Based on my decades spanning the globe in search of the best turns and snow conditions, combined with being the son of a professional Travel Agent (I miss you Mom), I offer Ski Trip Planning Advice. Which an emphasis on the Alps, I first determine what you’d like to accomplish on your trip and help you remove any guess work to ensure your next vacay is all time.
I charge a $125 flat fee for my services, which includes no questions money back guarantee that your trip will be better with my assistance.
Services include:
- Initial communication to discuss your trip objectives, desired budget and goals.
- We then have a follow up discussion to hone in on your destination(s). Once you give the nod, I put together a recommendation of places to visit and airport(s) to us, lodging options and transportation recommendations.
- As your trip gets closer, I keep a close eye on the latest weather and ski conditions in the region you have chosen. Sometimes you may benefit from a last minute pivot. The Alps are a very intricate mountain range where there are many different weather climates, snow depths and surface conditions a small distance apart.
- Real time concierge services – You are welcome to contact me during your trip and I can assist with virtual anything you need. Some examples include which slopes to ski, what to do on a down day, placing dinner reservations, live music options, searching web cameras for sucker holes and/or anything else that comes up.
Testimonials
“Planning and executing an Alps adventure worth the investment is intimidating when considering the pure quantity and variety of resorts, a cluster of different regional weather patterns, and the fact that going off piste in many places can get you in over your head extremely quick. Jamie tuned us into some incredible “small” (by Alps standards, still objectively enormous) Swiss hills that had great snow a week after the last storm, awesome character, no crowds, no other Americans, and approachable backcountry we could navigate ourselves. He also steered the second half of our trip into Italy, making sure we could deviate to the best snow with a Retour D’est storm coming through and discovering some off the beaten path hills and experiences we absolutely loved. His real time advice on a day to day basis made our trip” -Ryan D, Portland, ME
“What can be said about the agingskibum.com except point your skis downhill & tuck to get to the Alps as quick as possible to receive his sage advice on maximizing your ski time while maintaining his legendary leisurely attitude while doing it. Jamie has decades of experience on reading the weather, slopes, and overall conditions, including apres-ski enjoyment and it really showed on our trip with him. We only had 4-5 days of ski time on our trip & he was able to plan out our trip so that we got the one cloud-free day where we could get amazing ski time & pics skiing under the Matterhorn. While weather is unpredictable & past results cannot guarantee future performance, Jamie is a well-versed student of weather, mountain lay-outs & overall conditions, giving you the best chance to enjoy the trip you want. And, as my wife will tell you, it doesn’t really count unless you have 1GB of great pics to document it. The Swami of Ski Schectman was quickly able to understand the type of skiers we are (groomers that enjoy a steep-enough run) and pointed out the runs on the various mountains that we were most likely to enjoy & the best times of day & weather conditions to ski those runs & mountains. And, as impressive as his ski knowledge is, his appreciation of all things leisure, especially enjoying your time & apres-ski might be the best part of his game. From enjoying very reasonably priced locally farmed beef tartare on the Italian slopes to the ski-in champagne bar, Swiss-fondue restaurants, & live music venues in Zermatt, all of Jamie’s recommendations were enjoyable. He was also kind enough to work as an almost-live time concierge in giving us driving advice while on the road and finding random fun places to stop, like a hot-cold water plunge spa in Brigerbad. Almost all of his recommendations came with insights on his personal experience going to these spots. After spending time with Jamie, you’ll most likely want to sign up for his Pro-Leisure Ski tour way of life, even if you might be starting out as amateurs, like us.” -Joanna & Jon G, Sonoma, CA
“I’ve known Jamie for 38 years now. Jamie got bit by the travel bug, and traveled the world in search of the perfect mountain range. We kept in touch over the years, meeting for backcountry adventures and the occasional shred session at Mammoth. Jamie bought a place in Italy, and invited me over to ski. Being a total Sierra liver, it was a daunting idea to leave my comfort zone and ski internationally On my arrival we left the airport and headed straight for Switzerland. We loaded the car on a train’s flatcar and took a tunnel through a mountain. We exited into another world. Light snow, and the old world charm of Switzerland. Jamie had an itinerary lined up for us. 2 days in Zermatt and 2 in the smaller resorts of Lauchernalp and Bel Alp. While in Switzerland, we saw a concert in Zermatt that was amazing. Nena, of 99 Balloon fame. She is quite the star over there, and the crowd loved her. I’m sure we we the only Americans there. Quite the experience. We also experienced some local flavor in the form of the cow fights. Every spring Swiss farmers gather their cows together to get them ready for summer pastures. One has to be dominant, and lead the herd throughout the summer. To determine the leader they assemble them at a rodeo ground. Then they paint numbers on them like Nascar, and bring them into the stadium. The cows lock horns and push each other like sumo wrestlers until 1 submits. Betting and alcohol were rampant in the bleachers. Which was crazy to a Tahoe boy.
As our time In Switzerland came to a close, Jamie kept his eye on the weather. A big storm was coming, and France was going to get the goods first. Jamie figured the best snow would be in the Three Valleys. He was able to book us accommodations while driving down the autobahn, and we were set up in an old converted barn a block from a gondola station. Jamie is a keen weather observer, and has a knack for finding the goods if there are any to be had. After a few years driving around the Alps and exploring, his knowledge of where ski and is extensive. I enjoyed myself so much that I went again last year. And I’m going again in March. If you’re truly an Aging Ski Bum, you know the days you can get after it are numbered. Why not an Alps trip if you’re doing a ski vacation? Lift tickets and food are 1/3 the price of the US., but the ski resorts are much bigger and twice as tall. And having an ally to smooth things out is a great help in enjoying your vacation.” -Danney B, Tahoma, CA
The clouds rolled in and we rolled out