We’re pretty much staffless now. The only people kicking around are us office staff and the hotel managers, all of whom head home on Monday. The chalet staff, chefs, kitchen workers, child carers, ski guides and everyone else have all made their way back to the UK. Oh, one exception – James, the assistant manager at the hotel here in Chamonix won’t fly home till Monday as his ankle is now held together with bolts. Last run of the season. Whoops.

There are still a few incidents to report relating to the mad bunch of people who’ve been here all season. And a few words of warning. Way back at the start of the season I had a post where I mentioned how quickly we were shedding staff, even during training. Rules are strict and they have to be. As the season goes on, people drop out. They get sacked. They do stupid things. They get stressed out. Believe me, I can’t blame them.

Working for a season somewhere like this is not as easy as you might think. It’s damn hard work. Blowing your chance to try by videoing yourself doing something rather rude in company uniform and posting it on YouTube is not a good idea. Yeah, that happened back in November. Three members of staff found themselves contractless and making their own ways home when YouTube (I believe) got in touch as the video was flagged and removed rather quickly.

Another hint. If you’re going to hold a bonfire on your last night, then that’s great. A barbecue and some beer is a wonderful way to say goodbye to your mates. However, it’s kind of impolite to burn your uniform as part of the celebration because we’ll want to use it next season. Oh, and don’t lose your camcorder with the footage on, especially somewhere that one of the area managers might find it after you’ve left. And thus find out what happened to 30-odd sets of uniform.

Think that’s bad? Top one of the lot – don’t burn your uniform jacket with your passport still in the pocket. That made for an interesting phone call from the airport.