Top Snow Travel – About Us

There’s nothing quite like hitting the slopes for a refreshing run surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of nature.

Planning that ultimate, destination ski trip requires expert guidance with a personal touch. Your time away deserves to be treated with respect and consideration; you shouldn’t have more work to do while on holiday. With Top Snow Travel, you can relax while this well-respected team provides a premium experience on your next ski holiday to the French Alps, led by professionals who will make this an unforgettable journey.

Gilles Riou is the Top Snow Travel Co-Founder and a world-class ski enthusiast who understands the needs of a luxury ski holiday. His expertise comes from having skied at more than 60 ski resorts around the world, including Canada, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, and more than 30 different resorts in France alone. Not only has he explored the French Alps while on holiday from his current home in Australia, Gilles spent much of his adolescence on these remarkable mountains.

From just 2 years old until he was 15, Gilles was fortunate enough to visit his family-owned home at a ski resort in the French Alps. Every school holiday, he and his loved ones would leave their home in Paris and enjoy the atmosphere and excitement of this stunning mountain region. It was here that he developed a sincere love for the sport of skiing, as well as a wealth of knowledge regarding the best places to stay and ski. These memories stayed with him long after he moved to Australia as a teen.

After school, Gilles spent the first decade of his career working in the travel and tourism industry selling worldwide ski holidays to the Australian market. However, he knew he had more to offer so he decided to venture out on his own. In 2015, Top Snow Travel was created to give fellow Aussies the incredible experience of elite skiing on some of the very best slopes in the world. His desire to share this passion with others is just one of the reasons Top Snow Travel is a top-rated travel company today.

Not only does a lot of heart go into planning these trips, but you can also rest easy knowing the big and small details have been handled with care just for you. From pick-up at the airport to amazing accommodations, and the necessary logistics to have a fabulous ski experience, it is all given special attention and carried out impeccably. The ski experts at this world-class travel agency have personally explored and tested the vast snow playgrounds and exquisite resorts the French Alps have to offer to ensure you are getting the very best treatment possible while out on the snow, as well.

Whether this is your first time hitting the slopes of the famous French Alps, or it is your annual getaway, Top Snow Travel is here to deliver a holiday unlike any you’ve had before. Let their team of one-of-a-kind professionals lead the way so that you can truly indulge in the holiday you’ve been dreaming of.

Build those lifetime memories on fresh powder among some of the most idyllic views in the world.

Gilles Riou Profile Picture

Co-Founder
Gilles Riou

“Our key aim at Top Sow Travel is to inspire skiers and snowboarders to discover the exquisiteness of the French Alps by providing seamless tailor-made itineraries founded on expert advice.

Thanks to our local knowledge and expertise, we can guide you in choosing the perfect France ski holiday.

At Top Snow Travel, we only provide The Best of The French Alps.

We believe that where you stay, what kind of ski resort and the quality of your lodging are the pillars in creating an unforgettable ski holiday. Building on this, we add the finishing touches to weave our magic and exceed all your expectations.

That’s why we can say with 100% confidence, that the experts at Top Snow Travel know what it takes to create an amazing, once in a lifetime France ski holiday experience for you and your family.”

Our Product Services Include:

Transfers

From the airport or train station to your ski resort

Accommodation

Carefully selected high standard accommodation in the best locations within the ski resort of your choice.

Lift passes

Unrestricted lift pass for the duration of your stay

Ski hire

The highest quality of rental ski equipment

Lessons & guides

Local highly qualified English speaking guides and instructors.

**WE DON’T SELL FLIGHTS**

France Ski Holidays with Top Snow Travel

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"This was the best family holiday of our lives "
10/10 customer service from Gilles.Holiday went by without a hitch!
James Marijanovic
James M.
03:39 10 Mar 20
We had a fabulous 2 week holiday in the French Alps, the transport from airport to accommodation went smoothly and the accommodations were perfectly located. This was our 2nd holiday organised by Gilles at Top Snow and we highly recommend them .
Libby Dobson
Libby D.
03:10 03 Mar 20
Just got home from a fantastic holiday in Meribel. Gilles organised the transfers, lift tickets, ski hire and accommodation at The Hotel La Chaudanne.Everything was first class and worked like clockwork.
Alastair Taylor
Alastair T.
23:02 02 Mar 20
Hi Gilles, I can't thank you enough for organising our trip to Meribel in January, we had the most fabulous family ski trip and can't wait to plan the next one! The accomodation was absolutely outstanding and it was so easy having the ski hire under the building. I was particularly grateful for your expertise in organising everything from ski hire, lift tickets, trains and transfers, as it all ran seamlessly. Your local knowledge made all the difference to our trip, as little tips like upgrading to first class on the trains meant we had ticketed seats and a very comfortable journey. We will definitely be calling you for the next trip and I will recommend you to all of our friends if they want fantastic travel advice and friendly efficient service. Thanks Gilles!
Louise
Louise
07:21 02 Mar 20
Seamless booking and travel experience. The local knowledge of the team was very helpful.
Ash Murphy
Ash M.
01:32 21 Feb 20
Top Snow Travel organised our trip really well and the apartment at Les Arcs we stayed in was fantastic. This resort was excellent for poor skiers and black run snowboarders and skiers alike
Vinny Mamo
Vinny M.
22:58 15 Feb 20
Gilles organised a fabulous trip for our family to Avoriaz in January 2020, including transfers, accommodation, lessons and ski passes. He saved us a huge amount of time in recommending everything, taking into account what we needed (e.g. a good place for beginner skiers, lessons in French for our kids). We also did a cost comparison and it seemed to be cheaper than if we had booked everything ourselves.We will be back for another trip next year!
Wendy Mackay
Wendy M.
06:51 15 Feb 20
Communication with Gilles at Top Snow Travel was excellent. His knowledge of the French Alps helped us to decide where and when to ski and then our particular needs were accommodated for. Thank you forcoordinating a stress free and memorable ski holiday
Nina Curtis
Nina C.
05:14 15 Feb 20
Top Snow are great a providing advice to first time skiers and I was so glad I took their recommendation and booked a resort located higher in the Alps to be sure we got proper snow. The accommodation and resort recommended was also great and we had a great one week stay over Christmas 2019. I will certainly use Top Snows services again now my teenage boys love skiing!!
Helen Smart
Helen S.
04:17 12 Feb 20
We have just returned for our trip to Avoriaz with 7 days snowboarding, everything was absolutely perfect.We can’t thank Gilles enough for all his knowledge and advice, he had so many ideas that really made the experience magical.We had no dramas at all all transfers too and from Avoriaz, flights and paperwork where all so great.If you’re looking for a French snow holiday DONT go anywhere else but top snow travel!!!!Thank you so much and we will definitely book with you again.
Jayson Cambourne
Jayson C.
22:58 16 Jan 20
It had been a number of years since we skied in France and felt comfortable organising our recent trip to Val Thorens through Top Snow. Gilles was helpful and friendly in our communications and gave excellent advice. All the arrangements went seamlessly from our private transfer from the train station right through to collecting our lift passes, ski hire and registering the children for ski school. Our accommodation at Residence Oxalys was perfect for us; ski in/out, well appointed rooms, modern bathrooms and a kitchenette. The daily bakery delivery for breakfast was fabulous. A shout out also to the staff at Oxalys, everyone was polite and so helpful; Sandrine in particular. Thank you Gilles and Top Snow, such a fabulous holiday.
Amanda Thurbin
Amanda T.
10:42 16 Jan 20
Don't look anywhere else to book your snow travel! I was in charge of organising three families (including my own) for a ski holiday in France. Having some family in the UK, I was recommended a number of UK companies. I became overwhelmed with the information and the hard push to sell me the holiday asap through these companies. By accident I came across Top Snow Travel and contacted Gilles and his team. I was asked a few questions about who is in the party, exactly what we intend to do and what we wanted from a resort. We were recommended Avoriaz which all the other companies told was out of my price range. It was smooth sailing from there. We could pay in two instalments which included everything from ski pass' and equipment to transfers and accommodation. Gilles and his team were in constant communication including wishing me safe travels just before our travels and check up when we returned.The top selling points for me was I could pay in AUD and contact them in local time. I highly recommend Top Snow Travel who are now my snow travel agents for all future ski holidays for my family and I. Thank you Gilles and Team! x
Alisa B
Alisa B
11:11 15 Jan 20
Very impressed with level of knowledge at top snow - they booked an amazing holiday for us in Val Thorens
Katie Divall
Katie D.
01:44 14 Jan 20
We deeply appreciate all the help offered to us by Gilles from Top Snow Travel. From the outset, we were provided with exceptional service, excellent suggestions about travel and accommodation options and welcome advice about how best to fully embrace the experience of staying in a French ski resort . This level of support ensured that our much-anticipated holiday unfolded smoothly and even when we encountered travel hiccups due to the transport strikes in France, without hesitation or delay, we received timely assistance.Val d’Isere as a ski resort was amazing, and we were most fortunate with the amount of snow which only added to the experience ! The village is enchanting – a magical winter wonderland. Equally, the dining options on and off the mountain were superb and bounteous. Suffice to say, we ate extremely well!We will cherish our 2019 ski holiday in the French Alps and attribute its success to the guidance of Gilles and the team at Top Snow Travel. Thank you so much.
Alyson Gundry
Alyson G.
06:23 06 Jan 20
Meribel in late March was fantastic and ALL our bookings by Top Snow were excellent and met all our needs. With 5 adults and multiple transfers to organise from different locations all went really smoothly.The hotel was 3 star but was very good: food, room service, pool and spa.And the staff were very friendly and helpful.thanks to Top Snow we had an amazing holidayKirsty
Kirsty Gregory
Kirsty G.
03:53 12 Apr 19
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PO Box 1175, Noosaville BC, QLD 4566, Australia

+61 2 9042 0522
info@topsnowtravel.com

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