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How to Ski the French Alps on 10% of the Billionaire Budget · Phil and H Travel - Is It Worth It? Top Travel Destinations Explored!

• 0:00
  You know, our sources define expensive in a way that I mean,
• 0:05
  I just hadn't really imagined it before this.
• 0:07
  We're not talking about the price of a private jet or some
• 0:10
  penthouse suite. We are talking about the the
• 0:14
  really granular shock of paying €35, that's just under 40 U.S.
• 0:20
  dollars for a simple bowl of vegetable broth.
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  With three croutons, we can't forget the three small croutons
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  floating in it. Right.
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  And it's served to you at 2000 meters altitude.
• 0:30
  And that specific price point for that specific item, but it
• 0:35
  just perfectly encapsulates what we're dissecting today, doesn't?
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  It really does. We were talking about Savoir in
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  France, the department that represents, I mean, the absolute
• 0:44
  pinnacle, the ultimate global definition of ultra high end
• 0:48
  Alpine ski luxury. And it's not even just the price
• 0:50
  tag that makes it an experience, it's the sheer, almost
• 0:53
  overwhelming spectacle of it all.
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  Oh yeah, the spectacle is everything.
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  I mean, this is an environment where the aesthetic, the
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  expectation, it, it almost demands that you bring a fur
• 1:02
  coat for your dog. For your dog, not for you for
• 1:04
  the dog. Exactly.
• 1:06
  It's where you might find a major Russian industrialist
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  quietly negotiating a deal while, you know, rubbing
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  shoulders with members of the British royal family.
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  And at the same time, this is hands down home to some of the
• 1:19
  most beautiful, most meticulously managed skiing on
• 1:22
  the planet. But it's all wrapped in this
• 1:24
  intensely glittering and, to be honest, often offensively
• 1:28
  pretentious package. OK, so let's unpack this for the
• 1:30
  traveller. We need to 0 in on a specific
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  slice of the Auveron Rhone Alps region nestled right there in
• 1:39
  the western Alps, right. When you plan a trip here,
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  you're essentially entering one of two.
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  Yeah, let's call the mega systems, these two systems
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  entirely Dr. The winter tourism economy and, you know, the sheer
• 1:50
  volume of skiers. And system #1 is, of course, La
• 1:53
  Trois valet. The Three Valleys.
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  This is that massive, seamlessly interconnected system that
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  contains the big names, the ones everyone recognizes.
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  Korschevel, Maribel. Val, Thoren.
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  This is the 600 kilometers of connected piece that people
• 2:05
  dream about skiing. And system #2.
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  That's a space killy. It's a bit smaller, arguably
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  more challenging, but but equally high status is anchored
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  by the stunning village of Valdiser and the, let's say,
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  functional high altitude hub of teens.
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  So these aren't just resort destinations.
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  No, not at all. They're brands.
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  They define what global luxury winter sports even means.
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  So what does this environment, this blend of phenomenal natural
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  beauty and let's call it aggressive consumerism, what
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  does that mean for the serious traveler?
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  Well, that's our core mission for this deep dive, isn't it?
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  Yeah, to pose and definitively answer that one central question
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  is Savoy genuinely the undisputed pinnacle of winter
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  travel, offering this unmatched infrastructure and an
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  unforgettable experience? Or is the entire operation at
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  its heart just a calculated, soulless cash grab entirely
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  covered in snow? We spent a lot of time filtering
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  through the sources, the receipts, the first hand
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  accounts and you know, three key findings just consistently
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  challenged our preconceived notions.
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  The aha moments. Exactly the moments that
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  immediately reframe the entire trip for.
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  You OK? So #1.
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  We discovered that the finest food, the genuinely local
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  soulful, you know, the non rubberized culinary experience,
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  it isn't found in those Michelin star palaces that are all over.
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  Korschfeld, 1850. So where is it?
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  It's hidden away in tiny, anonymous local farmhouse
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  shacks, often run by families that have been there for
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  generations. And they actively, almost
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  aggressively, try to hide from the massive flow of tourist
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  traffic. So you really need to know where
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  you're going. You need specific knowledge to
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  find them absolutely. OK, this next one is where it
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  gets really interesting for anyone looking for those
• 3:48
  actionable budget hacks. #2 this is the big one.
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  We uncovered A fascinating geographical truth by deeply
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  understanding the region's specific valley access points
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  and the lift routes. It is entirely possible to ski
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  the exact same world class 600 kilometer slopes that the
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  billionaires are on. But for how much less?
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  For only 10 percent, 110th of their overall weekly spend.
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  Wow. OK, So that geographical
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  knowledge is your most valuable asset.
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  It's everything. The final, almost shocking
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  surprise. The highly anticipated, high
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  touch luxury service that you're paying top dollar for in the
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  most expensive hotels and restaurants?
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  Yeah, it's often and sometimes openly, shockingly rude.
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  It's not just indifference then. No, it could be outright
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  hostility and that attitude you encounter from the people
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  serving you can be a massive trip defining downer.
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  Which leads directly to our major downside warning.
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  You have to factor this into your decision making.
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  You really do. You must be prepared for the
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  distinct risk of hating the people you are surrounded by.
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  Both the other tourists and the staff.
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  Both the transient wealthy clientele and the staff
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  servicing them. Yeah, the sheer overwhelming
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  concentration of the look at my watch mentality is, well, it's
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  more pervasive here than perhaps anywhere else we've ever deep
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  dived into. So let's make a bold claim right
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  up front to set up the debate. Go for it if you are an
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  intermediate to advanced skier. Someone who demands immense
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  mileage, can confidently link turns, needs that sheer scale.
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  Is this the only place in the world truly worth visiting for
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  the infrastructure alone? I think calling it the only
• 5:25
  place is pushing it a little, but it certainly sets the
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  benchmark for sure. But that raises a really
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  important question we have to answer for a huge segment of our
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  audience. If you're a beginner or worse, a
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  non skier who's only there for the atmosphere, the scenery, the
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  social status. Can you just stay home?
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  Exactly. Is it a fundamental waste of
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  your, you know, significant money?
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  And will the crowds just completely ruin your experience
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  anyway? We've got the numbers, the
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  logistics, and the reality check on that authentic Alpine charm
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  versus the industrial reality. Welcome to the deep dive.
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  If we connect this to the bigger picture, why does savoir
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  absolutely dominate not only the ski industry, but, well, the
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  entire winter social media feed? It's because it perfectly
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  embodies that aspirational modern old money aesthetic
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  trend. Right, it's a visual shorthand.
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  It is. It's the visual shorthand for
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  effortless inherited wealth, even if, let's be honest, most
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  of the clientele are decidedly duvo riche.
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  And the imagery is just flawless.
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  Flawless. It's perfect carving shots and
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  then it's someone impeccably dressed drinking an 18 year old
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  April spritz on a sun deck in Valdez Air with the sun setting
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  behind these pristine peaks. But that perfect visual?
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  It's pure aggressive marketing. It's designed to sell a specific
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  tranquil dream. It is, and it sets an
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  expectation of a quiet, pristine winter Wonderland filled with
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  these quaint wooden chalets and roaring fires.
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  Which is. Not the reality.
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  The reality, as our sources starkly show, is that this
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  entire operation is fundamentally and by necessity,
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  an industrial scale tourism machine running at peak
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  capacity. Industrial is the keyword there,
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  isn't it? It's the absolute crucial word
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  we need to focus on. When you look at the ski terrain
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  in the Travalet, you are not looking at pristine wilderness
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  anymore. You're looking at something
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  that's been. You're looking at mountains that
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  have been systematically terraformed, engineered to
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  support this impossible level of volume, consistency and safety.
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  Can you elaborate on what that engineering actually entails?
• 7:30
  I mean, it's more than just putting up a lift, right?
• 7:32
  Oh, much, much more. It involves these massive,
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  calculated interventions. We're talking about huge
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  earthworks, literally grading slopes to ensure they're smooth,
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  predictable, to minimize any bottlenecks.
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  So they're reshaping the mountain itself?
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  They are. Then there's the astonishing
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  investment in snow making infrastructure.
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  It covers pretty much every crucial lower altitude run,
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  guaranteeing viability even in warmer winters.
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  And what about safety avalanches?
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  Critically, avalanche control. This system uses the most
• 8:02
  sophisticated technology available.
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  We're talking remote fired gas explosives to actively manage
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  and mitigate natural hazards. It's an engineered ecosystem.
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  And the lift system itself, you said it's the best in the world.
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  What does that efficiency actually look like on the
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  ground? Well, the statistics are just
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  staggering. The Three Valleys is globally
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  recognized for having almost 0 flat spots.
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  So you're never stuck shuffling along.
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  Exactly, and they have consistently modern lifts, high
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  speed detachable chair lifts, massive gondolas which means
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  they could literally shift the population of a small city.
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  How many are we talking? We are talking hundreds of
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  thousands of skiers uphill per hour.
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  That capability is the core reason they can maintain that
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  600 kilometer interconnected promise.
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  It's designed for maximum throughput.
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  But that immense capacity, while it's efficient, brings us
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  straight to the first necessary expectation.
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  Check the crowds. The chaos.
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  Social media only ever shows you carving down a pristine, empty
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  run. It suggests isolation,
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  tranquility. And that pristine run only
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  exists in a very narrow, heroic window.
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  When's that? Maybe right at 8:30 AM, when the
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  lifts first open. Or perhaps when the weather is
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  so bad that only the truly dedicated are out.
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  There and the rest of the time. By 10:30 AM on any decent day,
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  especially in key areas like Maribel, which acts as the
• 9:21
  geographical hub connecting all three valleys, the floats are
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  absolutely packed. I think our source described it
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  vividly and I think appropriately as a refugee
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  crisis on skis. It's intense imagery, but it
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  feels right. Does that chaos only happen in
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  Maribel, or does that density just spread across the entire
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  system? It spreads, but Maribel is the
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  pressure point. It's the bottleneck.
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  The vast majority of people need to pass through it to travel
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  between Courchevel and Val Florence.
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  So the main piece are like a motorway at rush hour.
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  Exactly. You are constantly on guard.
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  You're actively dodging out of control skiers coming down too
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  fast. You're navigating around
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  terrified beginners stuck sideways, and critically, you're
• 10:02
  trying to avoid those massive, aggressive organized ski school
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  groups. Ah.
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  The ski schools, they move like brightly colored snakes, don't
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  they? They just own the slope.
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  They do, and they are moving with purpose and priority.
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  The sheer volume of people means your day is spent managing
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  traffic, not just enjoying carving turns.
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  It's defensive. Skiing.
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  It's an exercise in defensive skiing, and this is a critical
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  point for you, the listener. You are buying access to the
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  size, but you're also inheriting the sheer volume of humanity
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  that comes with it. And on the luxury aspect, I
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  think a lot of people, especially those following
• 10:36
  trends like quiet luxury, they expect something refined,
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  something subtle. And Savoy delivers the precise
• 10:43
  opposite. Savoy luxury is loud.
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  It is the deliberate, necessary show of wealth.
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  It's the cost of entry displayed visually.
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  It's look at my watch, look at my jacket, look at the size of
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  the champagne ball. I just ordered luxury.
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  The subtler forms of wealth are just drowned out by the noise.
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  And the sources confirm this visible wealth display is
• 11:02
  directly proportional to the altitude.
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  It is. If you go up to Korchevel 1850,
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  as the altitude goes up, so do the prices and maybe the tackier
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  the fashion gets. Korchevel 1850 is a fascinating
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  socioeconomic study. You'll see people walking around
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  the main streets in full designer ski gear, logo heavy
• 11:22
  Prada, Gucci, Fendi, monkler who have demonstrably never even
• 11:28
  touched to ski. They're just there for the
• 11:29
  scene. They are purely participating in
• 11:31
  the status aesthetic. The highest village, 1850 is the
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  runway, and access to the best skiing is almost secondary to
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  the social interaction there. So the conclusion for the
• 11:40
  learner is crucial. You have to set your
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  expectations accurately before you book.
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  You really do. You are not going to a remote,
• 11:46
  tranquil, rustic mountain hideaway.
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  Not at all. You're going to a high altitude,
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  meticulously efficient city that functions almost entirely on
• 11:55
  pure adrenaline and staggering amounts of credit card debt.
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  You are part of a spectacle. That's it.
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  That sense of scale and industrial efficiency is what
• 12:03
  you are paying for. It is a machine.
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  A machine designed to take maximum money from maximum
• 12:09
  people while delivering the maximum number of skiable
• 12:12
  kilometers. But despite all the noise and
• 12:14
  the pretension and the crowds, we have to acknowledge the
• 12:18
  undeniable magic. When you catch that specific
• 12:21
  moment when the late afternoon sun hits those highest peaks,
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  casting that incredible Alpine glow, and if the visibility is
• 12:29
  good, you can often see Mont Blanc in the distance.
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  That visual is just undeniably pure spiritual magic.
• 12:36
  It is. It's the visual payoff that
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  justifies the entire exercise. That moment of true Alpine
• 12:41
  majesty is available, available to everyone, regardless of what
• 12:43
  they paid for their chalet. But you have to fight for.
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  It you just have to be prepared to fight for your space and your
• 12:48
  moment of peace within that magic, because there are
• 12:50
  thousands of other people fighting for the exact same
• 12:52
  view. OK, let's talk about the
• 12:54
  psychological and logistical impact of just arriving, because
• 12:57
  this is where the system immediately tries to trap you.
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  Track number one hits you right out of the gate.
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  The transfer logistics from the airport.
• 13:05
  For international travelers flying into Geneva, GVA is the
• 13:09
  standard easy choice. But choosing GVA immediately
• 13:14
  sets you up for potential failure because of the notorious
• 13:18
  logistical nightmare of traffic. We've heard about this first
• 13:21
  hand. Can you explain the geography
• 13:23
  here? Why does it get so bad?
• 13:25
  Well, the Tarantez Valley is basically a single funnel.
• 13:28
  Almost all the major resorts Crucible, Maribel, Valdezer,
• 13:31
  Tinias, La Playa, Mila's Arcs, they all rely on one main road
• 13:35
  that winds its way up. And everyone's on it at the same
• 13:38
  time. Everyone.
• 13:39
  So if you're taking a shared shuttle transfer, that journey,
• 13:42
  which should be about 2 1/2 hours, can often stretch to 4
• 13:45
  1/2 hours, purely because of the sheer volume of cars, buses and
• 13:49
  coaches all trying to get at the same hill.
• 13:51
  The expensive alternative, the true Alpine luxury path, is to
• 13:54
  just bypass the traffic. Right.
• 13:56
  You either book a costly private transfer which can still get
• 14:00
  bogged down but it's a bit faster, or for the ultimate
• 14:03
  efficiency and status A. Helicopter.
• 14:05
  You take a helicopter directly to the nearest teleport.
• 14:07
  And that drive itself, it's not exactly picturesque to begin
• 14:10
  with, is. It no.
• 14:11
  Contrary to expectation, you spend a good portion of the
• 14:14
  Tarantez Valley seeing industrial zones, Gray
• 14:17
  factories, commercial hubs. It's not the postcard view.
• 14:21
  And then you start the climb. Then you start the climb and you
• 14:23
  hit the famous hairpin turns. If you're prone to motion
• 14:26
  sickness, you need to be seriously prepared.
• 14:28
  Oh, absolutely. Maybe even medicated.
• 14:31
  It's 45 minutes of relentless, stomach churning switchbacks
• 14:35
  during that final climb into the resorts.
• 14:38
  You gain altitude rapidly and the air thins out so fast.
• 14:41
  Speaking of thinning air, let's talk about altitude shock.
• 14:44
  We said Valdez air is at 18150 meters.
• 14:48
  The immediate physical impact when you arrive is palpable.
• 14:51
  It's this damp, biting cold that just seeps into your bones, but
• 14:55
  more critically, the shortness of breath.
• 14:58
  You feel winded just carrying your luggage up one flight of
• 15:00
  stairs. And this often contributes to
• 15:02
  really poor sleep quality for the first few nights.
• 15:05
  People wake up gasping because the dry, thin air irritates your
• 15:08
  throat and your body just hasn't acclimated to processing oxygen
• 15:12
  efficiently at that height. It's a real, practical reality
• 15:15
  check that hits you before you even see a slope.
• 15:18
  And then you look around and the architectural aesthetic provides
• 15:21
  this interesting, often jarring contrast.
• 15:24
  Like Valdisair? Valdisair has done a remarkably
• 15:27
  successful job of preservation. It's maintained that beautiful
• 15:31
  traditional stone and wood, slightly chocolate box aesthetic
• 15:34
  that people dream of. But then you have Korschevel
• 15:37
  1850. Yeah, Korschevel 1850
• 15:39
  unfortunately looks exactly like a shopping mall crashed into a
• 15:42
  glacier. That's a good way to put it.
• 15:44
  It's sterile. You walk down the Main Street
• 15:46
  and it's a constant aggressive barrage of high end brands.
• 15:49
  Prada, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Montcler all lined up just
• 15:53
  competing for your attention. It felt utterly soulless to me,
• 15:57
  devoid of any real mountain village, history or charm.
• 16:00
  It's pure commerce. Pure commerce and this high
• 16:04
  commercial density feeds directly into that psychological
• 16:07
  barrier we talked about earlier. The feeling of being actively
• 16:10
  unwelcome. Exactly, even walking into a mid
• 16:13
  range very nice four-star hotel, not a palace but still costing
• 16:17
  thousands. I noticed the staff immediately
• 16:19
  just looked us up and down. I felt the same.
• 16:22
  There's a palpable assessment of your net worth the moment you
• 16:24
  step into the common areas of these resorts.
• 16:27
  Are you wearing the right gear? Did you arrive in the right car?
• 16:30
  Are you here to spend, or are you just here to look?
• 16:33
  Yeah, it's a very uncomfortable feeling of being constantly
• 16:36
  evaluated against some unspoken standard.
• 16:39
  And this is the root of that shockingly rude service.
• 16:42
  It has to be When you have a clientele that rotates every
• 16:45
  seven days and the demand for space is astronomically high,
• 16:49
  the staff often don't prioritize courtesy they.
• 16:51
  Prioritize efficiency. Efficiency and ensuring you drop
• 16:55
  your money quickly. If you don't look like a High
• 16:57
  Roller, the incentive to be charming just disappears.
• 17:00
  You're treated less like a guest and more like a necessary
• 17:02
  transaction. But that's psychological
• 17:04
  discomfort. It does dissolve, if only for a
• 17:07
  moment. When you finally get your ski
• 17:09
  pass, clip your boots in and take that first lift up the
• 17:12
  mountain. That's the moment of pure
• 17:13
  emotional justification. Yeah, the sheer scale of the
• 17:16
  operation hits you. You look out and you see
• 17:20
  endless, perfectly groomed perfection stretching to the
• 17:23
  horizon. It's a feeling of deep security.
• 17:26
  You realize you are paying for the guarantee that the lift will
• 17:30
  open, the snow will be Immaculate, and the system won't
• 17:33
  fail you. The infrastructure is so
• 17:35
  incredibly robust, you feel safe.
• 17:38
  You feel that you can truly conquer the world's largest
• 17:40
  interconnected skiing area without worrying about some
• 17:43
  logistical breakdown. And that feeling less.
• 17:46
  Until, of course, the time comes to buy that bottle of water or
• 17:49
  that first lunch, and the industrial reality of the prices
• 17:52
  hits you once again. All right, let's be absolutely
• 17:54
  brutal and forensic about costs and value.
• 17:57
  Let's just state the central truth clearly.
• 18:00
  This is empirically one of the most expensive leisure trips you
• 18:03
  can take on the planet today. Short of maybe a private
• 18:06
  expedition to the South Pole. Right, to give the listener
• 18:09
  context, that 35 year old burger means your quick on the go lunge
• 18:13
  costs the same as a nice three course dinner back home in any
• 18:16
  major city. The price points are designed to
• 18:18
  shock and they successfully corner you because you are
• 18:21
  literally miles from any affordable alternatives.
• 18:24
  You have no choice so. Let's start with the primary
• 18:26
  cost driver accommodation. If you want that true Instagram
• 18:30
  luxury experience staying in a five star ski in ski out hotel
• 18:35
  in Korschville 1850 or Valdezer you are realistically looking at
• 18:41
  a minimum range of 10 thousand €25,000 per week.
• 18:45
  And that is just for a standard double room, not a suite.
• 18:48
  Not a suite. And if you target the absolute
• 18:51
  pinnacle, the officially designated palace hotels like
• 18:54
  Chamel Blanc or Lizarelle. Then you have to accept a non
• 18:57
  negotiable minimum starting price of €4000 a night.
• 19:01
  A night. A night and you're often
• 19:03
  required to book a full week, which drives the price well over
• 19:06
  28,000 for seven nights. So what if you try to slide down
• 19:10
  the scale to what we generously call mid range luxury, A nice
• 19:13
  high quality four-star? You're still easily paying 3000
• 19:17
  to €5000 a week, and that price is driven by the status of the
• 19:21
  address and the pure convenience of access.
• 19:23
  This is where that price stratification comes in, which
• 19:26
  is critical for our listeners. Why is Korshevel 1850 so much
• 19:31
  more expensive than, say, Lemon Wear, even though they share the
• 19:34
  same lift system? It's the combination of
• 19:37
  visibility and convenience. 1850 is the highest, most visible,
• 19:41
  most snow sure village in Korshevel.
• 19:44
  It offers guaranteed ski in ski out access from December to
• 19:46
  April. I lemon wear.
• 19:48
  Well, well. It has great access to Val
• 19:50
  Thorens, it's architecturally less appealing, more concrete
• 19:54
  block than Chalet and it's geographically lower so it's
• 19:57
  less status driven. You are paying for the address,
• 20:00
  the visual appeal and the proximity to the designer
• 20:03
  boutiques. Now let's talk about the major
• 20:05
  trap food costs. The pricing for food on the
• 20:08
  slopes is designed for maximum extraction.
• 20:10
  Maximum extraction. I like that even the most basic
• 20:13
  items are inflated by several 100%.
• 20:14
  So that cheap pizza at a slip side cafeteria is €28?
• 20:18
  The basic Burger 35A bowl of chips is €12.
• 20:22
  If you dare to stop for a coffee, you're looking at six
• 20:25
  EUR. A small bottle of Stillwater?
• 20:28
  Easily 8. And if you opt for a main course
• 20:31
  at a more established, nicer slopeside spot like the famous
• 20:34
  Le Cap Horn in Corchavel, oh boy, which is will routinely run
• 20:38
  you 60 to €90.00. And the wine list, it starts, I
• 20:43
  mean it starts at €80 a bottle for standard house wine and then
• 20:47
  just goes up dramatically from there into the thousands.
• 20:50
  So based on our research, the estimated daily budget for food
• 20:53
  and drink alone per person if you're doing the full luxury
• 20:56
  style. Eating out for lunch and dinner
• 20:59
  you're looking at around €300 a day.
• 21:01
  And if you're really tactical, aiming for a mid range
• 21:03
  experience, maybe sharing a dish, drinking water.
• 21:06
  You might manage 100 a day, but that's still €700 a week just
• 21:10
  for food. What's genuinely fascinating
• 21:12
  though, and a bit of a relief, is that the one area of genuine
• 21:15
  surprising value is the lift pass itself.
• 21:18
  Yeah, that's the strange part. A six day, Three Valleys pass is
• 21:22
  approximately €375. For access to 600 kilometers of
• 21:27
  terrain, that is truly excellent value.
• 21:29
  Why is it so relatively cheap? Volume and it's likely a
• 21:33
  strategic decision to keep the price barrier low on the
• 21:36
  essential element. Compared to similar scale US
• 21:39
  resorts like Vail or Aspen, where passes can be 150 to €200
• 21:44
  per day, the French pass is significantly cheaper.
• 21:47
  So the pass is the magnet. The pass is the magnet.
• 21:49
  They make their money back on accommodation, food and high end
• 21:53
  services, not the Lyft access. OK, let's provide the learner
• 21:56
  with that actionable traveler budget matrix.
• 21:58
  We'll break it down into three financial band.
• 22:00
  All right. Band 1, The baller budget OK
• 22:03
  this is defined as €15,000 plus per person per week.
• 22:08
  This budget requires 0 self-sufficiency full service
• 22:12
  ski in ski out hotels, private chauffeur transfers,
• 22:15
  personalized ski guides, daily high spending at Preschi at
• 22:19
  places like La Foley Deuce and regular Michelin star dinners.
• 22:23
  It's a status tent. Convenience and exclusivity are
• 22:25
  the only metrics. Right now, band 2, the smart mid
• 22:29
  range. This is where most serious
• 22:31
  skiers will land. It's about 2500 to 3500 per
• 22:35
  person per week. But to achieve this, strategic
• 22:40
  sacrifices are required. Absolutely.
• 22:42
  You must stay in those satellite villages we mentioned, Le
• 22:45
  Menuir, Lizelou, Tina Lac, which are slightly less central or
• 22:49
  less glamorous. You also have to rely on shared
• 22:52
  transfers. And critically, you have to use
• 22:55
  apartment cooking. Booking a self catered apartment
• 22:58
  means you can prepare your own breakfast and pack affordable
• 23:02
  tactical lunches, shielding you from those outrageous 28 euro
• 23:05
  resort markups. You're buying time back by
• 23:08
  spending a bit more on transfers, but you're saving a
• 23:10
  huge amount on daily food costs. Precisely.
• 23:13
  And finally, the one everyone asked for.
• 23:15
  Band 3 The rat budget The extreme budget hack.
• 23:19
  We estimate this at €1200 per person per week.
• 23:22
  This is the 10% solution we teased earlier.
• 23:24
  But this requires maximum commitment to frugality.
• 23:27
  And the understanding of that specific geography we promised
• 23:29
  to detail. You must stay in the valley
• 23:31
  towns, specifically Brides, Leban or Borg St.
• 23:34
  Maries. These towns are on the valley
• 23:36
  floor, far from the resort glitz, so accommodation costs
• 23:39
  just plummet. And this is the genius
• 23:41
  geographical maneuver. Brides Leban has a massive
• 23:45
  modern gondola that takes you directly up to Maribel in about
• 23:49
  25 minutes. And Borg St.
• 23:51
  Maries. It has a funicular connecting it
• 23:53
  to Les Arcs. You're using the resort's own
• 23:56
  infrastructure to access the top tier skiing while paying very
• 24:00
  floor prices for living. And your food budget is just
• 24:03
  supermarket sandwiches. Supermarket sandwiches, cheap
• 24:05
  pastries, snacks bought from Care 4 or little in a valley and
• 24:10
  you drink tack water exclusively.
• 24:11
  You sacrifice the ambiance, the convenience, the oppressed ski,
• 24:15
  but you get access to the same 600 kilometers of slopes for a
• 24:19
  fraction of the cost. That is how you execute the 10%
• 24:22
  hack. That's it.
• 24:23
  Now let's ask the core question on value.
• 24:25
  Is the value proposition there for the high end?
• 24:27
  I'm going to say categorically no.
• 24:30
  If we analyze the cost of luxury, the difference between a
• 24:33
  €500 a night high quality chalet and a €4000 night hotel in Core
• 24:38
  Chevelle 1850 is absolutely not 8 times the quality of the
• 24:43
  material experience. The beds aren't 8 times more
• 24:45
  comfortable. The beds are not 8 times more
• 24:47
  comfortable, the food is arguably worse, and the room
• 24:50
  isn't 8 times larger. You are purely paying a
• 24:53
  significant, often astronomical premium for exclusivity.
• 24:58
  The cost of knowing that the person next to you paid the
• 25:01
  same. Exactly, and the cost of not
• 25:03
  having to mix with the budget travelers who are cleverly using
• 25:06
  the bride's the bonds hack. So what's the sweet spot?
• 25:09
  While the service in the palaces might be, you know, telepathic,
• 25:12
  they warm your boots, they unpack your luggage.
• 25:14
  Our sources suggest that the optimal value sweet spot is the
• 25:18
  mid range bracket, specifically using the catered chalet model.
• 25:21
  For those unfamiliar with that model, particularly in North
• 25:24
  America, what exactly is a catered chalet and why does it
• 25:27
  mitigate that high cost risk? A catered chalet is typically a
• 25:30
  full house rental, often run by specialized British or European
• 25:34
  operators. Crucially, the cost includes A
• 25:37
  dedicated host or staff. This means your fixed price
• 25:40
  includes daily cleaning, a prepared breakfast, often cooked
• 25:44
  afternoon tea and cake, and a substantial multi course dinner
• 25:48
  and usually unlimited house wine is provided.
• 25:51
  I see the genius It acts as an economic shield.
• 25:55
  Precisely by booking a catered chalet, you pay one fixed,
• 25:59
  predictable price upfront that locks in your food and drink
• 26:03
  costs for most of the trip. It effectively Shields you from
• 26:06
  the constant price traps of the €50 burger and the €15 beer that
• 26:10
  are unavoidable when you're eating out in the main resort
• 26:13
  centers every single day. It eliminates the constant
• 26:15
  stress of The Walking wallet syndrome.
• 26:17
  It does, it just lets you relax and enjoy the skiing.
• 26:20
  Now we need to address the practicalities.
• 26:22
  Let's smooth out the planning process by detailing the
• 26:25
  logistics and planning traps. This region is surprisingly
• 26:28
  difficult to navigate despite its sophistication.
• 26:31
  Because everyone else is trying to navigate it at exactly the
• 26:34
  same time. Right, so trap #1 revisited the
• 26:38
  airport choice. We established that most people
• 26:40
  default to Geneva GVA, which inevitably leads to horrific
• 26:45
  traffic congestion. Everyone from France,
• 26:47
  Switzerland and Italy is heading there.
• 26:49
  So what's the smart maneuver here?
• 26:51
  What's the fix? Our research suggests 2 smart
• 26:54
  workarounds. First, actively look at flying
• 26:57
  into Leon Lys. It's often significantly
• 27:00
  cheaper. The drive time is roughly the
• 27:01
  same as GVA, but critically, Leon experiences slightly less
• 27:05
  traffic chaos because fewer people use it as a primary
• 27:09
  gateway to the Tarantez Valley. And the second option. 2nd, if
• 27:13
  you're traveling from London or a major European hub, consider
• 27:16
  the ski train, which goes directly to Borg San Maris.
• 27:19
  But be warned, these tickets are released months in advance and
• 27:22
  they sell out in minutes. Do you have to be ready?
• 27:24
  You need hyper vigilance, maybe set up automated alerts to
• 27:27
  secure them, but they offer the single most relaxing way to
• 27:30
  arrive. Trap and Bur 2, the infamous
• 27:33
  Black Saturdays. This is when everything just
• 27:36
  turns to gridlock. The French rental cycle is
• 27:38
  Saturday to Saturday. It's a mandate.
• 27:40
  Which means every single arrival and every single departure
• 27:44
  happens on the same day. Turning the main road up the
• 27:47
  Tarrantes Valley into a four hour parking lot for just 15
• 27:52
  kilometers of distance. It's soul crushing.
• 27:56
  I read one account from a family who, after a 7 hour flight,
• 27:59
  spent the next 4 hours in gridlock, just staring at the
• 28:02
  same kilometer marker. They arrived too late for
• 28:04
  dinner, too exhausted to unpack. And that's a common story.
• 28:08
  The smart workaround is to do whatever you can to break the
• 28:10
  cycle. Arrive on a Sunday.
• 28:12
  Leave on a Friday. And if you're forced into a
• 28:14
  Saturday transit? You must target non peak hours.
• 28:17
  Either aim to arrive at the airport at 6:00 AM or schedule
• 28:20
  your departure for 1000 PM. Do not travel midday on Saturday
• 28:25
  or you risk missing your flight entirely.
• 28:26
  OK, track #3 the connectivity lie.
• 28:29
  The advertising promise is ski in, ski out.
• 28:32
  The reality, especially in the late season like March or April,
• 28:35
  or during low snow periods, is that the lower resorts deplete
• 28:38
  their snow base, often below 1600 meters.
• 28:41
  So that pristine skiing experience quickly becomes an
• 28:44
  unpleasant mud walk in. Where you're carrying heavy
• 28:46
  gear, overexposed tarmac and mud patches, it's not glamorous.
• 28:51
  To fix. Always check the specific
• 28:53
  altitude of your accommodation. If you are booking in April, do
• 28:57
  not stay in lower areas like Maribel Village or Lazalu.
• 29:01
  You have to book high. Al Thorin's or Teeny?
• 29:04
  Reliable bets. They are functionally higher
• 29:06
  cities that guarantee snow depth, often sleeping at 2100
• 29:09
  meters or above. Let's discuss gear strategy.
• 29:12
  If you're doing the luxury or mid range trip, what's the
• 29:15
  advice? The consistent advice is do not
• 29:18
  bring your own skis. The hassle of flying them
• 29:21
  outweighs the benefit. Why is that?
• 29:23
  Because the rental gear in the top shops in Valdezare and
• 29:26
  Korschevel is consistently brand new, current season high
• 29:30
  performance equipment. It's probably better than what
• 29:32
  you own and. The financial hack here is
• 29:34
  critical. Always PRB book your rentals
• 29:36
  online. The resort ski shops thrive on
• 29:38
  trapping last minute travelers. So what's the price difference?
• 29:41
  If you walk into a shop in Korschevel asking for gold level
• 29:45
  skis, they'll charge you €50 a day.
• 29:47
  That's 350 for the week. Pre booking online routinely
• 29:51
  cuts that cost in half, down to 25 a day.
• 29:54
  So you're saving €175 immediately?
• 29:58
  For the exact same equipment just booked in advance.
• 30:00
  Timing is also non negotiable. Major warning, do not book your
• 30:05
  trip during February. No, that is when France and the
• 30:08
  UK have their major school holidays.
• 30:10
  The slopes have become a zoo, lift lines swell to 45 minutes
• 30:14
  and all prices across the board, accommodation, lessons, rentals,
• 30:17
  they just double. The Golden Times.
• 30:19
  In January, cold, reliable snow, virtually no crowds or kids, and
• 30:24
  the lowest prices of the season outside of early December or mid
• 30:27
  March for slightly better weather and those long sunny
• 30:30
  lunches, but the snow might be a bit slushy in the afternoons.
• 30:34
  Now, for safety and comfort, it's not just about the
• 30:36
  mountain, is it? No, it's about the socio
• 30:38
  economic environment. First crime in the high end
• 30:41
  spots like Korchevel and Valdezer, Be vigilant.
• 30:44
  There are professional gangs that actively target the
• 30:47
  Oppreski crowds. Specifically the ones showing
• 30:49
  off. Exactly.
• 30:50
  This means leaving anything visibly expensive, especially
• 30:53
  high end watches or conspicuous jewelry at home.
• 30:57
  These gangs know people are drunk, relaxed and wearing high
• 31:00
  value items, making them easy targets for pickpocketing or
• 31:03
  distraction theft. And this is a known cyclical
• 31:06
  issue every season. Every season.
• 31:07
  Also, general gear theft. Never leave your skis unsecured
• 31:12
  outside a restaurant, not even for a quick bathroom break.
• 31:15
  So use a lock. Use a small lightweight lock, or
• 31:18
  at minimum use the common trick of splitting them.
• 31:20
  What's that? You put one ski on one rack and
• 31:22
  it's made on a completely different rack far away.
• 31:25
  A thief might grab 1 high end ski, but they're unlikely to
• 31:29
  spend time searching all the other racks for the matching
• 31:31
  pair. It just neutralizes the
• 31:33
  opportunity for a quick grab. Health issues start with
• 31:35
  altitude. Fell thorns.
• 31:37
  You said you sleep at 2300 meters.
• 31:39
  The air is dry and thin. It is highly common to
• 31:42
  experience headaches, insomnia, a dry throat and to wake up
• 31:46
  gasping for air as your body struggles to adapt the.
• 31:49
  Key workarounds. If you have existing heart
• 31:51
  issues or high blood pressure, consult a doctor beforehand.
• 31:55
  For everyone else, hydration is paramount.
• 31:58
  Drink double what you think you need and critically, severely
• 32:01
  limit alcohol consumption on the first night.
• 32:03
  Alcohol makes it worse. It exacerbates dehydration and
• 32:07
  significantly reduces your body's ability to acclimate to
• 32:10
  the altitude. And the sheer volume of people
• 32:12
  contributes to collision risk. Which is statistically the
• 32:15
  number one safety hazard on the peast, and this risk peaks
• 32:18
  specifically on the home run trails leading back into the
• 32:21
  villages around 4.30 PM. Why specifically 4.30 PM?
• 32:26
  Because the sun is dipped, the piece are now icy and shadowed,
• 32:29
  and they're packed full of tired, aggressive and often very
• 32:32
  drunk people trying to descend quickly to the Apreski spots.
• 32:36
  The perfect storm for a high velocity crash.
• 32:38
  Which can lead to serious injury.
• 32:39
  So the fix is simple download. Take the gondola down.
• 32:43
  Take the final stretch via the gondola.
• 32:45
  This isn't just about avoiding drunk teenagers, it's about
• 32:48
  saving your knees from the icy conditions and avoiding that
• 32:51
  potential collision chaos. There is absolutely no shame in
• 32:55
  preserving your body and energy at the end of a long, expensive
• 32:59
  day. Finally, a quick instructor scam
• 33:02
  warning. Beware of people posing as
• 33:04
  private instructors on social media or approaching you
• 33:07
  directly. They often lack proper insurance
• 33:09
  or qualifications. So only book through recognized
• 33:12
  institutions. ESF, the A Koldiski Francais or
• 33:15
  the popular Oxygen school. If someone asks for cash or
• 33:19
  direct WhatsApp payments outside of these structured systems,
• 33:22
  it's highly likely a scam and you risk getting poor service
• 33:25
  and no recourse. Let's turn the corner and
• 33:27
  discuss the emotional scorecard. We need to balance the magical
• 33:30
  moments that cut through the chaos with the major
• 33:33
  disappointments that define that cash grab feeling.
• 33:36
  This is where the soul, or lack thereof, of savoir really
• 33:40
  reveals itself. And what's fascinating is how
• 33:42
  often the best, most memorable moments are found in these
• 33:45
  quiet, simple acts of discovery. Usually away from the main lift
• 33:48
  infrastructure and the commercial centers.
• 33:50
  My best moment was entirely centered on seeking Silence.
• 33:54
  In Valdiser. We took the Lesier chairlift.
• 33:57
  Oh, that famous one that goes straight up and over a sheer
• 34:00
  Ridge like a slow motion roller coaster.
• 34:02
  Exactly as you drop over the other side into the silent
• 34:06
  hidden valley, the noise of the entire resort, the music, the
• 34:10
  shouting, the snowmobiles, it all just vanished.
• 34:14
  That momentary isolation is rare and precious in that
• 34:17
  environment. It was incredible.
• 34:19
  It was just white peaks and the sound of the wind moving over
• 34:21
  the snow. We skied down to a tiny, quiet
• 34:25
  refuge called the Signal for a world class blueberry Tart, and
• 34:29
  for that short time it felt like the entire magnificent Alps were
• 34:32
  truly ours alone. You had to earn that piece.
• 34:35
  You really did. What about you?
• 34:36
  My best moment was entirely logistical, which I think speaks
• 34:39
  to the specific kind of joy this region offers.
• 34:42
  OK, I managed to execute a perfect link up from the far
• 34:46
  side of Courchevelle all the way across the system to Valforens.
• 34:50
  That's a 60 kilometer day. It requires planning and perfect
• 34:53
  timing. It does.
• 34:55
  I used an app to meticulously track lift wait times, ensuring
• 34:59
  we didn't wait in a single line the entire day, and we ate a
• 35:02
  packed tactical lunch for €4.00 on a sun drenched rock
• 35:06
  overlooking the Aguilty fruit. A priceless view.
• 35:09
  Priceless view, perfect snow, and the logistical victory of
• 35:13
  conquering the system felt intensely satisfying and much,
• 35:16
  much cheaper than the High Rollers Day.
• 35:18
  Now for the let downs. My greatest disappointment
• 35:21
  illustrating that cash grab feeling was the mandatory but
• 35:24
  entirely overrated Foley Deuce experience.
• 35:27
  The Apreski Party, that open air mountain top club on the slopes
• 35:31
  stands singers, champagne spraying deafening music.
• 35:35
  It's an institution. It was fun for maybe 10 minutes,
• 35:38
  fueled by the initial novelty, but then you realize the entire
• 35:41
  experience is profoundly dystopian.
• 35:44
  Dystopian. You are standing ankle deep in
• 35:46
  slush and spilt drinks, surrounded by screaming 20 year
• 35:49
  olds and expensive goggles. The music is so loud your ears
• 35:52
  genuinely hurt and you're queuing up to pay €15 for a warm
• 35:56
  beer. Or 200 for a bottle of basic
• 35:58
  champagne. It's the business model, selling
• 36:01
  status and momentary excess at altitude.
• 36:03
  Exactly. It felt exactly like the capital
• 36:06
  in The Hunger Games, an artificial, frantic,
• 36:08
  ostentatious display of mandatory consumption.
• 36:11
  It lacks any genuine warmth or spontaneity.
• 36:14
  It's manufactured chaos. My core disappointment, which
• 36:17
  speaks directly to our initial surprise, came back to the
• 36:19
  service. We had a dinner in Maribel, a
• 36:21
  supposedly highly recommended slopeside spot.
• 36:25
  The bill was €180 for two people without wine.
• 36:28
  We waited 40 minutes past our reservation time.
• 36:30
  The waiter was openly hostile, treating every request as a
• 36:33
  massive imposition. And the fondue?
• 36:37
  It was rubbery and flavorless. You felt that psychological
• 36:40
  barrier again. Intensely, I felt like a mark, a
• 36:42
  walking wallet purely there to drop money without expecting any
• 36:45
  commence or quality respect or even common courtesy.
• 36:49
  And that feeling that you paid a King's ransom only to be treated
• 36:52
  poorly is a deeply dissatisfying emotional equation.
• 36:55
  And it's pervasive in the core luxury villages.
• 36:58
  So if the combination of crowds cost and sometimes hostile
• 37:01
  service proves too much, and you want to manage that
• 37:04
  psychological cost, let's explore the viable alternatives.
• 37:08
  Alternative 1 The Dolomites in Italy, specifically the Alta
• 37:13
  Barilla or Cortina areas. The culture offers a massive and
• 37:17
  immediate difference. Better food.
• 37:19
  Infinitely better food, truly exceptional Italian and Latin
• 37:22
  cuisine, and about half the price of Subway.
• 37:25
  Scenery is dramatically different too, isn't?
• 37:27
  It Yeah, you see the unique striking red rock formations,
• 37:30
  the Dolomites, which glow pink at sunset.
• 37:33
  The overall culture is significantly warmer, more
• 37:36
  family oriented, more welcoming. People genuinely seem happy you
• 37:40
  were there. The trade off?
• 37:41
  The skiing, while beautiful, is not as seamlessly or extensively
• 37:45
  linked as the 600 kilometers of the three Valleys, and snow
• 37:48
  reliability can be slightly lower in the early season.
• 37:51
  Alternative to. Saint Anton, Austria This is the
• 37:53
  option if your primary criteria are hard, steep, aggressive
• 37:57
  skiing and a superior, more traditional party culture.
• 37:59
  More beer, less champagne. More beer, less champagne.
• 38:02
  The Apresky scene is better. More focus on rowdy Nets and
• 38:05
  genuine connection, and far less pretense and ostentation.
• 38:08
  The trade off is clear, though the terrain is challenging.
• 38:12
  Not for beginners. Absolutely not suitable for
• 38:14
  beginners. It's steep and often icy, and
• 38:17
  the town atmosphere is generally rowdy.
• 38:20
  Focused on partying, not geared toward a peaceful retreat or
• 38:23
  high end dining. And if you still want the sheer
• 38:26
  scale and reliable snow of the French Alps, but need a budget
• 38:29
  or aesthetic escape? You look at the French budget
• 38:32
  hacks and combo itineraries. You can fly into Leo and then
• 38:36
  drive to a smaller, more traditional resort like Laclusas
• 38:39
  or Majev. Majev has that Rothschild
• 38:41
  history, doesn't it? It does so it retains a
• 38:43
  historical luxury feel and the food tends to be better and more
• 38:46
  traditional. Crucially, it feels like a real
• 38:49
  village, not an engineered ski factory.
• 38:52
  And then there's the ultimate rap budget hack we mentioned
• 38:54
  Orrell, the back door to the Three Valleys.
• 38:57
  It's a tiny village located right on the motorway side of
• 39:00
  the range. Because of its location and 0
• 39:03
  resort ambience, accommodation costs are genuinely 1/4 of the
• 39:07
  price of Val Thorens or Korchevel.
• 39:09
  You drive in, stay cheap, take a massive gondola up.
• 39:13
  And boom, you are immediately in the highest, most snowshare part
• 39:16
  of the Three Valleys system. The functional beauty is
• 39:18
  undeniable, but what is the downside?
• 39:21
  The downside must be stressed. There is absolutely nothing to
• 39:25
  do at night. No nightlife, no high end
• 39:27
  restaurants, often not even a dedicated bar beyond a small
• 39:30
  hotel pub. You are effectively living in a
• 39:32
  functional parking lot to save money.
• 39:35
  Which is fine if your priority is 100% focused on maximizing
• 39:38
  time on the world's best slopes. Exactly.
• 39:41
  Time for the final verdict matrix.
• 39:44
  We need custom, explicit advice for every Traveler type, pulling
• 39:47
  together all the facts we've gathered.
• 39:49
  Let's start with the backpacker, the traveler prioritizing low
• 39:52
  cost, high adventure and authenticity.
• 39:55
  Verdict And no, absolutely not. The food costs alone will
• 39:59
  financially ruin your trip even if you use the valley floor
• 40:02
  hacks. Even the hostels are overpriced.
• 40:04
  You are much better heading to places where the currency
• 40:06
  exchange favors you, like Bansko and Bulgaria or the Tatras in
• 40:10
  Slovakia. You will have more authentic
• 40:12
  fund for 1/10 of the cost. Next, the mid range.
• 40:15
  Couple serious skiers willing to spend but prioritizing value and
• 40:18
  quality. Verdict.
• 40:20
  Maybe, and it's a big maybe, This is only a sensible choice
• 40:24
  if you're both serious mileage hungry skiers who need that 600
• 40:28
  kilometers of interconnected terrain.
• 40:30
  If you're seeking romance, ambiance, a warmer culture.
• 40:34
  Choose Austria or Switzerland. Maybe Grindelwald?
• 40:37
  If you do choose Savoie, you must book a catered chalet in a
• 40:41
  satellite village, Lazelieu or La Praz to shield yourself from
• 40:44
  the daily high cost of living. The family.
• 40:47
  This is a complex calculation of cost versus convenience.
• 40:49
  Verdict Yes, but with major conditions.
• 40:52
  The ski schools here, the ESF and Oxygen are universally
• 40:55
  recognized as the best, safest and most professional in the
• 40:58
  world for children, however. Booking all the elements
• 41:01
  separately is logistically stressful and financially risky.
• 41:04
  It is the family hack here and it is a brilliant one.
• 41:07
  Is using the Club Med system in the Alps.
• 41:09
  They're all inclusive model passes, lessons, gourmet food,
• 41:12
  drinks and supervised childcare. Consolidate the astronomical
• 41:16
  costs into one predictable lump sum.
• 41:18
  It saves significant money insanity compared to the
• 41:20
  constant nickel and diming of self booking.
• 41:23
  It really does. Finally, the luxury traveler if
• 41:26
  the pursuit of the high end experience is the goal.
• 41:29
  Verdict Yes, if money is genuinely no object and you
• 41:33
  prioritize status, the globally peak level of grooming,
• 41:37
  infrastructure, service integration and Michelin stars,
• 41:40
  this is the destination. No one does the industrial scale
• 41:44
  five star experience better. But with caution.
• 41:47
  Be prepared for the omnipresent nouveau riche vibe, which may
• 41:50
  dilute the refinement you're looking for.
• 41:52
  So on our final scorecard for Savoy, assessing that conflict
• 41:55
  between perfection and pretension.
• 41:57
  For skiing, logistics and infrastructure perfection, the
• 42:01
  engineering, the guaranteed snow, the lift capacity, it is
• 42:04
  an undeniable, undisputed 10/10. For the soul and the town vibe,
• 42:08
  considering the crowds and the commerce, I'm sticking with a
• 42:11
  410 and that feels generous. I think the mountains themselves
• 42:15
  rescue that score slightly. The actual peaks and views are
• 42:17
  spiritual, even if the towns are sterile.
• 42:20
  I'd edge the soul score up to a 610 for the sheer majesty of the
• 42:23
  scenery alone. Best timing for the perfect
• 42:25
  experience combining good snow and low crowds the third week of
• 42:28
  January. Best base recommendation?
• 42:31
  Valdez, Zaire for the better village aesthetic and historical
• 42:34
  charm, or Maribel for unbeatable connectivity across the entire 3
• 42:40
  valley system. That is the script we've
• 42:42
  delivered, the reality check, the hacks, and the mornings.
• 42:45
  Find a reminder for the road. Do not buy the 35 year old
• 42:49
  burger. And lock your skis.
• 42:51
  Seriously. So we leave you with a final,
• 42:53
  provocative thought to Mull over.
• 42:56
  We've established the logistical perfection and immense scale
• 42:59
  that Savoy offers, but we have also detailed the widespread
• 43:03
  rudeness and the constant pressure of conspicuous
• 43:06
  consumption. At what financial and more
• 43:09
  importantly, psychological point does the pursuit of this status
• 43:12
  travel destination diminish the true simple joy of the trip?
• 43:16
  When does the destination's perfection lead to the
• 43:18
  overwhelming psychological cost of constantly feeling like a
• 43:21
  mark, a walking wallet or an object of financial assessment
• 43:25
  in the face of widespread snobbery?
• 43:27
  That true cost of exclusivity must be factored into your
• 43:30
  travel planning. If the rudeness outweighs the
• 43:32
  perfect snow, maybe the Dolomites are calling.
• 43:34
  Next week we're switching continents and tackling the
• 43:37
  massive complexities of Tokyo. Is it really the overwhelmingly
• 43:40
  crowded impossible maze that travel blogs claim?
• 43:43
  Or are you just going to the wrong places and missing the
• 43:46
  local gems? Stay tuned, safe travels and
• 43:48
  happy skiing.