Here at HCX we are always looking for an adventure, so our very own Penny Pedder gives us an insight into what it’s like to live the life of a chalet girl…
Before you ask; no, it’s not like the film. Well okay it is a little, but there is also a lot more hard work involved. I spent a season working in a chalet in the French resort of Les Arcs, as part of my gap year before coming to university. I’m here to tell you what it’s really like, and whether doing a season is all it’s cracked up to be.
6.30 am – get up in the dark and trudge the 100m through the snow to get to my chalet. Let myself in without waking the guests up, and hope that my co-host has also managed to pull himself out of bed!
7.00 am – Start making the cakes for afternoon tea, and prepare the breakfast table for the guests. A full English is on offer every day, alongside freshly baked bread and pastries, porridge, and cereals. Enjoy the peace and quiet before the guests get up.
7.30 am – Breakfast service. Hope that no one asks for a poached egg or any other complex item that we hosts don’t have time to whip up. We’re busy getting on with prepping for the evening meal already.
10.00 am – By this point mostly all the guests have left, and it’s time to get on with cleaning the rooms and bathrooms. Dinner should be prepped as much as possible, and breakfast needs to be cleared up. If you’re lucky, you have a dishwasher!
11.30 am – With the chalet looking spick and span, afternoon tea laid out for the guests when they get back, and dinner prepped, unless it’s time for the weekly meeting, then the day is yours! Some hosts opt for going back to bed, others make the effort to pull on their ski gear and hit the slopes. And with the free season pass that comes with the job, you’d be daft not to be making the most of the free time out on the pistes!
4.00 pm – Get back in time for a quick 30 minute nap, unless it’s a particularly tricky dinner service, which means you’ll need to start at 4.30 not 5pm. But these naps are important! Working a season means surviving without your 40 winks – more like 20, so these naps are like your lifeline!
5.00 pm – Get to work, start right away with prepping the canapes and starter, or searing your meat. Pray that the guests don’t ask you to light the fire, as that means going to the cellar to fetch the firewood, and fiddling with getting it to light!
7.00pm – Serve the canapes and pour the wine. Lay the table – the level of effort in the napkin folding is a reflection of how well things are going in the kitchen – trust me! The more elaborate the design, the more things are under control.
7.30pm – Start serving dinner. The praise you receive from the guests if your dinner is tasty is rather rewarding, although we’re secretly just hoping you will show your appreciation through a tip at the end of the week!
10.00 pm – You’re free! Time to shower and change as quickly as possible and get to the bar! Being a seasonaire in a big resort means there’s plenty of other seasonnaires to party with, and the perks of the barmen recognising you means you’re more than likely to get free drinks! This is why the earlier nap was important – The party doesn’t stop at the bar!
So is it worth it? Ultimately, yes! You may not come away richer or younger, but you will make friends for life, have an unforgettable season of partying in the mountains, improve your skills on the slopes AND learn how to survive on very little sleep! I haven’t even mentioned the crazy apres-ski on chalet hosts’ days off, but life in the mountains is something a seasonnaire definitely never forgets!