Katja Gaskell

A travel writer, who has appeared in publications such as Lonely Planet, The Telegraph, BBC Food and The National Geographic, Katja has always travelled and has lived in over 6 countries. She now runs her own family travel blog Globetotting, and is considered a family travel expert, who is often called upon to share her experiences and advice in national media.

Katja has been visiting Morzine regularly for fifteen years ever since her family invested in a property on the outskirts of town. Since then Katja, along with her husband and three children, have spent as much time here as possible here. Winters are spent making the most of the incredible ski domain and summer months are spent enjoying the lake in Montriond, the outdoor swimming pool in Morzine and trying to convince two teens and a tween that hiking is fun! Katja expresses that although her family have moved around a number of times – from Australia to India then onto Mexico before returning to London – Morzine has always been a constant and coming back always feels like they are returning home.

When Katja first visited our chalets in 2022, we were so impressed by her enthusiasm and expertise on activities and adventures in Morzine, that we took the opportunity to interview her for one of our chairlift chats episodes. We love that Katja is as excited about the Alps in summer, as she is about skiing. We highly recommend that all parents read her guide on the best things to do in summer in Morzine. We are convinced that even die-hard beach fans will be tempted to ditch the sand and sea to take to the mountains in summertime.

Cécile Burton

Cécile is a trailblazer in grassroots and localised action. She’s an inspiring activist who knows how to build communities around a cause and turn ideas into action. She’s worked in front-line humanitarian aid providing vital support to refugees (and volunteers) through Choose Love. In awe of her passion and fierce determination, when Cécile turned her attention to protecting the mountains, and specifically, finding environmental solutions for our home territory of Morzine, we were eager to join forces. And so the story of Montagne Verte unfolds, and now we have a fully fledged non-profit association that is branching beyond Morzine to ensure our mountain territories are a sustainable destination for many years to come.

Cécile has been the figure head of Montagne Verte over the last few years and as General Manager, she channels her energy into engaging local stakeholders and motivating local businesses and residents on pressing environmental issues. She manages a bunch of projects, from volunteer events to digital content and media relations; and as always, we continue to be impressed by her as a refreshingly kind human, with an unwavering commitment to ‘good’ on all levels.

Caitlin Cockerton

When we met professional life coach Caitlin Cockerton, we instantly recognised the synergy between her, and her coaching company Great Heights Pathways, and our values and vision for AliKats.The mountains have great potential for promoting recovery and building resilience; and Caitlin magnifies this concept through her experiential coaching practices, which use nature, movement, learning and human connection to help people achieve greater fulfilment in work and life.

In partnership with Caitlin, we developed a new experience – a retreat for people to immerse themselves in the mountains, whilst exerting their minds and bodies, and connecting with like-minded people. Our retreats combine rejuvenating outdoor activities – daily yoga, meditation, Qi Gong, mountain hikes, fire camp talks, forest bathing and bathing in clear mountain lakes – with life and leadership coaching. The entire experience is crafted by Caitlin to ensure guests leave equipped with inner resources, resilience and a clear path forward. Hosted in our low impact farmhouse Ferme a Jules, with a seasonal menu of local and foraged food, and delivered by local wellness experts; our retreats offer a fully sustainable adventure and an opportunity to engage with the mountains in meaningful, exciting ways.

Also an experienced business coach, Caitlin has helped us shape a business strategy that is founded in deep connection and commitment. She’s made a huge impact on us and we see her work as an important part of our future.

Gavin Fernie-Jones

After running his own boot ski fitting shop and working closely with sports suppliers, Gavin began questioning the huge amount of waste and un-sustainable practices of the outdoor retail model. He developed not-for-profit, One Tree at a Time, as a way of educating and serving the community, reducing waste and keeping ski clothing out of landfill for continued use on the mountain. Its events, awareness campaigns and online store for repurposed gear, encourages and connects a worldwide community of outdoor enthusiasts. Furthermore, Gavin has channelled his passion and learnings into creating Re-Action, a new collective designed to scale up the concept of One Tree, so more communities can benefit and more waste can be eliminated. Its a protest against the consumer story that tells us we need shiny new, highly technical kit to access the outdoors.

By working with sustainability pioneers and existing communities in the outdoor sports sector, Re-Action is making getting outdoors more affordable, accessible and sustainable. Its members rescue products, revive them through repair and rebranding, and repurpose them. They are then redistributed through resale, rental and donation; and profits are reallocated to regenerating the outdoors. Although in its early stages, Re-action already has an awe-inspiring member organisation list of businesses, not-for-profits and clubs dedicated to making change in the outdoor industry.

Inspired by Gavin’s approach to collective action, we’re working to increase the longevity of ski clothing and kit, as well as our staff uniforms, through our impact-minded partner companies. Facing challenges, creating solutions and making impact, collective agency is the only way forward to deliver real change when it come to climate action.

Wild England

Wild England produce a premium range of natural, organic bathroom products for hotels and homes that’s as kind as it is conceptual. Strictly organic and ethically sourced with eco-friendly packing, we were highly impressed with Wild England, and immediately wanted their products in our chalets.

What’s more, their products feel amazing. The combination of essential oils is designed to invigorate, heal and soothe your body preparing you for a busy day or re-setting you after an eventful one, and is absolutely perfect for our guests who which to indulge and protect their skin after days spent on the mountain.

• Guest Offer: Following a stay in one of our chalets, AliKats guests receive a 25% discount on their first or next purchase with Wild England.

Delphis Eco

It can be hard to get excited about cleaning products, but when we discovered Delphis Eco, we knew we’d found our ideal match when it comes to eco-friendly cleaning products. Its range of professional standard products are plant-derived, biodegradable and safer for our waterways. They are of the highest standard and help us ensure our chalets are beautifully clean and sparkling, as well as safe from toxic substances.

Ellis Brigham

Ellis Brigham is one of the UK’s leading mountain sports retailers, and takes its social and environmental responsibilities seriously. They are committed to minimising their business impact to preserve our precious outdoor playgrounds for future generations, as well as helping people enjoy the outdoors. Innovative initiatives incorporate recycled materials, sustainable packaging and carbon neutral delivery into their everyday operations, whilst their support of leading charities including Mountains for the Mind and Protect our Winters is highly impressive.

• Competition: Win a ski holiday worth over £6,000, including a catered chalet holiday in an AliKats’ chalet, North Face ski gear and ski lessons with New Generation. Enter here.

Brew Tea

When it comes to delivering sustainable skiing holidays, we like to get into the details at AliKats, and that even boils down to the cuppa we serve our guests. We’re hot on composting, and we needed a biodegradable solution to the mass bought tea bags that most homes and businesses use. A large portion of these tea bags are made with plastic fabrics and many paper fibres, which are only 70- 80% biodegradable. Not only does this make it difficult to breakdown in our compost bins, but these tea bags can shed billions of micro-plastics into your cup of tea. Eek! So we opted for loose tea, and after tasting a cuppa brewed with Brew Tea’s blend of fresh rolled whole leaves, we couldn’t wait to share this first rate cuppa with our guests.

Eco-Ski

Doing an active sport like skiing on an exposed mountain requires decent technical kit to keep you dry, warm and moving freely. Yet so often the vast amount of clothing and kit needed to ski comes at a cost to the planet. Eco-Ski is on a mission to solve this by offering skiers four very clear choices: Repair, Rent, Preowned or New “kit with a conscience”. All of which provide skiers with high quality kit from trustworthy brands, whilst creating a more positive step towards a circular solution. So depending on your budget, how often you ski and your personal kit preferences, you can find the right (planet-friendly) option that keeps you feeling great and looking fab on the slopes.

Montagne Verte

Montagne Verte is a non-profit association, funded by the community it serves, with one clear objective to develop solutions to reduce the environmental impact of Morzine and the surrounding region. Al and Kat Judge (AliKats founders) are involved through their roles as president and vice president, and work with a group of bright minds who are passionate about mobilizing a collective effort to preserve the mountains and build a low carbon future.

Their work is supported by a wider network of members and passionate volunteers who help make their initiatives possible. Projects include running the Montagne Verte second-hand shop in Morzine, which sells pre-loved clothes and ski gear; ‘biocyclette’ a bike-powered waste collection service to help businesses in Morzine manage organic waste responsibly; and the AlpinExpress Pass to provide exclusive discounts for people travelling by train to the mountains. Follow Montagne Verte for updates on our progress, community initiatives and shop opening times.

• Guest Offer: Check out the AlpinExpress Pass to reduce the impact of your next mountain holiday in Morzine by travelling by train, and benefit from a host of exciting discounts on Morzine-based service