Corporate ski weekends – the trip planner’s check list

Planning a corporate ski trip can be a daunting process – not only are there very many variables to factor in such as costs and snow conditions, there are also large numbers of people to keep happy on the slopes, in the resort and on the transfer bus. More often than not it is one person who has their head on the block and very often this person has been delegated the task of getting everything planned and executed – not an easy task.

As with all group ski trips, larger numbers of skiers equals mixed ability – the Swiss men’s downhill team training trips aside, there can be anything from first day skiers to extreme free-riders on a corporate ski trip. Keeping them all happy requires mixed terrain and often big terrain is required to offer this varied terrain.

Time is often at a premium for corporate staff and quite often trips are corporate ski weekends. Group members want to spend as little time travelling as possible and therefore airport transfers need to be kept to a minimum. There are some amazing ski destinations in the Alps that are a short distance from regional airports, Innsbruck being one example with endless world class resorts located within an hour of the arrivals hall.

For early or late season corporate ski trips then aim high. But planners should be aware that height doesn’t always translate into apres and apres ski is one of the corner stones of any corporate ski trip. It is all well and good to have an epic day on the slopes but without a late night on a bar stool to recount tales, the day hasn’t reached its full potential.

And finally in tough economic times it is well worth looking beyond the big label resorts for some outstanding destinations that serve locals as well as tourists – nothing keeps a resort and its service providers more honest than keeping the locals loyal with fair prices.