Accommodation options in the Alps have got better and better over recent years and the well-heeled can now stay in exceptionally luxurious chalets. But that sense that the customer is king and nothing is too much trouble that you can find on a North American ski holiday still hasn’t quite made it across the Atlantic, even to the crème de la crème of French chalets; it’s probably a cultural thing.
So I was intrigued by the prospect of a visit to Chalet Pelerin in Le Miroir, a small hamlet near the cult French resort of Saint Foy, located in the Tarentaise region between the Espace Killy (Tignes and Val d’Isère) and Paradiski (Les Arcs and la Plagne) and right on the Italian border.
What makes Chalet Pelerin different (or I should say, the first thing that makes it different) is that it is run by American company Eleven, based in Crested Butte, Colorado, so this is where American high-energy enthusiasm and “no problem” attitude meets and frankly obliterates the Gallic shrug.
Eleven isn’t the bland American “have a nice day” business model either. The company has created a seriously cool portfolio of holiday properties around the world – a Patagonian lodge in South America, an Amsterdam town house and even a farm in north-west Iceland. They’re not just about winter sports but any outdoor, particularly adventure activity – rafting, kayaking and kite surfing are on the agenda at those other properties.
But when it comes to winter sports, helicopters are the order of the day because they’re the easiest way to reach virgin slopes – and that’s the quality of experience Eleven aim to offer, because if you want to make your guests happy, well, what else would you offer?
First things first. Chalet Pelerin turned out to be very comfortably furnished with four en-suite double rooms and a bunk room ideal for up to four children. There’s a lot of attention to detail in the rooms with the overall feel, rustic but with a hint of contemporary. Downstairs there’s an Endless Pool and outdoor hot tub, and the chalet is wired with an ultra-hi-tech media system.
The chalet’s resident chef again does not go down the normal Alpine route but instead brings in seafood and other contemporary dishes that make you think “That’s different.”
Things really start to get interesting in the boot room, the best equipped I’ve ever seen and complete with a barrel of beer on the side. Each chalet guest has their own “open” locker choice of top-of-the-range Wagner skis, and there are backpacks complete with avalanche safety airbags sat ready for you to hit the snow.
But the real Eleven difference from the Alpine norm are their people. Our group was hosted by the most enthusiastic guides I’d ever met, making us believe anything was possible and really getting your adrenaline pumping.
Alas, because of conditions, we never did get to heli-ski during my stay, and while heli-skiing is banned in France, it is possible to take off from there and pop into Italy. We did that the conventional way to La Thuile from La Rosière by ski lift, but determined to get us and skis in a helicopter whatever Mother Nature might have been thinking, Eleven did send a helicopter to pick us up and bring us back to Chalet Pelerin after we lingered too long over lunch and missed the last lift back.
The team knew their skiing and they also know how to party. One special experience involved a 40-minute hike through the woods to the Chalet’s outpost the “Alpage” (no other way to get there!) where a cheese fondue with any combination of drinks you could think off meant the laughs were plentiful and our hosts’ many talents turned out to include stand-up comedy, polished off with a firework display especially for us.
The company’s Director of Experience Development really knows not only the best ski areas (we skied all seven of the resorts mentioned in our 4-day stay, somehow managing to get fired off a bungee ramp above Tignes at one point too) and snow stashes, but also how to create the best après-ski.
The conclusion? Combining North American enthusiasm and service standards with traditional European skiing can work, and Eleven work very hard to make sure it does. It’s all about the experience.
Words – Debbie Gabriel
