 Poster: A snowHead
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Any teachers, parents or pupils want to share information on school ski trips. I run one every year but interested in other people's experience of companies, resorts etc. Value for money? Rip off? Positives/negatives?
We run a trip to St Sorlin D'arves every year and stay in the UCPA centre. Take 110 13/14 year olds
Positives - 5 hours tution a day, lots of varied skiing, no real lift queues, excellent food 4 times a day, everything self contained in the centre - Disco, pool table etc, cheap. Only our party stay in the centre. 
Negatives - very basic accomodation, not ski in/ski out, instructors/staff dont have good english (though i often see this as a positive encouraging pupils to speak French, some people may see as negative),
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I've worked for Interski in the past (based in Pila, La Thuile and Courmayeur) and seems to be a pretty well organised and regarded set up for school ski trips.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Are a good set up and supportive of teachers that run trips (courses etc) just cant accomodate numbers we take especially in half term week (or at least couldn't two years i tried)
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My Daughter went to Courmayer last February with Interski and had a very goot time, esp the teaching ratio for her group 1:2 of advanced skiers. Talking to the teachers thay also had a good time as Interski were very organised and had clearly defined what they expected of the teachers from the outset.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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There was a trip from a school in South Wales last year that went ahead with just two pupils! Two members of staff went to accompany them. Not sure what ratios they had in lessons 
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I suspect that it is rare for a school trip to have ski in/ski out accommodation. I've stayed in a range of levels of hotel, from very nice to youth hostel. From a group point of view, I'd always pick the Austrian youth hostels. They are geared up for kids. I've stayed in 2 in Wagrain and one in Zell am See. In Austria we usually get English, Dutch or Scandinavian instructors, so they are all fluent in English. Even the Austrians have to pass an English exam before they can work. The downside is the longer coach journeys.
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garethjomo, I worked with a group where there were 4 staff and 6 kids
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they had one for the school that my six form is a part of.
It was a waste of £600.
You have to get a 3 mile bus journey everyday.
Only 30 places for all the school. So you ve got a mxture of legal drinks 18 to bed wetting 11 years olds.
Its rather low down top of lifts is 1800. I go to resorts at base height of 1800. and in easter half term when the older students are revising.
Going to a tiny ski area of about 20km in Austria called Hokhar-Gostling. longest run is 2km.
Poor hotel reviews
ski school all day isnt my idea of fun.
Im thinking of organising about 20 people from our six form to go in 2008/9. I wish the school ran a good ski trip. Yours sounds rather good.
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Christopher, consider going with the UCPA in France. They're designed for people of your age and fairly cheap. They have centres in a lot of the big resorts. Its about £350 for full board, ski pass, lessons, equipment and thats in peak week. Would have to hire a coach to get out or get cheap flights though. Also helps if someone can speak a bit of French.
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thank you very much
i won the award for year 11 french student at the awards evening the othernight for last year! along with my A in french. i was well chuffed!
so yeah i might enquire. They have a base in serre che!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Yes. They have a website. They in Les Deux Alpes , Argenterre, La Plagne, Val D'Isere etc too.
Bonne chance 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Christopher, yes, they have a couple, one in MOnetier about 200m from my apartment.
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I've been on school ski trips since Year 8, for a total of 4 times, to Serre Che, Alpe d'Huez and an obscure little place called Crest Voland (twice). Overall I can't fault any of the trips. In all cases we had 4 hours instruction per day (with ESF), plus an hour extra skiing after morning and afternoon lessons on many days with a competent teacher. Ironically I think the best instruction I had was in Crest Voland, but in all cases the instructors spoke excellent English and, in my opinion, the instruction was great. Our accommodation was good overall, and in every case close to the slopes (although not quite ski in/ski out). The place we stayed at Alpe d'Huez this year (forgot the name again) wasn't as good as previous trips in terms of food/food that kids would be likely to eat, but apart from that it was all good
The main negative for me is that the instruction groups often span a wide range of abilities, and people progress at different rates. The (so-called) 'advanced' group often consists of anyone who has had previous experience, which covers a very wide range of experience, and can be frustrating to the better skiers in the group, who feel that they're going too slowly or not getting much out of it.
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| instructors/staff dont have good english (though i often see this as a positive encouraging pupils to speak French, some people may see as negative) |
I'd definitely consider that to be a negative. I don't think that pupils of that age would have anywhere near good enough French to be able to have lessons conducted in even the most basic French. The vocab wouldn't be there, and I don't think they'd have a good enough understanding of grammar to understand the full meaning of what the instructor was saying. Sounds more like a recipe for disaster than anything else 
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You know it makes sense.
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mark_s, Lessons are conducted in English on our trip. Some instructors have excellent english. Some very weak. We'd put French speaking teachers with these instructors so has never been a problem. We try to encourage pupils to speak French in a social way to instructors and chefs etc.
As i said can be considered a negative but we try to turn into positive and it almost always succeeds.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Ah, I read it that you were trying to encourage the kids to speak French throughout their lessons, in a learning context instead of just socially. That makes far more sense now
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Poster: A snowHead
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garethjomo, I have worked (instructed) for two different companies that specialise in school trips. PM me if you would like an opinion of the resorts, hotels I have worked at.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Have been on, and then helped organise, a number of ski trips at my old school. Most bases covered, from youth hostels to decent hotels and also both flying and 'coaching'. I'll reply properly tomorrow when I've rested my eyes... (or more accurately dug out the stuff I've still got lying around on my laptop). Until then, if you fancy acquainting yourself with the trips, overviews of them can be found here.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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garethjomo, don't you run into some sort of legal problem if you offer all the elements of a trip? I had an idea that it suddenly turned you into a tour operator and landed you with all kinds of obligations you didn't want.
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The insurance etc is covered by the education authority. Obvously you have to use a bus company that is part of ABTA or you're not covered to travel abroad. Its the UCPA then who offer all the elements of the trip. Schools tend to do this sort of thing a lot without using travel companies for rugby tours etc. No doubt in the next ten years all school trips will be stopped etc for fear of liabilty. As a teacher organising a trip you can actually be liable for anything that happens on a trip even if you use a tour operator if court decides you didn't use an appropriate one!! Thats why its essential to do SCO award and register with snowsport Wales/England/Scotland which gives you liabilty insurance up to 2 million pounds.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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garethjomo, I sometimes wonder why teachers bother - vast amounts of hassle/responsibility and everyone telling them how lucky they are to be on a free ski holiday (conveniently forgetting about the 100+ teenagers, presumably). 
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Lizzard, true. But then you always get the set of teachers who believe that they are on a free ski holiday and ignore the hassle/responsibility
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Lizzard, and wives on your back for going away without them! Is a rewarding experience to take kids, who will never get a chance to ski otherwise, away and seeing them progress.
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Elizabeth B, had one such last season - useless git. Teachers disappeared to the pub after skiing on the first day and left 50 kids on their own in the hotel - no procedure for checking them back in after skiing or anything. Our rep had to sit the party leader down and explain his responsibilities. The kids were a nice bunch, but ovbiously misbehaved because there was no discipline or supervision at all.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Lizzard, I've had several. One school left the 6th formers in charge every evening
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On the plus side, out of about 16 groups last year we only had one whose kids we really didn't like and one where the teachers were rubbish. Our last group was Lincoln Minster Prep, mixed group of kids and parents (always a potential nightmare) and they were lovely. The party leader was one of the best I've seen - I'd send my kids to their school any time!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Elizabeth B, did you see the programmes about "The School in the Woods"? They left the school (OK, only 30 12yos) in the charge of a bunch of 16-18yos for three weeks - classes, meals, school trips/field-days, the lot!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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GrahamN, no, I missed it.I saw a trailer for it, but was working that evening and forgot to record it.
How did it work out?
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You know it makes sense.
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Christopher, I work with that age group and would never do them down. However, being responsible for 14 yr olds on a residential is beyond most people with years of training 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I suspect that my kids will be offered ski trips when at secondary school. If they continue at their current rate of progress before that time I can see them both reasonably competent by the time they have the opportunity offered. I do wonder whether kids that can already ski are catered for on most of these school trips. If not then, given their obvious cost, I can't see the point in kids that can already ski actually doing them. Has anyone here done these sorts of trips to know how they are pitched?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Megamum, it depends on the school, the kids that go and the LEA.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Megamum, most groups we see range from complete beginner to kids who have done several family trips. The instructors sort them into groups according to ability on the first day, and we usually have kids doing everything from flocon to gold badges each week. They also get other things out of the experience than just ski lessons - it's about much more than how good your parallel turns are.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Megamum, as Elizabeth B said it does depend on the school. My school is in quite a wealthy area so we take a lot of kids and many of them have skied before. Some have 30+ ski trips under their belt at 14. Others have never put a pair of skis on before and may never again. (more job satisfaction taking the beginners)
As Lizzard says there is more to a ski trip than improving your technique. Its a chance to do something you love with your friends instead of just family.
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garethjomo, really impressed by your thread.
As a parent I want to congratulate you for keeping your school trip cheap. My eldest daughter goes to a local private day school and looking at the line up of cars at 4.00pm there are obviously a lot of very wealthy parents but I am sure that there are plenty of others like me for whom the fees are a huge stretch. Unfortunately Hull schools are the second worst rated in the country so many people here like me who went to excellent comprehensives themselves reluctantly either move out to the East Riding or find the cash for private schools when their children reach secondary age.
I had decided that I wanted Connie to go on the school ski trip even though we have both loved the 2 annual trips we have taken together as I recognize that at 16 it is a whole different ball game going with your mates and she would have a ball. I then learned that the cost of the school trip was over £1,000 per head, without lunches, extras or spending money; that they were going to North America and were staying in 3/4* accommodation with spa facilities 2 to a room with a queen size bed each. I was so disappointed, this is what I pay for 2 of us during the school holidays and has placed it out of my budget. To me this goes against the whole ethos of school trips which I think should be about giving students access to experiences they may not otherwise have.
The idea that school kids need luxury accommodation is obscene. I went on a school trip to Italy when I was 15 and moaning about the watery spag bol and yellowing apples on offer for our half board meals was all part of the fun as was sleeping four to a room which was spartan, safe, clean and en suite with hot water.
Those pupils whose parents can write a cheque for over a grand for a school ski trip could probably go skiing even if there was no school trip on offer if they really wanted to. Whereas when I went on my school skiing trip it was the only way I could have gone as my parents would never have gone skiing in a million years and the cost was low enough for them to happily pack me off, - the same was true for my best mate at the time.
I realise that skiing is never cheap-cheap and had braced myself for maybe £700 including tuition and ski hire.
My thanks to any teachers following this thread for getting out there and giving our kids the fantastic opportunity to experience the mountains. Please, please keep the costs as low as you can without compromising safety.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Thu 29-11-07 11:43; edited 1 time in total
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Hullite, I sympathize. That trip would cost £1500 with extras. I first went skiing on a school trip (youth hostel in Norway - ferry and train - brilliant experience) and it cost my entire savings bank balance - £40, I remember vividly (yeah, well, it was in the 'sixties). My mum told me I had just enough in my bank book (15 years worth of presents from grandparents etc) and that I could do the Norway trip if I liked, but then it would be gone. As I said on another thread I was 40 before I could afford to go again. My daughter's BF is a PE teacher and has done several ski trips - it's how he learnt, alongside the kids, and he's got a lot of satisfaction from it. But that's in a fairly low end comprehensive, and was low budget/top value. I absolutely agree that luxury accommodation for school kids is a nonsense. If they are rich kids, then spending time in hostel accommodation, sharing facilities, etc. should be part of their education. But then I suppose the poor little rich girls and boys wouldn't want to go?
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what experiences do people of busing it to the alps? with a load of school children.
I can imagine it is horrible, but im sure someone will prove me wrong. Im not a fan of long journeys and have always flown.
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Christopher, I've done it a number of times. I personally don't like long bus journeys...but I've never found it any worse with a school group that with any other group.
On the way out they spend a lot of time eating crisps, sweets, fizzy drinks etc. You put a dvd or 3 on and then most of them will sleep. On the way back, they've usually been skiing all day, so crash out pretty early on.
Dpending on age, it's always worth having a few games/quizzes up your sleeve. I would always prefer a sea crossing as that breaks the journey up more than on the tunnel.
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Christopher, I went to Courmayeur on a coach with school in the 80's. It was knackering, yes, but a great laugh as there is a novelty to being on a coach high on monster munch and coke (in my day the liquid stuff) with all your mates. It is a great way to bond with the people you don't yet know very well. You do also get a great sense of travel going by road, even at 15 I enjoyed seeing the landscape and vernacular architecture changing as we drove through France and into Italy, and seeing the alps after a long journey was unforgettable. We found the trip forged inter-year friendships that would never have arisen otherwise and these lasted the rest of our time at the school.
With an i-pod, a book and an inflatable neck pillow (recommended) you can tune in or out as you fancy.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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School skitrips rock.
They are a valuable life experience for pupils.
And they foster the next generation of riders.
All the upsides far outweigh the downsides.
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Christopher,
I been doing it for 7 years now and i don't mind it all. Few films, quizzes and bingo etc. Also gives you a chance to talk to pupils on individual basis. Also great for getting to know other staff. I find it more relaxing than a plane journey after a frantic half term in school.
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FAQ
sentimental and its going to be great going with friends in future.