At a time when many ski operators are entrenching after last winter’s tough season, shortbreak specialists Karibuni are bucking the trend by expanding into a new resort.Having hosted many a satisfied skier at their Aravis Lodge in the pretty village of St Jean de Sixt, in the Aravis area of France’s Haut-Savoie, the firm is adding a new property in the equally pretty village of Samoens in the Grand Massif.
Jess Shirley-Smith, director of Karibuni commented: ‘For a few years now our regular customers have been saying that they love the package we provide at the Aravis Lodge, but after skiing in that region three or four times they would like to try somewhere new but still under our Ski Weekender umbrella. We decided that this was the year to make that expansion, particularly as this is an interesting time in the industry after a hard year last year, enabling us to buck the trend slightly by growing as some other chalets have had to downsize their business, showing our confidence in the short-break market.
‘We chose Samoens as it ticks a lot of our boxes. It is close to Geneva airport (just an hour away), which is crucial for guests wanting to make the most of a short ski break; it is a traditional, pretty village which offers more ambience and atmosphere than a purpose-built resort; plus, there is plenty of skiing – over 265km of pistes across the linked resorts of Samoens, Flaine, Morillon, Les Carroz and Sixt.
‘When we were exploring the options in Samoens we found Chalet Caroline which was perfect for our purpose – a cosy, owner-run chalet sleeping up to 12 guests. The position of the chalet is just two minutes from both the Saix lift and the Vercland lift.’
