Another Travel Firm Goes Under
British skiers planning winter trips should double-check their bookings. Ski Yodl Ltd, a Norwich-based operator that sold Alpine ski holidays, has entered voluntary liquidation and cancelled all outstanding bookings.
The company launched in March 2018, offering ski packages to European destinations along with self-catered chalets, apartments, and hotel accommodation across the Alps. It positioned itself as a marketplace of hand-picked mountain stays, run by ski industry veterans with decades of experience living in resort towns.
The firm was founded by Oliver Dannatt, who previously worked as a private ski instructor for Richard Branson, alongside business partner Simon Latarche. For more than eight years, the company operated as part of the UK ski holiday market, serving customers looking for Alpine breaks.
What Happens to Existing Bookings
As of 22 July 2026, Ski Yodl Ltd lost its protection under the Association of British Travel Agents. According to ABTA, no ABTA-protected package holidays were active at the time of liquidation, but accommodation-only bookings may be affected.
Customers who paid by credit or debit card have a route to recovery. ABTA advises them to contact their card issuer directly to request a refund through the card's purchase protection scheme. Those who paid via bank transfer face a more complicated process: they must register a claim with the appointed liquidator, RCM Advisory Limited.
The distinction matters. Card payments often carry built-in protections, while bank transfers leave customers as unsecured creditors in a liquidation, competing with other creditors for whatever assets remain.
Part of a Wider Pattern
Ski Yodl's closure is the latest in a difficult summer for UK travellers. Just weeks earlier, GVI, a tour operator that arranged conservation volunteer projects abroad, also entered liquidation. Young people who had paid thousands of pounds for summer placements were left without trips or refunds when GVI shut down on 1 July, removing its website despite advertising trips in the days leading up to the announcement.
The timing of these collapses raises questions about the financial health of smaller travel operators. While large package holiday firms are typically ABTA-bonded and offer strong consumer protection, niche operators selling accommodation-only or specialist trips may not carry the same safeguards.
For travellers, the lesson is stark: payment method and protection status matter. Card payments offer a layer of security that bank transfers do not, and ABTA membership provides a safety net that disappears the moment a company loses its status.
Checking Your Own Booking
Anyone who booked through Ski Yodl should act quickly. Contact your card provider if you paid by card, or reach out to RCM Advisory Limited if you paid by bank transfer. The sooner you register a claim, the better your position in the queue of creditors.
If you have a ski holiday booked with any operator, verify that the company is still trading and that your booking is protected. ABTA maintains a searchable member database, and the Civil Aviation Authority offers similar protection for flight-inclusive packages through the ATOL scheme.
The collapse of small operators often happens quietly, with little warning to customers. Ski Yodl's eight-year run was longer than many startups manage, but longevity is no guarantee of stability. As the travel industry continues to recover from pandemic disruption and faces rising costs, more firms may struggle to stay afloat.
For now, Ski Yodl's customers join a growing list of travellers caught in the fallout of company failures, left to navigate refund processes and rebook trips on their own.
