How to persuade your boss to take you on a ski trip

Are you too busy to bond with colleagues, feeling unmotivated with an uninspiring workload or frustrated problems aren’t being solved collectively in your department? Take a moment to imagine your team reflecting from a mountain top with views of Mont Blanc, driving snow mobiles through snowy forests and brainstorming in contemporary alpine lodges. Is it really possible?

We think it should be. Getting off-site and stepping away from the desk is often the first step towards real transformation. The mountains are rejuvenating, inspiring and humbling all at the same time. Hierarchy goes out the window, colleagues open up and real trust is created.

We have teamed up with a learning and development consultant to create bespoke team building packages that blend exhilarating mountain activities with focussed team building workshops, with beautiful alpine chalets as basecamp for relaxed dinning, comfy sleeps and socialising.

If this sounds good to you, you may need some help getting your superiors on-board. When you see the boss, be prepared with these key reasons why a ski trip could benefit your team, and you may find yourself in the mountains sooner than you think!

It will build trust outside the conference room

Going off-site, away from the desk and conference room, is crucial for all teams to bond and build trust. Collectively discovering a new environment and new activities, creates good vibes and opens up opportunities for building trust in a space where corporate hierarchy no longer exits. Trust is the foundation of team work, once co-workers have a true trust based relationship, positive thinking and problem solving becomes the norm. Showing vulnerability is the starting point for this development, so whether its engaging in fun activities on the mountainside or in a focussed workshop, this is something we look to develop first.

It creates the ‘wow factor’

The mountains never fail to impress. The Alps offer a huge playground of activities, and whilst the sky’s the limit for adventure activities, you don’t need to be an adrenaline junkie to take part. Gentle snowshoeing away from the ski lifts can be just as inspiring as downhill skiing.

What’s more, taking your team to a beautiful alpine chalet, with a hot tub, private bar and award winning food, is a great way to show your appreciation and drive employee enthusiasm. Your own private chalet will be a comfortable, safe place for co-workers to open up and bond organically away from office pressures.

It’s going to be the best investment you make this year

Mention ‘team building’ in your office and you might get a few raised eyebrows. Often what comes to mind are awkward leadership sessions or run-of-the-mill activities, like go-karting, which are loved by some but can leave others feeling dis-engaged and even alienated from the team.

However, despite its bad rap, when done well, team building really is the best investment your boss can make for his people. It builds trust, mitigates conflict and encourages collaboration. A business is nothing without its people, so healthy relationships and happy workers are fundamental. More engaged employees foster a positive company culture which, in turn, is good for the bottom line.

It will improve employee retention

Ask any company that’s won a best place to work award about team building and you will find they will have some kind of incentive and team building budget in place.

Healthy and happy workplaces keep staff. Hanging on to good people means better productivity and lower recruitment costs, it’s really that simple

It’s not as expensive as you think

Corporate ski trips can bring to mind champagne fuelled après sessions and huge bar bills, but this really isn’t what we’re talking about here. Hiring a private catered chalet will work out better value than staying in hotel’s, and AliKats corporate packages can be tailored to meet your budget.

It’s been proven to work

It’s always good to hear from your peers when you are exploring a new opportunity. Share with your boss a recommendation from a manager who has been on the trip and experienced the benefits within their team. Better still, offer to put them in touch.

Here’s what Mark Davis of design agency Me&Dave had to say about an AliKats’ team building weekend:

In December (2018) AliKats hosted our first alpine company team building weekend. We run a small design agency from the UK, and Riverwodd Lodge was the perfect choice for the 12 of us to call home for our trip.

The resort and activities worked perfectly for a mixed ability group of skiers, of which several had never experienced the mountains before. However, the trip was far more than just a ski trip, it was also about spending quality time together and injecting a surge of energy into the me&dave team.

I cannot tell you how valuable this has been; the excitement during the build up to the trip, bonding and new learnings whilst being away, and then, a new found focus and drive upon our return. We also now have a fully converted team of wannabe skiers!

This all coupled with the very best hospitality, food, fun and good times (Breda and Andrew you were just brilliant) that you would expect from the AliKats’ team.

If you run a small business and are looking for new ways to inject enthusiasm and invest in your team, I cannot recommend this enough!

Read more about AliKats’ team building trips here