On a trip to Chamonix towards the end of the winter season of 1999, two of the founders of Chalets Direct were looking at hotels in the Chamonix Valley.
They were developing web marketing ideas for hotels - and had spent the day finding out about the web awareness of local accommodation providers.
Don't forget, this was spring 1999, on the brink of the first dotcom boom. Very few businesses had websites, booking travel online was still pretty unheard of, Internet access available at the time was dial-up and narrow band - and not yet cheap.
They had covered the length and breadth of Chamonix itself and so headed out to Les Praz, a charming village just a few miles out of town. Here they stopped in front of the small village church - and that was when the Eureka moment happened - although they wouldn't put it down to divine inspiration!
Why not create a portal for ski accommodation - and because not everyone can employ designers to make websites, let's make it easy and affordable.
The idea was not to come between the accommodation provider and the holidaymaker, there was no need to be a travel agent or a tour operator.
It was simple, as seasoned skiers, the founders knew that a ski holiday was one of the most exciting things people could do - so rather than talk to a travel agent about it, why not let people talk directly to the people who were delivering that dream.
So www.chaletsdirect.com came into being - and somehow we always found it appropriate that the idea was born in a place which is at the heart of mountain sports, at the foot of Mont Blanc.
So nearly ten years later, whilst we have grown and expanded, weathered Internet booms and busts, the three founding members of Chalets Direct are still very much part of the company.
They are still exploring the mountains and getting a buzz from those blue sky days when they can.
The ski dream is still the same - waking up on a fresh powder day, that first sharp intake of breath as you walk out of the lift with the world at your feet, the click of the bindings, the feel of the snow beneath your skis as you glide away and gravity starts to take hold. How can you beat that?
Why the Ski Blog?
Hopefully the Ski Blog will become a useful place for you to visit and to find out about skiing, snowboarding, summer holidays, things that are happening in the industry, and general advice on your holidays in the mountains.
It's also our chance to discuss stuff which isn't necessarily accommodation - so we can tell you about developments in Chalets Direct, and why we're doing them.
We welcome your comments and feedback on posts, and if you have questions fire away. We would like to build a resource, so that people everywhere, from novice to expert, can tap into the experience and knowledge of other skiers or boarders.
If you would also like to be a guest blogger please contact us!
