Best get booking with the inside line! https://theinsidelinemtb.com/tag/mountain-bike-guiding/
Legal French guiding and Emily is ace.
French are ultra protectionist and would rather see less tourists than allow an operation they decide doesn't meet "their" qualifications.
It's a shortsighted approach as French holiday bookings are falling off a cliff. The less adventurous American and Canadian tourists are staying away since Bataclan and Nice.
Is this the same company that got into a public spat on here a couple of years ago or was that someone else?
Do they charge in Euros?
Did that mean their prices have all gone up 15+% since that vote, or did they take the hit themselves?
Still sounds like an lot of people were willing to pay
mahalo - Member
i wonder what it'll mean for White Room. either they'll be reaping the rewards with loads of extra business, or folk are gonna wary of paying out for a holiday with a British guiding company in France!? Hopefully the former, and hopefully someone else will step into TA shoes and provide similar in Les Arcs....
Looking at their 'Meet the Team' page it looks like their guides all have French qualifications so maybe they just saw this coming.
Another vote for Emily if she isn't already booked up it wont take long.
This has nothing to do with be able to (or not) legally guide in France.
So misunderstand their French tax requirement then?timbud - MemberThis has nothing to do with be able to (or not) legally guide in France.
A shout for White Room Chalet, have skied with them twice and they are excellent. I was checking availablity a week ago best decide soon as they will be sold out soon.
@hugh yes Stevo and his team all have French qualifications. As I said I have spoken at length with numerous ski holiday guides and operators and the French are very effective at making qualification as a person who did not grow up in France or those with non-French qualifications very difficult to be approved. Living here and having a French wife with family who own and run small / medium businesses the tax authoities are very aggressive, do full audits much more frequently and more than capable of slapping on a big demand going back a few years. Also as above the "French system" means local officials like Mayor have a lot of influence and IME there can be a lot of dirty tricks like pushing for financial / tax audits. When I first kept my boat in France I was told by my French crew to make sure I infroduced myself to the Mayoir and showed his "some love" to avoid any problems down the road and generally smooth things along
I infroduced myself to the Mayoir and showed his "some love"
This isn't about sex, Gary, it's about trust!
TA are (were) solvent and had a valid business case (as you would expect after all those years trading), but have been landed with a one off huge debt, that in one swoop liquidates them
They don't have a valid business case if they were only solvent through not paying their tax bill...
Bunch of four of us been caught by this.
Were booked on Trans Savoie trip mid July. Only minimal deposits paid anyway (thankfully) but also got sleazyjet flights to GVA booked and paid for. Insurance won't cover that, so we'll be looking for other options.
What can STW mob recommend within range of GVA?
Whiteroom
Inside Line
Any others?
Any contacts for guides ex-TA who might be interested in guiding Trans Savoie route independently?
[url= https://www.alpedhueznet.com/lifts/summer-dates ]Lifts are open here throughout July[/url]
It will be nice & quiet after the Mega finishes
Thats a fair way from Geneva, over 2 hr drive.
Well bourg is an hour so...
Ecky-Thump - Member
What can STW mob recommend within range of GVA?
Whiteroom
Inside Line
Any others?
Bike Village. They operate in the same area as Trail Addiction did and the White Room still do. I've been to both Bike Village and the White Room and would recommend both.
BikeVillage are good guys, but they do seem to spend a lot of time pedalling up roads when the lifts are so plentiful
Wow, I nearly booked with TA for a week this summer.
I'll have to speak to WhiteRoom instead!
If you want a full weeks holiday white rooms as stated are excellent, if you want guiding for a couple of days worth having a look at Enduro Camp you can find them on Facebook or give them a call on +33 6 16 38 07 17, they are based out of tignes but will pick up and shuttle from most places in the valley, they are Fench guides so their marketing/ website is terrible to no existent, but they know there way round the trails as all are local and are a pretty good bunch of lads, expect a few of there mates to tag along on the ride, as well as qualified mountain bike bike guides they are all winter ski instructors So expect a bit of that going on as well, "bend zee knees" but they do buy you a beer at the end of the day.
There seems to be a fair amount of conspiracy theory thinking going on here, I don't really understand why people are mingling it with the whole guiding legality/equivalance issues tbh, it seems very... nonobvious.
I don't know if TA's guides were all qualified but if they weren't, more fool them... I'll give them the benefit of the doubt tbh. Sam at Bikevillage has been taking this on head on with the equivalance, White Room have been legit for years. And at least some of TA's guides are- Yvan Bonin (ex white room) was guiding with them last year, he not only had his tickets but also he's the frenchest man that's ever lived. (I love that man, I've no real affection for TA but I hope he rides it out)
Guide companies are small businesses , the explanation of a genuine financial shock (for whatever reason) seems more obvious than the alternatives... Financial impropriety, financial errors, normal business stresses, whatever.
All of tA's guides were french qualified last year
@timbud so what happened ?... we are pretty out of pocket due to this and really want to know if we stand a chance of getting a refund.. we were booked on the TS tour.
double post ... sorry
Cardo - my group of three were booked on the TS Tour which is considered to be a package holiday and therefore should be covered by the ABTOT Bond. One of us called today and it sounded pretty positive in terms of a refund from them.
Compared with what the Bond companies have to deal with when an massive tower operator goes under, this is very small fry so I don't see why the deposits shouldn't be protected.
Give ABTOT a call tomorrow as advised on the TA website.
Thanks hughjayteens... dont know about you but I was proper looking forward to this too.
Yeah get on to ABTOT and give the administrators to bell too
This is a real shame. I have nothing but respect for the business that Ash and Alistair built out there.
This comment irks me somewhat
They don't have a valid business case if they were only solvent through not paying their tax bill...
If you know anyone that runs a business in France, you will know that NO-ONE knows the correct way to pay tax in France if you are business operator, not even tax accountants. This is why a huge amount of business in France is done off the books. It sounds like they have been caught out by something along these lines. There really IS no word for Entrepreneur in French sadly.
I really hope that the true reason is published and that those involved can re-establish themselves.
mrmichaelwright - hole in one sir!
Hi mrmichaelwright , been a while ! 🙂
MrMichaelWright he lives ! The TA holiday in Dest-X was excellent and as you say French tax law is opaque to say the least. I know two French people who just gave up trying to run their own business due to the impenetrable nature of it all and just got a normal job.
mrmichaelwright - I have to agree with you there 😉
I was surprised to get a letter from Begbies Traynor in today's post. Didn't expect anything so soon, especially in writing.
It only repeats what's on TA's website, so doesn't tell me more about Davos, which is now a worry for me and various friends booked [paid] on that event.
As per the current guidance, no refunds can yet be issued as there's still a possibility the event can somehow go ahead. But I'm really doubtful. I was really looking forward to it though 🙂
Like some others here, my flights/accommodation is paid for, so I could still just fly out and bike/camp rough for 3 days at very little extra cost. You never know, maybe there will be a group of us that end up doing this and it could be fun...
Hey Ash, certainly has. I ride mountain bikes again now! Trail addiction was on the cards for the next couple of years as now I live in Scotland I'm out on the bike 2-3 times a week and my mojo has returned with a bang.
Hi Andy, indeed i do live on!
I also got a letter yesterday, along with an email and a pdf copy of the letter!
MrsLugz has being doing some digging, and according to some success stories on Money Saving Expert, there may be a way to claim back any additional expenses incurred, such as flights and accomodation.
Not sure what we are going to do yet, been with Whiteroom for the last 3 years and had an awesome time, but we're proper tight for cash this year...
[i]Unfortunately didn't pay on cc[/I]
More fool you.
FWIW went with TA nearly 10 years ago to Les Arcs so would imagine that their tax affairs are reasonably straight as no way would they have been operating for so long - did something change?
If memory serves me well it was an English chap who worked as a Swiss train driver (for 6 months a year) that ran it.
edit Ash, just seen his name, lovely bloke 🙂
Such a shame to see the business close.
So I have seen my precious Trans Savoie entry downgraded first to a weeks holiday and now to the most expensive nothing in history.
Fortunately I only paid the deposit but that was still a big fat wedge - intended to pay the remainder last week but had to buy a new car thank god.
Had two holidays with Trail Addiction in the past and had a great time. I feel sorry for guides and the staff who were excellent.
Obviously I dont know the story but I find it very hard to believe the owners do not have enough money to pay everyone back. These holidays are super expensive and they sell out for every week of the Summer.
Smells very fishy to me - I reckon my deposit is sat quite happily in a big fat bank account in the Cayman Islands...along with most of the company's assets.
Other opinions are available
But probably Incorrect
Oh well - at least I have a load of GPX files that cant be stolen 🙂
- I reckon my deposit is sat quite happily in a big fat bank account in the Cayman Islands...
While i understand it's hard not to feel bitter, i don't think I've ever met MTB alpine company owners routinely using £20 notes to light their massive cigars and bathing in vintage Moet et Chandon
ndthornton - MemberObviously I dont know the story but I find it very hard to believe the owners do not have enough money to pay everyone back.
Remember that you're just one creditor, and if the story of the big tax bill is true, they're also a creditor. It's not about how much money they had in the bank on day x but about all the different places it might be committed. Sucks I know but it's not straightforward.
What doubly sucks, is that probably more people will have paid in advance because of the shitty £/euro rate
While i understand it's hard not to feel bitter, i don't think I've ever met MTB alpine company owners routinely using £20 notes to light their massive cigars and bathing in vintage Moet et Chandon
I have - Iv met the owners - that's exactly the impression I got from them. They come to meet the guests on the last day of the weeks holiday. The only time they looked interested was when they were talking about all the money they were making that year from Trans Savoie. I got bored very quickly and toddled off.
That's not bitterness - I'm really not that bothered since I just had a knee op its probably for the best anyway. Its just an observation - they are business people after all.
I used them once and I vaguely remember one of the owners arriving in some kind of Porsche (GT3?) with a bike crammed in the back. It was the MTB guides that were making naff all, especially given how hard they worked. As a customer it was great and we got loads of riding in, but not sure I'd have wanted to work there!
With most of the guiding companies I've holidayed with, the owners are also intimately involved in the operation of the holidays - as hosts, guides, coaches, chefs and everything else. I get the impression that Trail Addiction was a somewhat larger operation than that, but I'd be surprised if anybody gets rich from these set ups.
To add insult to injury we also found out the lifts wouldn't have been open for remainder of the trip and the £1100 airbnb has a 50% + service charge cancellation policy!
Just had the good news that the owner has agreed to move the dates back so we'll be there when the lifts are open for no charge.
Losing £162.50 bothers me less than the thought of having to pedal from Bourg to Les Arcs for nine days!
I've been riding at Les Arcs for the last 5 years or so in the summer and organise my biking cliche ride there.
Last year, TA were not to be seen in the area, advertising at the Vallandry lift bar had gone and I didn't see the normal groups out and about.
I know the reason behind this but that's for someone else to add.
What i would say is that the bike park trails have been improved quite a bit in the last couple of years and some new non park trails have appeared over towards Vernettes. I have about 150km of marked trails on our map that we've worked out over the years.
I heard that the Marie of Seez has banned bikes, that means Double header might be no go this year. It's a shame but there's no global policy for bikes so Mayor's can clamp down e.g Chamonix valley.
What I would advise though is be careful if you are going to trail find yourself without a guide. I've been at the top of Mt Jovet in snow whilst it was 25'c in the valleys. We nearly lost a rider on magic carpet and me n buddie got on the wrong side of the lovely white fluffy sheep hounds that actually try to kill you on la varda ridge.
cardo - Member
Thanks hughjayteens... dont know about you but I was proper looking forward to this too.
I was really looking forward to it - was gutted when it went from race to tour and then double gutted to hear this news! Have managed to switch our booking to White Rooms for the same week so will be riding in the same area at the same time (for less money too assuming we get our deposits back!) so not all bad.
I heard that the Marie of Seez has banned bikes, that means Double header might be no go this year. It's a shame but there's no global policy for bikes so Mayor's can clamp down e.g Chamonix valley.
This happened last year. Didnt really change much for our week, but meant we couldnt ride million switchbacks - one of my faves.
