Colin Mathews your expert in authentic luxury ski holidays.
Increasingly the luxury travel market is looking for authenticity.
Very simply put if you are looking for such you need to speak to an expert, someone who has immersed themselves in the travel world. Colin Mathews is one such person as he not only runs ski businesses, lives there, is super well connected and is a lovely chap to boot. Colin Mathews your man on the mountain is an introduction to his skills and his knowledge of the luxury ski world.
“I spoke to a lady who gave me some recommendations….. I did some research, sent some e-mails and so on….This is what I do.”
“Time is running out ….”
“I am looking for a person with expert knowledge of Les Trois Vallees…. “
…..I am starting to feel Colin is my man and that we are on same page….
Then finally we speak, Colin is driving to Cortina D’Ampezzo with his wife Anna for a ski race he does every year as part of The Amateur Inter Club Team Championships www.interclubski.com .
Colin has a charm and is a storyteller and I can tell quite quickly he is a man with fingers in many pies all of which enthuses me as I like to deal with authentic and passionate people who know what they are talking about.
Colin Mathews runs:
www.freespiritalpine.com/about/
Have a read of St Martin de Bellville your friendly luxury ski experience as this was my experience when I skied with Colin and is certainly something he could organise for you.
Sounds obvious but it’s important to say, “in business know your audience”.
Yes, different nationalities traditionally work in different ways and will highlight different things, but the skill is to create the write itinerary for your clients, so understanding people is vital.
There was a photo of the then Prince Charles with a hole in his socks in the media which created a lot of conversation about the British society. For example, the French would not dream of this, nor would the Americans.
The British, French and Americans are all successful 1st world countries but intrinsically are all after slightly different things, however if you find the same class and demographic from each of these countries you are likely to have a lot in common.
Now I am not suggesting Colin has holes in his socks but it’s vital you know your market and equally your clients and what they are looking for.
Colin has lived and breathed skiing and the ski business since he ended up there after university.
This is why Colin Mathews provides the authentic luxury ski experience. A luxurious ski experience with meaning.
I meet Colin at Geneva Airport. We are waiting for a couple of colleagues so head off for a coffee in a private area of a coffee shop. We chat and I feel in some way I am talking to a local though as a man he has spent his life in ski travel and his son Toby who is taking an increasing part of the business and at the time I met him, he was flying off to Qatar, a region I know well so we had a good chat about the people and the region.
Now you might be going this is just so obvious but then again some of the very best things in life are simple and its just a case of recognising what’s right and what’s not.
Ultimately, I think it’s the same as booking a plumber. You can book a plumber to install your £1000 bathroom or your £100k bathroom but either way I want to deal with a plumber and not a paper pusher. I am always concerned if a building company sends me a suited person with a clipboard as in general, I find myself being charged a lot more and the job done less well.
Colin is a lovely chap, but do not be fooled by his sociable demeanour as he knows a lot about business.
I had an unexpected pleasure of meeting two ex-employees, now successful in their own right and good friends. We met at Geneva Airport, and this relates to what I was saying about mixing the right people together. Its also part of the joy of travelling and very much part of the luxury ski experience.
He founded his life’s business after university when he went to the mountains and no “he did not buy the company” but he fell in love with the mountains. You can tell.
Colin is not mushy but is a kind man who has not only an encyclopaedic knowledge of the ski industry, but you can tell he cares about his family, people and making sure the ski experience is right for you.
Finding this kind of person is a dying art unfortunately but it’s like going into an old school haberdasher with the shop full of boxes, bits and things that will fix your problem.
Looking for high end travel you want to deal with someone that has lots of these “boxes” so when you want recreate Hannibal crossing the mountains, whilst staying with locals and having all your passes ready they can go yes … yes ….we have just the right person.
Listen to your heart and deal with people who have knowledge and know their business inside and out.
A Day in the mountains, Colin Mathews Style
Thursday morning, I meet Colin at 10am at Maya Altitude Restaurant
We had already spoken about authentic and friendly luxury experiences and I was going to experience just that.
With smiles on faces I am greeted by family, friends, and partners for a day on the mountains and the two ladies I had met at Geneva Airport.
The Savoie flag is flying with pride, and then we head off.
His family all ski well as you would expect but I had the rare insight of seeing the man in his element but mixing business and pleasure so there was no hiding.
We skied for several hours in Les Menuires and Meribel and take the family’s favourite run Jerusalem, which is a lovely undulating and quiet run and then down to a real gem of a restaurant Chez Alfred, as its just off the main piste so a lot of people ski past.
Alfred and his wife have been running this authentic alpine restaurant for years and ooozes authentic charm, serving traditional authentic alpine fair.
On the final hour of skiing with him I had become tired and its then that you need to take care and as such my skiing went downhill. The snow was late afternoon Spring skiing which is always more challenging and although we were on a schedule for me to get my flight, he was super patient, kind and calm. A very simple but good example of his knowledge and talent for making things go smoothly and yes, I did get to the airport safe and sound and on time.
If you are looking for luxury ski experiences, I highly recommend you reach out to
www.freespiritalpine.com/about/
or you can contact myself Michael Grenville at [email protected] and I can introduce you.
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