on safety
Wear seatbelts at all times and never be tempted by a cheap lift from someone you meet in a bar or a friend of a friend. Insurance is vital in the mountains and while accidents, such as last February’s crash near Albertville between a taxi and minibus are thankfully rare, they do happen.
Don’t trust sat nav
If you are self-driving, beware of Google Maps directing you across a mountain road that is closed during winter.
Prepare
Load up on food, drinks, games, films, music and patience (for the whole family) in case the worst happens.
Communicate with the driver
If anyone is car sick, tell the driver and arrange for them to sit in the front. If a passenger is going to vomit, communicate this again so the driver can pull over before it’s too late.
For more advice see our ultimate guide to driving to the Alps.
Which ski resorts are closest to European airports?
Chamonix, France: Geneva (82km), 1 hour
Kitzbühel, Austria: Innsbruck (97km), 1 hour; Salzburg (72km), 1 hour 30 minutes; Munich (165km), 1 hour 45 minutes
Verbier, Switzerland: Sion (55km), 1 hour; Geneva (161km), 2 hours
St Anton, Austria: Innsbruck (95km), 65 minutes; Friedrichshafen (130km), 1 hour 30 minutes
Cervinia, Italy: Turin (121km), 1 hour 30 minutes
Val Thorens, France: Chambéry (122km), 1 hour 30 minutes; Geneva (200km), 2 hours, 30 minutes
Les Arcs, France: Chambéry (121km), 1 hour 45 minutes; Geneva (210km), 2 hours 30 minutes; Lyon Saint Exupery (204km) 2 hours 30 minutes
Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy: Venice (150km), 2 hours; Treviso (140km), 2 hours
Val d’Isère, France: Chambéry (145km), 2 hours; Geneva (223km), 2 hours 50 minutes
Zermatt, Switzerland: Geneva (230km), 2 hours 40 minutes; Zurich (254km), 3 hours 35 minutes; Basel (227km), 3 hours 25 minutes
*Transfer time on average by car, without traffic.
