Here at Ski In Luxury, we don’t just deal with luxury chalets. We also work with fantastic transfer companies that can help you arrive at your chalet in style from your arrival airport. One such transfer company is SnowDrone Transfers, who we highly recommend from our own personal experience.
SIL – For anyone out there who has not heard of SnowDrone Transfers, please can you provide a brief description of the business and the services you offer?
SD – SnowDrone Transfers is an independent, ski transfer company providing luxury yet affordable private airport transfers from Geneva, Lyon, Chambery and Grenoble to the resorts of the Tarentaise valley. When traveling with us, you will personally be greeted by one of our English-speaking drivers in arrivals who will help with your luggage and escort you to your awaiting vehicle. You will travel in one of our clean and modern VW Caravelles, which are brand new this coming season or seen just one season. They all seat 8 passengers and come with 4-wheel drive, winter tyres and snow chains. Our vehicles also have lots of on-board extras such as WiFi and iPads (see question 4 for further details) with the aim of providing a service akin to what you would find in business class on an airplane. We also provide top-of-the-range MaxiCosi child seats and baby seats free of charge when requested.
Our office is extremely dedicated and on hand to answer questions and to help with other parts of your holiday if needed. We have a vast amount of experience working with families, groups of friends and corporate trips of all sizes so you are most certainly in capable hands. We also operate transfers throughout the year so not only can we take you to your winter wonderland but also we can bring you to the mountains for your summer adventures such as mountain biking and water sports!
SIL – When was SnowDrone established and how did it all come about?
SD – We (Helen, Ash and Paul) officially launched SnowDrone Transfers in the summer of 2014 although it had been in the planning for a few years. With backgrounds in the corporate world, hospitality and the ski industry, and having many ski seasons under our belt between us, we wanted to find a way to build a business in the Alps that all of us love and enjoy all year round. So, forming a transfer business seems like a natural fit where we could take advantage of our skills and experiences acquired during our previous working lives. Plus, we had some ideas as to how to make a transfer a more interesting and enjoyable part of people’s holidays.
SIL – What ski resorts does SnowDrone cover/offer transfers to?
SD – We cover the whole of the Tarentaise valley from any airport or train station and SnowDrone vehicles can be seen on the road and in ski resorts every day of the week. This includes the ski areas of L’Espace Killy (Val d’Isere and Tignes), Les Trois Vallees (Courchevel, Meribel and the Belleville valley) and Paradiski (Les Arcs and La Plagne) as well as La Rosiere and Sainte-Foy-en-Tarentaise.
SIL – What makes SnowDrone stand out from its competitors?
SD – At SnowDrone, we want to offer clients a business class style transfer service at affordable prices. We do this by not only providing a slick private door-to-door airport transfer service but also by offering lots of additional touches as part of our service and all included in the price. These include a 4G WiFi hotspot, two mounted iPads packed full of entertainment for everyone, headphones for listening to an iPad or your own device, a USB charging port for every seat with cables available for smartphones, neck pillows and chilled bottled water in the on board cool boxes.
We are also very much focused on children’s safety and comfort so, as mentioned in question 1, we have invested in top-of-the-range MaxiCosi child and baby seats which are cleaned before and after each use and are provided free of charge. We also pride ourselves on the upkeep of our vehicles and ensure that all of our vehicles are rigorously maintained and cleaned before and after every transfer.
Our drivers are all experienced in alpine conditions and are all required to complete our training programme along with the necessary legal requirements, resulting in a team of quality, reliable drivers. The SnowDrone team in the Val d’Isere office goes above and beyond what is expected and will help clients with other aspects of their holiday if needed, such as ski hire, ski lessons, accommodation and restaurant recommendations etc.
SIL – How has the company grown since it launched?
SD – Having just surpassed our one-year anniversary, we are in the process of increasing our capacity for the forthcoming winter after a very busy first season. Our fleet of vehicles will more than double in size and all the new vehicles will again be VW Caravelles but they will now also have leather seats. We will never be complacent so we are also adding lots of extras to our service (see question 4 above for further details) and have some great drivers joining us who we are looking forward to working with. We now also have an automated booking and payment system on our website to make booking a transfer an easy 3 step process. Our office will still contact each client directly prior to travel to ensure that we maintain our personal touch. Finally, we are delighted to be a finalist for World’s Best Ski Transfer Operator at the World Ski Awards for 2015 so please vote for us. Please also vote for Ski In Luxury for World’s Best Ski Travel Agent. It only takes a minute and we really appreciate your support.
SIL – What’s your most memorable experience with SnowDrone?
SD – Seeing our shiny vans drive into resort for the first time while dropping off happy clients.
SIL – Which resort is your favourite and why?
SD – Helen and Ash would say Val d’Isere! Why? Quite simply because it is their home and it has so much to offer. However, we do have a soft spot for our neighbouring resort, Tignes because of its amazing skiing both on and off piste. We also love the resorts of Meribel and Courchevel that offer fantastic skiing views in another incredible ski area of Les Trois Vallees, which is where Paul is based.
SIL – Are you a skier or a snowboarder?
SD – Helen is a skier through and through. Paul and Ash are both snowboarders. We try to get out on the mountain together when we can, either off piste when the snow is good or equally racking up the mileage on piste. Ash and Helen have also started split boarding and ski touring respectively which offers a whole new challenge and is great for fitness.
SIL – Do you have a favourite ski run? If so which one and why?
SD – That’s a difficult one because there are so many!
If Helen and Ash had to choose in L’Espace Killy, it would be the OK-Orange (which is the Women’s World Cup Run) from the top of the Bellevarde ski area down to La Daille. It’s a fast and long yet diverse run. What’s more, you can have a nice refreshing cold beer at La Rosee Blanche, conveniently located at the bottom! If Paul was choosing though, it would be the famous Solaise run from the top of the Solaise down to Meribel Village with its breathtaking views that takes you through the trees to The Lodge du Village for a G&T in time for après!
SIL – What’s next for SnowDrone Transfers?
SD – We will continue to develop our “no-compromise” service and maintain the high standards that we have set with a fleet of high quality vehicles and great drivers, all the while maintaining that personal touch and ensuring that every client that travels with us spreads the word and of course travels with us again time after time!
A big thank you to Helen, Ash and Paul for answering all our questions and we are very much looking forward to working with them for the 2015/2016 ski season.
