Ski-in Ski-out Chalets: Is the luxury worth the price?

Is the convenience of ski-in ski-out property worth the price, asks Cheryl Markosky.

For aficionados of white powder, it’s hard to imagine anything more appealing than walking straight out of your chalet and strapping on your skis for a day on the piste. And if you can add in the luxury of gliding back to your door after that last run, it’s a double whammy.

Does this mean it’s a smart move investing in ski-in ski-out property? Word & Buyer’s Paul Hudson, a property finder specialising in Italian homes, believes it is.

“You avoid the hassle of carting boots and skis around and trying to find a parking space as close to the lifts as possible,” he says.

Equally, skiing directly down the piste to your home has the ‘cool factor’, Hudson adds, which could make your place more attractive when it comes time to sell.

Jeremy Rollason, managing director of Savills Alpine Homes, says location is everything, but some purchasers put too much onus on ski-in ski-out.

“It’s wonderful when you wake up on the edge of the slope and there’s no one else around. But sometimes access can be a problem and your enjoyment’s defeated if you can’t drive to your chalet,” he points out.

You’re likely to pay a premium of about 10-20% for such best-in-class ski-in ski-outs

Rollason says the trick is to find a chalet next to a slope that you can still reach by car. “If it’s close to the centre of the village too, you get the best of both worlds.” You’re likely to pay a premium of about 10-20% for such best-in-class ski-in ski-outs, although the price might be less eye-watering if the location is less enviable.

Coining the verb ‘investability’, Rollason suggests proximity – particularly for families with offspring who want to be near the action – could well outweigh schlepping out to a faraway ski-in ski-out holiday home. “Other considerations, like being able to walk to restaurants and local shops, can add as much to the investment value as the remote attraction of ski-in ski-out.”

The trick is to find a chalet next to a slope that you can still reach by car

For those wanting to make the best use of their time, knocking out the commute to a ski lift can be highly desirable, says Francois Marchand, general manager of Erna Low.

He also cautions purchasers that ski-in ski-out’s a niche market. “If there is too much snow, it can take hours to get to a far-flung property. However, this could be the right buy for older couples whose children have flown the nest. Their ski-in ski-out home might well be bigger, and even cheaper, than something in the centre of a resort.”

Proper ski-in ski-out homes are rarely in the heart of the village

MGM sales consultant Laurent Hallez, who’s selling ski-in ski-out apartments in Flaine, La Rosiere and chalets in Les Carroz, says it’s all about compromise.

“Proper ski-in ski-out homes are rarely in the heart of the village, so it’s advisable to look for other factors that make up for not being there. For instance, investing in a place with an indoor pool, fitness suite, gym and good ski buses ferrying people up and down the mountain frequently (that will allow us to avoid driving the car every time we need to buy something or meet someone) will make your property just as popular as one in the middle of town,” he suggests.

Also, beware of ski-in ski-out snobbery. It might be tempting to reject a halfway house – you might be able to ski out of your home, but be forced to get the lift back or vice versa. Other luxury properties might have a long list of perks and be within walking distance of the lifts. Strictly speaking, they’re not officially ski-in ski-out, but they’re probably still worth considering. In other cases the properties could be located in areas not always covered by snow at the beginning and at the end of the season. A typical case is represented by the chalets of Courchevel 1550 and La Tania (Te Atrium’s Property Finding team receives numerous requests in the Trois Vallées and in Courchevel).

“Ski-in ski-out is a romantic notion,” sums up Rollason. “But remember that from a practical standpoint, it’s nice to be able to walk-in walk-out as well.”

Cheryl Markosky, who was born in Canada to Polish/Italian parents, is a property journalist based in London. She writes about international property, as well as the domestic UK market. Cheryl’s travelled to a number of countries and seen a wide variety of property.

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