UK ski operator Alpine Action has announced on its website that it ceased trading on Tuesday (May 7).
The statement from directors to clients said: “It is with much regret that we announce Alpine Action has ceased trading for chalet holidays as of 07-May-2024.
“Despite our very best efforts to overcome the significant commercial challenges, we have come to the point where we can no longer continue.
“If you’ve booked a holiday with us for the 2024/25 season, we will contact you soon to arrange a full refund of your deposit.
“Thank you for your understanding. We offer our sincere apologies and best wishes to all of you.”
A statement from ski agency Ski Line said that Alpine Action ran five catered ski chalets in Meribel and had been trading since 1993.
Ski Line said it had worked with the operator since 1995 and had bookings for its clients in Alpine Action’s chalets for the 2024-25 winter season.
It has already transferred its customers to other properties in the resort, added Ski Line.
Angus Kinloch, managing director of Ski Line, said: “Alpine Action were the second tour operator who agreed to appoint us as agents after I started skiline.co.uk in 1995. The owner Dennis Heasman and his daughter Dionne have been brilliant partners ever since.
“Unfortunately, the changes brought about by Brexit to the ski chalet holiday sector has taken another great British business.”
Mal Sargeant, a senior sales advisor at Ski Line, added: “Skiers want chalets with flight and transfers included, and Atol packages continue to be the most popular choice for groups, wanting a more private ski holiday than our hotels can offer.
“But you can now count the Atol-bonded ski chalet operators that remain on one hand.”
An article posted by ski news website PlanetSki blamed the closure on the “continuing fallout” from Brexit and Covid, noting how the chalet market had been particularly badly hit because of its small margins and reliance on British staff.
It reported that Sussex-based Alpine Action operated 10 ski chalets in Meribel and four in La Tania in France.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority, Alpine Action had an Atol for 815 passengers in the year to September 2024.
A CAA spokesperson said the regulator was in contact with Alpine Action and that the company said it had refunded all Atol-protected customers.
News about Alpine Action ceasing trading follows the announcement in February about the closure of family chalet ski brand Esprit Ski.
More: Trade voices sadness over loss of Esprit Ski
Hotelplan UK withdraws family ski brand Esprit after 41 years