ponder the wisdom of this approach.

The key to survival as a chalet rep is to pick up the tricks of the trade quickly. Offering Mars Bars as bribes to anyone making their own bed is a long established ploy. It is also known that the smell of a dash of bleach in the loos will convince most guests that a bathroom has been thoroughly cleaned. Packet onion soups add colour flavour and thickness to sauces. Turkey is cheap, and nobody ever knows it's not chicken. Running a bar supplements your income (although it is illegal in France)

Best of all, the guests will be grateful when not hurried

furniture. The worst are probably the parents of young children, who in their desire to keep their children happy are very, demanding, not only on the chalet staff, but also on the other guests.

And then there are those whose daftness never ceases to amaze, like the family who, when warned their was raw egg in the chocolate Mousse, turned

to each other after digging about saying "Well, I haven't got one"

Ultimately, however, there is only one way to judge between the best and worst punters, and that is by the number of half empty bottles of Grand Marnier and Absolut Vodka they leave behind.

Most of those who have done a season agree that it is about as much fun as you can fit into a five-month period. The glorious skiing opportunities, the local atmosphere and the camaraderie among the workers means it beats even those carefree university days. But the joy comes at the price of an exhausting and repetitive lifestyle. The daily routine of work-ski-work-play has a bit more to it than that of a student (i.e. the work and the ski bits) and not everyone is tempted back for another go.

Some are trying to settle into jobs, others travelling. Roughly half have been unable to resist "just one more season". For me this is the life. I am aiming for Canada and its vast powder bowls. Presumably a chalet chap can buy Mars Bars and packets of onion soup in Whistler.

Michael Baldwin at La Source Ski chalet

out of the dining room on, say, a Tuesday night - until they realise they have to wash out the coffee cups for breakfast because the staff have Wednesday off.

The point of all this skulduggery, of course, is to maximise the time you can spend skiing and drinking Gin & Tonic. The "billies" (as the punters are known, after Billy Bunter) tend to be sympathetic. These are, after all, two of the main reasons for their presence.

Understanding as they may be, however, the billies still demand a high level of service. The challenge for a rep is to persuade them they are getting that service, get out early, and still rake in the tips.

A rep will see all sorts of customers in a season. While most are pleasant, some are more of a handful. Like the dozen lads from Hertfordshire who thought it hilarious to make Pot Noodles with the fire hose and to have javelin competitions from the balcony with the kitchen

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