WEALTHY Brits flock to top European ski resorts each winter to glide down perfectly-groomed slopes, indulge in Michelin-star dining and shop in designer boutiques.
But while the thought of holidaying in these beautiful snow-capped towns might seem idyllic, The Sun reveals there’s a much darker side to the winter paradises. From flying in women from to and a murky mafia drugs underworld, these picture-perfect ski resorts hide a grim underbelly.
A blaze killed 40 people and injured more than 100 at a New Year’s Eve party in the upscale ski resort of Crans-Montana in southwestern SwitzerlandCredit: Reuters
The moment the ceiling of the Constellation bar catches fire from champagne sparklersCredit: Doug Seeburg
French couple Jacques and Jessica Moretti own the Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, where 40 people died in a horror inferno in the early hours of New Year’s DayCredit: AFP
Another blaze at a ski resort hotel in Turkey killed 78 people a year earlierCredit: Getty
Chic and sun-drenched, the resort of Crans-Montana in the Swiss Alps became the scene of unimaginable tragedy in the early hours of New Year’s Day, when , killing 40 revellers as young as 14 and injuring 116 more.
Bar owners , who transformed Le Constellation into a trendy bar in 2015, are facing difficult questions about their actions before, during and after the fire.
The only had three safety checks over the past decade – and there’s been no explanation as to why apparently highly-flammable sound-proofing was allowed to stay on the ceiling.
after being deemed a “flight risk” – while video of Jessica, 40, appeared to show her taking cash from the till as the fire started.
Jacques reportedly has previous convictions related to kidnap, fraud, false imprisonment and prostitution – and investigators believe he moved to from his native to “try and escape his criminal past”.
Images of the Morettis show them living the high-life in the trendy Swiss ski resort – but the rumours swirling around them have exposed a darker underbelly to these high-end resorts.
Up to 1.8million Brits are thought to go each year – with France and Austria top destinations for a UK ski market valued at £2.9billion.
Practising the sport can be risky in itself – skiers most commonly suffer injuries on their lower bodies including knees, while snowboarders are more prone to shoulder damage – but fatalities are thankfully rare.
The most horrifying stories are those that play out away from the slopes.
Back in 2015, British holidaymaker Nina Holmes, 33, died after snorting a super-strong drug in Borovets, the Bulgarian ski resort nicknamed “ with snow”.
An inquest into Nina’s death heard her group of friends had pooled together to pay £200 for what they believed to be cocaine, which caused her to collapse and suffer a heart attack.
Jessica – not her real name – has just finished her fourth ski season working for Ultra High Net Worth clients, UHNW for short, in a top resort in France.
Drugs, says the insider, are a firm fixture when it comes to this exclusive scene.
Nina Holmes died on the dance floor of a Bulgarian bar during a ski holidayCredit: Facebook
Nina died after snorting a super-strong drug in Borovets, the Bulgarian ski resort nicknamed ‘Ibiza with snow’Credit: Facebook
“These days the men I work for seem to be more into weed gummies and psychedelics than the coke of their ’80s youth,” says the resort worker, who has requested her name be changed so she can continue her lucrative trade.
“They don’t even need dealers now, everything has an app or a QR code.
“You just scan and the drugs arrive by special delivery ahead of your big skiing holiday.”
Jessica says she acts as “a private housekeeper and cook, nanny and PA – I do it all”.
“I worked for some Saudis last summer who didn’t know how to turn on a toaster,” she says.
‘Apres-Ski’ drugs bust
High up in the Italian Alps, the snow-sure resort of Livigno is preparing to host the snowboard and freestyle competitions at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
While there is sure to be plenty of spectacle on the slopes in the world-class events, back in April 2023 there was drama of a different kind on the pistes, when Italian on skis arrested 12 suspected gang members for allegedly dealing drugs to tourists and skiers in the area.
Known as Apres-Ski, their investigation had found some of the alleged criminals had previously been thought to be respected citizens, with several employed in high-paying, professional occupations.
In reality they are reported to be linked to Shkodra, the Albanian mafia clan involved in the trafficking of drugs and people.
The alleged gang’s boss is suspected of murder, while others are accused of selling drugs including cocaine, which they are said to have called “bresaola” after a popular dried beef in , on the phone.
The accused gang members are reported to have offered heroin and for sale too, carrying out transactions in in isolated areas of the ski resort.
Some wives are alleged to have also participated – taking their newborn babies along on occasion to reportedly avoid suspicion.
Italian police arrested 12 people who were supplying drugs in the ski resort of Livigno
The stash of drugs seized by cops in the raid against Albanian mafia
Policies for the ‘ultra-rich’
Paying for sex, whether in the form of ready cash or shopping trips, is as high on the agenda as drugs for Jessica’s UHNW (ultra-high-net-worth individual) a term for people with investable assets exceeding £23million – clients in France.
This, she says, is “where the dark side of skiing creeps me out”.
“When I listen to the conversations these men have about women, I have to bite my tongue,” says the trusted member of staff.
“The older guys have a policy of only dating or sleeping with women under 30.
“It is not unusual to find myself greeting an overweight 50-something banker and his tall, skinny 20-something girlfriend.
“Once, I was bold enough to ask one of them why – he said he had worked hard all his life and ‘wanted to feel young skin against his’ and he told me that older women had too many opinions and they were ‘bitter’ and poor company.
“I’ve seen these men poring over OnlyFans accounts, using the site like an online shop to pick out the women they want and they always get it.
“Within the week, an OnlyFans girl might be knocking at the door.
“You’ll be amazed how many ex-public school girls there are on that site.”
If OnlyFans doesn’t come up trumps for Jessica’s sex-mad “divorced finance bros” or married men looking for a bit on the side, escort website Ski Bunnies has young women available for hire as companions in exclusive resorts including Meribel, Zermatt and St Moritz – the Swiss resort loved by royalty.
They include Sandra, a 30-year-old blonde who costs £2,000 a day to employ and Carolina, a 29-year-old ski instructor who charges £1,500 for 24 hours, with the website’s homepage promising “a close and open-minded girlfriend there day and night only for you'”.
“I know of people who had sex in a bus stop, in a kids’ ski school play area and in the toilets of a busy bar,” reveals a veteran ski rep of her time working in Tignes, a popular resort in the French Alps.
The resort of Crans Montana in Switzerland, where 40 people died in a bar fireCredit: Alamy
Footage showed the Swiss bar engulfed by flames
Hundreds of mourners gathered to leave flowers and candles at the sceneCredit: Getty
French couple the Morettis, who own the Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, a resort popular with the rich and famous, are currently under investigation for manslaughter by negligence, bodily injury by negligence and arson by negligence, with the deadly fire thought to have started when sparkling candles were held too close to the basement bar’s ceiling.
A report in French newspaper Le Parisien revealed Jacques had served time behind bars in the south of France some 20 years ago, on charges related to prostitution and kidnapping.
Answers are being demanded by devastated families and angry residents in the locale, with the mayor of Crans-Montana, Nicolas Feraud telling how the council was “profoundly sorry” the bar had not been inspected for five years before the deadly fire and former employees claiming the venue’s emergency exit was “always locked”.
Deadly blaze at world-class resort
A year earlier, a in the mountain ski resort of Kartalkaya, , killing 78 people including 34 children and injuring a further 137, some of whom had leapt from the 12-storey building to escape the flames.
Hotel owner Halit Ergul, his wife and two daughters were given life sentences after being found guilty of severe negligence for the January blaze that broke out in the restaurant. It was the deadliest fire in Turkey’s history.
The world-class resort’s deputy mayor and the local fire chief were also handed maximum sentences for their part in the devastation.
An inquiry found safety equipment didn’t work and gas appliances hadn’t met the required standard.
Hilmi Altin, who lost his wife and nine-year-old daughter in the tragedy, said: “I go to the cemetery each day. No psychologist can ease such pain.”
Meanwhile, in December 2024, 12 people in the Gudauri ski resort in Georgia died from carbon monoxide poisoning, after sleeping in accommodation above a restaurant.
While ski resorts have long been known as meccas for UK holidaymakers planning to let loose on the slopes and on the apres scene, the latest tragedy in Crans-Montana has left resort workers past and present, who say they have borne witness to further near misses, stressing that safety must remain paramount.
“In the evenings, the culture of showing off continues,” warns Jessica.
“Despite the tragedy of Crans Montana, buying bottles of champagne stuffed with sparklers, dancing girls and fanfare seems to be an integral part of five star hotels and members’ bars in The Alps.”
A blaze in the Turkish ski resort of Kartalkaya left 78 people deadCredit: Getty
An inquiry found safety equipment didn’t work and gas appliances hadn’t met the required standard at the hotelCredit: Reuters
Eze Chidiebere Paul
I'm dedicated to creating high-quality content that informs, inspires, and delights. If you have any questions or suggestions, don't hesitate to get in touch. Happy reading!
