This page is intended for instructors and tailenders.

As part of the cost to attend Pila the group budgets for each instructor, tailender and athlete to have an additional drink during the day on top of the drink provided with lunch. This excludes all alcoholic drinks for everyone skiing with SOWM.

The drink options vary by on-slope establishment but usually include water, soft drinks, tea and hot chocolate. Most athletes will choose to have a hot chocolate.

The instructor or tailender for the group should pay for the drinks using their own card. Please make sure that you use a card with no foreign transaction fees (like Monzo or Starling).

Note

For those that have skied with us for a few years you may have noticed that paying with card is a departure from the group providing cash to the instructor of each ski group. This change is because paying with card is much easier for the group to manage.

You can be reimbursed in Pila daily or at the end of the week; just make your preference known. The group will reimburse you in GBP. To be reimbursed either provide one of;

  • ⭐ A screen shot from a banking app that shows the time, the amount paid in EUR and the value in GBP. This is the easiest and recommended way to be reimbursed exactly.
  • A screenshot from your banking app where the payment has been made in EUR. In this case the exchange rate will be used.

Tip

Many modern banking apps let you tag transactions to make them easier to find again.

If offered a receipt please take it.

Multi Currency AccountsRater

The group requests that you do not pay using multi currency accounts. This is because the group can only reimburse in GBP based on the exchange rate at the time the trip took place.

Using a multi currency account introduces the risk that you may have purchased euros at a more expensive rate against the pound. When the evidence provided for your reimbursement does not include a banking app screenshot (or similar) that shows the cost in EUR and the cost in GBP, the group will use the Mastercard Currency Converter to determine the amount to reimburse you. If you pay using a multi currency account you may get less back than what you originally paid for the euros in your account.

Banks like Monzo and Starling clearly show the cost that you paid in EUR and the amount that will leave your account in GBP based on the exchange rate - this allows you to reimburse you the exact amount.

Misc

  • Athletes are welcome to purchase additional non-alcoholic drinks using their own money
  • Whilst the general rule is one group funded hot chocolate per person per day, discretion applies. Some circumstances may merit an additional break, for example;
    • If the weather is particularly bad
    • If you need a place to stop whilst dealing with any unforeseen events

Where possible try to stick to one person per group paying - this makes reimbursing easier.

Remember that whilst athletes can buy vouchers to use in the hotel, these are not valid on the slope.