Megève skiing protest: entente not so cordiale That said, there are dozens of excellent, fully qualified British instructors teaching in the French Alps who have gone through one or other system to the required level and are working within the French law, and relations between them and their French counterparts are often perfectly cordial. Henry Schniewind, an off-piste guide who works in Val d'Isère, said British and French regulators had co-operated in trying to make it easier to work in France. "The French system [ENSA] does not preclude foreigners from coming through," he said. I applaud the work that the two organisations have done in simplifying matters. When it comes to ski hosting - a practice involving British skiers being shown around the slopes by representatives of ski operators - a different set of issues is involved and the two shouldn't be confused. For years the French authorities have been putting pressure on British tour operators to end the practice of providing holidaymakers with ski hosts on the mountain, frequently citing "safety concerns" as the reason for their opposition. A few weeks ago, a French court went so far as to ban ski hosting on the grounds that it compromised safety. British operators have backed an appeal. I wonder whether anyone in France, in particular in tourism, has actually thought about the benefits of ski hosting? Until this month, dozens of British tour operators in the French Alps provided a free "hosting" service of some sort - one that doesn't cost the resort, the French government or the local tourism office a penny, but that is worth its weight in gold to the holidaymaker. The role of a "ski host" is, first and foremost, to show people around a resort, and the pistes, in a safe and friendly way; it is not to instruct. The host fills a gap in the services that are offered by ski schools. Vicky Norman, of the Ski Club of Great Britain, explains: "It's all about releasing guests from the need to look at piste maps every five minutes." As well as showing clients around the gentle slopes, a good host will know where the best snow is, and which are the best routes and lifts to take depending on the weather. And let's not forget the restaurateurs: all good ski hosts will have arrangements with restaurants, ensuring that a regular stream of hungry skiers is supporting the local economy. Then there is the safety aspect of the group. Hosts are not medically trained, but they are aware of the location of pisteur huts - where mountain rescue personnel and equipment are to be found. They are also taught what to do in the event of an accident. At the end of a tough day in the mountains, when the snow is heavy and the tartiflette is rattling around the stomach, it is the host who will suggest getting the bubble lift down, saving face for the testosterone-ridden or the timid, and - more importantly - ensuring that everyone gets down safely with limbs intact. Once down, he or she will find a suitable drinking hole, generating more income for the locals - and much-needed taxes for the French government. The free service offered by hosts is very hard for ski schools and instructors to emulate and is a great way of introducing skiers to unfamiliar destinations. Instead of persecuting the people who provide this practice, the French ought to be applauding it. Either way, the spate of negative headlines is only likely to have one effect: to drive more British skiers away from France and on to the slopes of Austria or Italy - where I am sure the tourist authorities are already working out how to capitalise on the short-sightedness of the French. Julian Sambles is the former overseas operations manager for Skiworld, responsible for the training of staff, including ski hosts. He is also a BASI-qualified instructor and has skied for the English freestyle ski team.