The questions we're asked most often, before and during a stay. If yours isn't here, contact us directly and we'll answer it in person.
Fair question, and one worth asking of any agency you haven't worked with before. OFF-PISTE is run personally, not through a call center: our founder grew up in a French winemaking family and has spent most of his life in the mountains, and every chalet in our small collection has been visited, inspected, and stayed in by someone on our team, more than once, in more than one season. We work directly with owners rather than through layers of sub-agents, which is also why our collection stays deliberately small, nine chalets we genuinely know rather than hundreds we don't.
We structure payment so your exposure is limited: a 30% deposit secures your booking, with the balance due only 60 days before arrival, not the full amount upfront months in advance. Every chalet listing is built from our own visits and our own photography, not a listing an owner sent us. And throughout, you're in direct contact with a real person by phone, email, or WhatsApp, not a booking engine, before, during, and after your stay.
Tignes, Courchevel (including La Tania), and La Clusaz. Each has its own destination guide on our site covering the ski area, altitude, and what actually distinguishes it from the others.
It depends on how your group naturally splits into couples, families, and singles, more than on headcount alone. We walk through this with every enquiry, and our Journal has a full guide to sizing a group trip correctly.
No. Every chalet in our collection is rented exclusively to one group at a time, so you have the entire property, not a shared arrangement with other guests. If your group is smaller, tell us and we'll point you to the chalet that suits it best.
Yes, well-behaved dogs are welcome. Mention it when you enquire so we can flag it to the chalet team ahead of your arrival.
Yes. Our collection is open beyond winter, and the Alps in summer are a different, quieter kind of beautiful, hiking, lake days, long mountain evenings. Ask us for current summer availability; a dedicated summer guide is coming soon.
Tell us your dates, group size, and what matters most to you. We narrow our collection to what genuinely fits, you choose from a short, honest shortlist, and once we issue a Booking Confirmation and receive your deposit, your stay is secured.
Directly with OFF-PISTE. We personally select and inspect every chalet in our collection and sell you the stay in our own name, so your contract is with us, not with the chalet owner. Certain on-site services, such as housekeeping or an in-chalet chef, are provided by the chalet owner or local partners.
No. Our fee is kept in line with what a booking platform would charge, so working with us costs you the same, while adding local expertise, a personal point of contact, and someone accountable if anything needs fixing. A number of the owners we work with only rent through agencies they know personally, so several of our chalets aren't listed anywhere you could book them yourself.
The Chalet rental itself, together with any services expressly bundled into your quoted price. Ski passes, equipment, à la carte concierge services, gratuities, and personal expenses are not included unless your Booking Confirmation says otherwise. Prices are quoted in U.S. dollars.
A 30% deposit is due at the time of booking, with the remaining 70% due no later than 60 days before arrival. If you book less than ten weeks before your trip, the full amount is due at booking. We accept bank wire transfer and major credit cards; a processing fee may apply to card payments.
We structure payment so you're never heavily exposed at any one moment: a 30% deposit secures your booking, with the balance due 60 days before arrival rather than the full amount upfront months in advance. If you pay by card, your card issuer's own purchase protections apply, as they would for any purchase. We also recommend asking your travel insurer whether your policy includes coverage for travel-supplier default; some U.S. policies offer it as an add-on.
It depends on the chalet and the dates. Outside peak weeks, many of our chalets can be booked for three nights or more; during Christmas, New Year, and February school holidays, a full week is typically required. Tell us your dates and we'll confirm what's possible.
Often, yes, subject to availability on the new dates. Get in touch as soon as you know you need to change something and we'll do what we can.
Because we commit to the chalet owner on your behalf well in advance, cancellation is on a sliding scale: more than 90 days before arrival, your 30% deposit is forfeited; between 60 and 90 days, 50% of the total price becomes non-refundable; within 60 days of arrival, including no-shows, the full amount is non-refundable.
Yes, a refundable security deposit separate from your rental price, typically between $2,000 and $10,000 depending on the chalet, collected no later than 14 days before arrival. It covers damage, missing items, or excess cleaning, and is released within 14 days of your departure, less any documented deductions.
We strongly recommend comprehensive travel insurance before your final payment, covering trip cancellation, medical treatment and evacuation, baggage, and winter sports specifically. Many standard policies exclude off-piste skiing, so it's worth checking the wording. OFF-PISTE is not an insurer and is not party to any policy you purchase.
Standard check-in is 4:00 p.m. and check-out is 10:00 a.m., local time, unless your Booking Confirmation says otherwise. We can often accommodate an earlier arrival or later departure on request, though it's never guaranteed and may carry an additional charge.
Yes. Tell us in writing before arrival so we can pass it on to the chalet's culinary team. Reasonable requests, including common allergies and preferences, are handled before you arrive rather than negotiated at the table.
Tipping isn't the default in France the way it is in the U.S., service is already factored into pricing. That said, it's genuinely appreciated for a private chef, housekeeping, or a driver who's gone out of their way, and entirely at your discretion. Ask your concierge contact if you'd like guidance for your specific chalet.
U.S. dollars. Every quote, deposit, and balance payment is in USD, so there's no exchange-rate guesswork on your end.
Not currently. U.S. passport holders can visit France for stays under 90 days without a visa. The EU is rolling out a new border system, EES, involving a photo and fingerprints on arrival rather than a passport stamp, which requires nothing from you in advance. A separate pre-travel authorization, ETIAS, has been delayed and isn't required as of this writing; we'll update this page once a firm date is confirmed. In the meantime, make sure your passport is valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates.
Tell us as soon as you know. Every transfer we arrange is tracked against your actual flight rather than a fixed pickup time, so a delay doesn't mean waiting alone at arrivals. Let your chalet contact know your new arrival time and we'll adjust check-in accordingly.
Tell your on-site contact right away, most things can be resolved the same day while you're still there. You can also reach us directly by phone, email, or WhatsApp at any point during your stay, not just before or after it.
A dedicated contact before and during your stay, and an arrival coordinated with the on-site team, at no extra cost. Two further levels of support, Basecamp and Summit, add restaurant reservations, grocery delivery, and a dedicated concierge for those who want more of it arranged in advance.
Yes, from a single celebratory dinner to every meal of your stay, matched to your group's tastes and any dietary needs, and arranged before you arrive rather than negotiated once you're there.
Yes, private transfers from Geneva, Chambéry, or Lyon, timed to your flight rather than a shared shuttle schedule, with your flight tracked in case it's delayed.
Yes, all three. Equipment is fitted and delivered to the chalet before you arrive, lessons are private or small-group and arranged around your schedule, and childcare is vetted and briefed on your children's routine in advance.
Yes. Six of our chalets in Tignes are interconnected around a shared spa, indoor pool, and lounge, so you can book two, four, or all six together and still give every family its own front door. Combined, the group sleeps up to 103 guests, well suited to reunions, weddings, and multi-family trips that have outgrown a single chalet.
Yes, regularly. The same interconnected Tignes chalets that suit a large family reunion work equally well for a company retreat: private chalets to sleep in, shared spaces to gather or present in, and one point of contact handling transfers, catering, and activities for the whole group.
We quote multi-chalet and group bookings as a package once we know your dates and group size, rather than pricing each chalet separately. Contact us with the details and we'll put together a tailored quote.
Still have a question? Get in touch and we'll answer it in person.
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