Well wonder no more! Here is a Day In The Life Of Chalet Host Emma*
*names and places changed for legal purposes
6.30am
What is that awful noise??? Someone stop it. Oh hang on, it’s my shoe. Why is my shoe ringing? And why is my shoe next to my head?! Oh silly me, it’s my alarm. Vaguely remember thinking it was a really sensible idea to put my phone in my shoe and my shoe next to my head at 3 am (ok closer to 5 am) last night. Right, action stations or I’m going to be late….again.
I flick the light on, briefly cringing at the remanence of last night scattered throughout our tiny room. Hmm why is there one of the 10-foot plastic penguins from the nursery slope standing in the corner?! Oh well, worry about that later. More importantly, must find my other shoe.
“Turn the light off” groans a very hungover voice. Oops, forgot it was my roommates day off. Quickly turning the light off I use the torch on my phone to locate the rest of my clothes. Really must wash my uniform soon, and NOT just with shampoo in the shower. On that note, must wash my hair. Nothing a good beanie cant solve for now. A brief scan in the bathroom mirror to check everything’s intact (oh god I look awful) and pick my way over the bodies asleep in the hallway to reach the front door to our flat. Then down the long hallway that always smells of Spaghetti Bolognaise?!
It’s still dark outside (ugh 6.57am). As I step outside the cold hits me immediately. I can smell the snow (everyone thinks I’m weird for saying that?!). A fresh layer of snow blankets the little village making everything so still and calm. All I can hear is the far away muffled blasts of the avalanche control making sure the terrain is safe for when everyone gets up. There are barely any footprints in the snow, everyone’s still in bed. I do love this time of the morning before the resort wakes up. The mountains are still illuminated in the moonlight and there isn’t a soul in sight. Probably best as I have to tackle the slippery slope down to my chalet. It gets me every morning. I’m feeling especially shaky this morning so I just give up and just slide down on my bottom. Way easier.
7.05am
I grab the warm baguettes that have been propped up by the front door (literally my favourite smell in the morning, freshly cooked bread), brush the snow off from my bottom and pull myself together with a big smile on my face.
There are a couple guests up already helping themselves to coffee. I never understand why they are up so early, YOU’RE ON HOLIDAY!!! It’s always the keen old-school skiers that want to get fresh tracks. To be honest, if I wasn’t working this morning, I would want to be out on the hill first thing too. It was looking amazing out there.
7.15am
I make some polite chit-chat, mainly about the fresh snow that has fallen overnight. Then I head straight into the kitchen to help the chef get the breakfast ready. He gives me a suspicious look but doesn’t tell me off about being late today (I’m sure I saw him swinging around a pole at 3 am last night?!)
The time between 7 am and 10 am goes REALLY quickly. It’s so full on that you hardly get a chance to wallow in how tired you are. There is always huge motivation on a bluebird powder day like today to get everything done super quick and get going. A few corners will be cut today, but sure the guests will understand?!
Right……….lay the tables, restock tea and coffee, check that breakfast is still set up from the staff the night before (sometimes guests come back late and delve into it, naughty monkeys!), help the chef with cooking breakfast (pancakes and bacon today my favourite), plate up the food, serves the guests, clear the tables, wash the dishes, clear the dining/ lounge area, prep the cake for afternoon tea (lick bowl). Arghhhhh, serve the guests that have come down late for breakfast…….try to chat to them without seeming too jittery to get out onto the mountain.
9.15am
Then onto the rooms. Mid week so all that’s needed is to make the beds, give the guests fresh toilet rolls, fresh towels and then the final touch, spray some air freshener (so it smells clean!). I know I shouldn’t be nosey, but I always play a little game with myself and try and figure out which guest is in which room. You always get the minimalistic, mega tidy ones, then the ones whose suitcases have literally exploded all over the floor. Sometimes it really surprises me who is who. Cleaning the rooms is interesting in that way (more interesting than making a bed) as it gives you a little insight into someone else’s life (books they read, pyjamas they wear, shampoo they use). But like I said, I shouldn’t be nosey.
10am
A quick dash back to the kitchen to grab the cake and set up the table for afternoon tea. Then coat on, head down and out the door before anyone asks you to do anything else. I can’t stop for ANYONE on a powder day.
There is always a rough plan in place for all the chalet hosts/ friends in the resort to meet at the same time (10.30……they always wait until 11ish), same place (the bottom of the seasonnaires favourite run- P6) It was a BIG night last night, but also a powder day today, so it could go either way this morning for the meet up. It’s always sod’s law that “unplanned” powder days, unfortunately, follow a messy night.
10.30am
Awesome turnout, everyone’s there, but not hanging around. “No friends on a powder day,” I think is the expression. I strap on my board and jump on the lift with a couple of other chalet hosts, a pot wash, a bartender (he’s done well to get out) and one of the trainee snowboard instructors (who I quite fancy…..act cool Emma act cool). Uh, oh…….this has happened once before….I know this feeling…..and before I could stop it my stomach did a somersault and last nights chalet wine splatters all over the piste below. Luckily no one was underneath, but OMG the snowboard instructor is never going to fancy me now*
*This was still a funny story to be told 13 years later when they are still together, married, 2 kids, a house. Puking off the chairlift was actually what brought them together.
The rest of the day on the hill went a lot better. We hiked up to this amazing untracked face and scored some fresh lines (THE BEST FEELING EVER!! Felt like I was floating on air and there were some major high fives at the bottom), then we played in the trees lower down, weaving in and out of them at such a fast pace that my legs could barely keep up with me. We found some mini cliff drops and took it in turns to try different grabs off it to land in a big puff of snow. I even managed to do a “chicken salad” grab (apparently?!). We then finished off with a little play in the park. It was running slow and hadn’t been dug out yet (the park shapers were no doubt riding powder too). But I managed to try my first backflip. Yes I looked like some kind of floppy fish in the air and I might have peed myself a little on the landing, but its the effort that counts right?! I even feel like the cool park rats are starting to accept me a little bit more. One of them did the “cool” handshake/fist pump thing that only the cool kids do. We then finished off the day by lapping our favourite run, hitting all the side hits and slashing punters (naughty) on the way down. By the end of the day, everyone ends up back on the favourite run so we normally have a huge gang of us riding down.
BEST DAY EVER (sure I say that every day)
3pm
Against my will and better judgement, I get persuaded to go for apres (ok I wasn’t that hard to convince). But I MUST remember I’m on afternoon tea duty today so no table dancing or shot skis today. But that feeling of drinking an ice cold beer, in the sun, breathing in all that fresh mountain air and listening to some music with your friends after an epic day on the mountain….it’s pure bliss……I can’t say no to that.
4pm
I arrive for my afternoon tea duty…..still in my snowboard gear. I got a little sidetracked at apres and ended up having to go straight to work. Luckily there always a spare t-shirt in the kitchen somewhere that I can shove on and sure the guest won’t notice I’m still wearing my snowboard pants/ boots. Again, I’m sure they will understand?!
Oops, the managers just sent me home to get changed. Turns out she wasn’t too stoked with me trampling through the lounge in my snowboard boots. “Not very professional Emma”. Luckily it was soon forgotten as the chat and excitement about tonight’s party had begun. We were to be really efficient and “on it” with dinner service so we could get out quickly and start getting ready.
6pm
Like a well-oiled machine (finally, towards the end of the season) we got things done. We cleared away the afternoon tea, I laid the tables, the other chalet host cut the bread, I helped the chef with some food prep, we got the chalet wine ready (pouring ourselves a pint glass each to sip through service….tastes like paint stripper but IT’S FREE)…….served the starters, then the mains, then dessert, cleared the tables, served the cheese board and teas/ coffees….more wine…….”politely” hurry up the guests so we can clear the tables, sweep the floors, set up breakfast for the next morning and GET OUT OF THERE!!!! There’s a couple of guests still at the table drinking (funny, same guests that were late this morning!). They try and get us to come and hang out with them. Normally I would, its quite interesting to chat with some of the people and hear their stories. But tonight I’m feeling itchy to get going. Tonight’s a Toga Party in my favourite bar (“Harriets”)……..my roommate and I are going to wear pillow cases!!! Honestly, the things you improvise with on a season, I’ve learnt to be quite resourceful now.
9pm
I finally pull my coat on and open the heavy door of the chalet and step out into the night air.The snow is crunchy and crisp beneath my feet and its so cold I can barely catch my breath. The sky is completely clear now and the stars glisten over the mountain tops which tower ominously in the darkness. There are not many people about, only a few stragglers still in their ski gear making their way back to their warm cosy chalets. I’m so exhausted I could quite easily just slip on my pyjamas and crawl into my bed (ok mattress on the floor that I share with my roommate, good job we are best friends), I can honestly fall asleep in 10 seconds flat these days. BUT I cant miss out on tonight. That’s the thing with a season, its non-stop fun. But you somehow find the energy to keep going and you realise just how little sleep you need. I’ve fallen in love with snowboarding, the mountains…..and maybe the snowboard instructor, and I really don’t want to go home to England in a few weeks. It has been the best 6 months of my life. The piste bashers were weaving their way over the mountains, their lights flickering in the distance. I stopped and take in a deep breath of the clean mountain air and realise just how happy I am. It was in this moment that I decided I really must try my very hardest to live in the mountains one day.
