The collapse of Powder White comes as little surprise to us at Snowfinders but nonetheless it is still very sad indeed. Our heartfelt sympathies go to staff, guests, and suppliers that have been affected by this unfortunate situation. The Snowfinders’ team are happy to assist those affected that require either monetary or holiday advice regarding ski holidays for 2024 and 2025. Please do call us on 01858 466888 or email sales@snowfinders.co.uk.

Powder White commenced operations as a smaller bespoke ski chalet tour operator with some lower to mid-market ski lodging options. As a fully bonded ABTA and AOTL ski travel agency, Snowfinders became uncomfortable with their sales methods and deliverance of an acceptable standard of ski holiday; a quick glance at some of their reviews offers a great insight into the business model they adopted. Subsequently, some years ago, we placed the company on stop sale and all contractual agreements were duly terminated.

When Powder White lost their ATOL bonding and membership we noticed that they continued to trade whilst still displaying the ATOL logo on their website and a report was sent by Snowfinders to the CAA (the governing body of the ATOL licence) on 09 March 2021.

Snowfinders found it staggering that suppliers and clients alike would entrust pipeline monies to Powder White and other such businesses without these intermediaries having any bonding or official trade associations; it was always a recipe for disaster. Anecdotally, we are hearing rumours of bookings and substantial monies being taken by Powder White right up until the point of their demise, which makes one wonder what destination these funds have finally meandered to.

Whilst we are filled with sadness that yet another ski supplier has failed, we are also annoyed as this reflects poorly on our industry. For us ski holiday suppliers that are regulated and follow the rules it is galling to be associated with such shoddy organisations and this is something that we wish to distance ourselves from. So, in contrast to Powder White's reviews you can see Snowfinders'  reviews here.

We can only stress to clients and suppliers alike that it is imperative that we all carry out due diligence when dealing with ski travel companies to ensure that funds are protected under officially recognised travel schemes such as ABTA and ATOL; both of which Snowfinders is proud to be regulated by. As a bespoke ski travel agency and ski tour operator, Snowfinders spends thousands of pounds each year to these regulatory bodies to ensure that our clients’ monies are protected and in safe hands. In addition, we spend hours of reporting to said governing bodies each month and we are obliged to prove financial stability including sufficient shareholders capital.

The message is clear to everyone, “If it isn’t bonded, don’t book it”.