The term ski-in, ski-out can be tricky, with multiple meanings,
so use caution when booking a property that claims to fall under this category.
In a best-case scenario, or the arrangement most beneficial
to skiers, the term means that a property (house,
condo, hotel) is situated directly on a ski slope, somewhere
between the base and summit of a chair lift or gondola.
This allows skiers to simply ski out the door (or the door of
a “ski room,” in the case of some hotels), down the slope to the
lift. At the end of the day, skiers simply ski from the top of the
lift directly back to the lodging (or ski room).
The beauty of this type of ski-in, ski-out situation is that
skiers don’t have to walk across a ski village in ski boots or take a
private vehicle, bus, tram, or any other kind of transportation
to get to the slopes.
However, ski-in, ski-out can also have less favorable meanings.
One of these is that a lodging provides transportation
to the ski lifts so that skiers don’t need to walk or use a private
vehicle. Better than nothing, but not as convenient as skiing
out the door.
A final meaning of the term is that a hotel or other lodging
provides a “valet” service that takes ski gear (but not skiers)
to the lift or gondola (so skiers don’t have to carry it), and then
takes it away and stows it when they’re through with it.
Of course, if you’re a true ski snob, you won’t consider staying
anywhere that’s not ski-in, ski-out in one form or another.
Jean-Luc’s chalet in St. Moritz wasn’t ski-in, ski-out, so we booked a condo en piste in Courchevel 1850.