Ski instructor guiding a skier down a groomed run

Planning a trip

What a private ski trip actually includes

Where our work starts and stops, and which parts stay with the providers.

Patagonia Living3 min read
In this guide
  1. The parts
  2. What we do, precisely
  3. What the providers do
  4. What is deliberately not included

"Private ski trip" covers a wide range, so it is worth being concrete about what the phrase means here. It is a handful of moving parts, plus someone who keeps them aligned.

The parts

Private ski lessons, ski passes, equipment rental, transfers, flights (commercial or private charter), and concierge on the ground. Any one of them can be booked on its own. What changes when they are planned together is that the decisions stop competing: the transfer is timed to the lesson rather than to the flight, and the pass and the equipment are sorted before the first morning.

In Bariloche the list goes further. Houses in Arelauquen, fully staffed and catered, for 4 to 16 guests. Our own Sprinters and tracked vehicles for snow access. Heli skiing, cat skiing and sailing on Lake Nahuel Huapi. And extensions to Buenos Aires or El Calafate by charter.

What we do, precisely

We plan the trip, choose and brief the people involved, hold the bookings together and stay reachable while you are on the mountain. That last part is most of the value: there is one number to write to, and the person on the other end already knows your itinerary.

What the providers do

The instructor, the airline, the transfer company and the experience operator are independent businesses. They deliver their own service under their own terms, including their own cancellation rules. We coordinate them on your behalf. We do not replace them, and we say so plainly rather than implying we own the mountain.

For how these parts come together on a specific trip, see planning a Dolomites ski trip around Cortina.

What is deliberately not included

We do not publish package prices, because a week for two in Zermatt and a week for eight in Bariloche share almost nothing. And we do not promise conditions: heli skiing and cat skiing depend on weather and on the operator's safety call, so those days are planned with an alternative agreed in advance.

Evenings are part of the week too. Our guide to the best après ski destinations covers the hour after the lifts close, from Cortina d'Ampezzo to Beaver Creek.

For a week for two in Zermatt specifically, see what the village itself is like once the lifts close.

For how that same full day arc plays out in the Dolomites, see Cortina, from the first run to the last light.

For the same arc in Colorado, see Beaver Creek, from first chair to fire at the bottom.

For how timing and mountain choice follow from the kind of morning you are planning towards, see planning a ski trip around a bluebird morning.

For why the destination itself is only half of what makes a trip work, see what makes the best ski trip destinations work.

Common questions

Do I have to book the whole trip through you?

No. Some guests book everything, others only the lessons or the transfers. Tell us which parts you want handled and we build around that.

Who actually provides the services?

Ski instructors, airlines, transfer companies and experience operators are independent businesses working under their own terms. We select, brief and coordinate them, and stay your point of contact.

What happens if something changes during the trip?

You write to one contact rather than to each provider. For anything arranged through us, we handle the change on the ground.

  • Planning
  • Services
  • Concierge

Plan your trip

Tell us the trip you have in mind.

Tell us about your family and the trip you have in mind. We will tell you which mountain, which hotel and which instructor, and why.

Start with whatever you know

  • A destination or idea01
  • Dates or a season02
  • Who’s travelling03