Schladming, Austria - 2012 half term school trip - advice ??

A snowHead

My son has just had notice of a school trip 2012 half term to Schladming in Austria,
can other snowheads please give help with:

1) The resort of Schladming, suitable for school trips & my sons abilities (see also below:)

2) What questions, in additiona to those below, I should be asking of the school ?
a) Is the travel organiser ABTA or TTA bonded as they are travelling by coach.
b) The Ski school they will be with & will he be able to be grouped within his experience & capabilities.

Bearing in mind the following preliminary info. supplied:
The school has been with this supplier before but there are other resorts possible.
All transport is included
6 nights full board, incl. lunches on mountain.
6 days equipment hire, incl helmets (My son will be taking his own helmet).
6 days lift pass
5 hours ski instruction per day for 6 days, with qualified instructors.
Comprehensive medical insurance
All evening entertainment.
En-suite rooms

My son by then would have had 9 weeks of skiing, having done his ESF schools for Flucon, 1, 2 , 3'eme Etoile & his Etoile de Bronze, as well as having skied with us adults, without lessons, all over the 3 valleys (includes a week at Paradiski & a day out at Tignes) for 5 weeks, confidently capable of reds, blacks & moguls. Whilst he is confident & capable I am sure some additional tuition would not go amis.

The price seems right for half term and the inclusions and it would be nice for him to have another weeks skiing at high season at another ski resort.

Thanks in advance
Noisey

A snowHead

noisey, Schladming will be great. Just get it booked as he will have a great time.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

noisey, I took large mixed ability school and youth groups to Schladming many times. We never had any total beginners as we also ran a weekly ski club to our local dry slopes, but as I also managed the regional ski squad we always had some young racers with us. We informed the ski schools in advance and had experienced youth race trainers looking after our racers. Regardless of which ski school you use there all the instructors will speak good Englöish and some may even be native speakers. The level of instruction in Schladming is very high, even for Austria as it has one of the Ski Academies for young talent based there and it is a big academy. Many who attend it do not progress into racing but move into instruction instead.

In view of what happened to some schools this year (the Skiing Europe/Chris Reynard debacle), it would be advisable for the teachers organising the trip to identify the company to the parents. Most of the specialist school holiday organisers are extremely well versed in all the aspects of risk-assessment and local authority requirements and have all the required bonds in place. Some of the most well-known names are also part of larger TO groups and have that added security as well. I would also expect to be given the name of the hotel, the ski school and the ski hire company if not immediately, as soon as possible. The contract for the coach company may not be arranged until the Autumn, but again I would want to know that as soon as possible, just to be on the safe side. I always made direct contact with the coach company and we discussed the various permutations for routing, entertainment and facilities on the coach.

The location of the hotel in Schladming or even it's name would be useful as several of us live in the area and we know the resort quite well. A couple of snowHeads actually live in Schladming. We could suss it out for you in advance if it is that much of a deal breaker for you wink

If he goes it will be a great week for him skiing with his mates and getting to know another resort in another skiing area - remember we had better snow as well this season wink

You never know he may even convert you Laughing

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Samerberg Sue, Frosty the Snowman, That is all really positive thanks, no hotel name as yet, I am not sure if they have been their before, they have used the travel operator before, they share the trip with another school and have done this several years and at the moment it is really to see numbers interested so hopefully I can ask the right questions now at this early time - but it cetrainly sounds great. As you rightly state, it wouldn't hurt to look elsewhere.
Noisey

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

The only worry I would have is that he would be able to ski and be instructed at his level. If he is the only really competent skier going, he could find himself in a group way below his ability. My experience of school ski trips is limited (2) but in Staffordshire students are only allowed to ski with an instructor.

The best-case scenario is that he will be the star skier and get lots of kudos. The negative might leave him frustrated by having to wait around a lot while others learn. As has been said before, ski trips are usually new experiences for people who would not otherwise get the chance to ski. Assuming all the TO stuff is right, I would ask the leader of the party what provision there will be for experienced skiers.

snowHead

You'll need to Register first of course.

Schladming should be great for him, it's a fun resort and a good size for a school trip, not so small they get bored, and not so big they can lose them in any serious way Smile

Lifts are fast, english spoken widely, equipment safety standards high and it's a big enough place to cope if anything awful happens (doctors, hospitals, police etc) and only 1 hour transfer from salzburg. I'd be very happy for it as a trip destination. It's not a larger lout town either, so shouldn't be a bad influence that way either.

To Chris's point see if the instruction is dedicated to the school group or in with the ski schools normal business? If the latter he'll be fine - the standard there always looks high to me and I'm sure over half term they'd be running at least one advanced group.

hth, aj xx

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Thanks everyone for al lyour help & advice.
I have signed the slip, to put his name down & he is returning it to school today.
I wil lkeep you advised of any changes / info as it arrives.
Thanks
Noisey

After all it is free

noisey, your school teacher leaders should hold a parents information evening sometime. Make sure you attend and push for information about the levels in the groups. All the ski schools can provide instruction appropriate to the individual's ability and are more than willing to do so. If your boy is way better than is friends, he may find that he has to weigh up getting good instruction against being with his friends if their level is considerably lower.

I always contacted the ski school myself and made sure that they knew that we had some advanced skiers on our trips. Never caused any problems and the instructors who took the group of young racers always gave excellent tuition and had the kids clamouring for more.

Samerberg Sue, Thats good feedback, luckily I don;t think my son is too bothered who he skis with (he does ski with his dad after all !! Puzzled

).
When I signed the slip last night I did notice some thing I hadn;t before, they are sending the notice out to 1, 2, 3 & 4th years so there should be some older more experienced skiers that he can group with. Luckily as the school runs a house competition system, he does already know a lot of older pupils already and does make friends quite readily with people with similar interests, despite being a little on the quiet side.

I was also concerned that the hire shop may hand out equipment set for beginners so I have already told them I can supply his sizes & settings.

The problem is that typically on the first morning, initially he skis like a dead badger (driving me into tantrums of frustration rolling eyes

) so I don;t want him evaluated on the first morning and then that stand for the remaining week - as he tends to warm up and go balistic later on in the first day and then maintain that for the week !!. At easter he was skipping over moguls in front, just to tease me...

Luckily the school is very good and so far have behaved very proffessionally on other trips etc.. and I am sure they will have an evening info meeting for parents.
This trip is a reasonable price but still a big hole in the family finances but neither would I want to hold back on something that should give him a great boost, improve his skill level (as I am sure he still needs some tuition - as I am sure we all do) & confidence within his peer group.
It may also break down his aversion to talking with girls, as there are a large number planning on going, although he still sees them as a hinderence & a distraction !! Sad

Typical boy... I have no idea who he takes after... Puzzled

Noisey

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

pam w,
No, No , NO, NOoooooooooo. Shocked

Just talk, that would be fine, just talk !!

I'm too inocent for all that malarky Puzzled

It would be nice just for him to break down that little barrier & smile nicely & talk, rather than drop totally out of character & push the nice little girl over into the snow or roost them, showering them in snow while they are down and demand that they no longer follow him down the piste... Twisted Evil

He just can;t see that it is no way to make friends with other children in your chalet !! rolling eyes

Especially when it is a complement, often they want to be with the quickest / smartest skier in their peer group, rather than their parents whilst out on piste...

Oh Pam, my wife would have forty fits !! Smile

Thanks.... rolling eyes

Noisey

snow reports

noisey,

Samerberg Sue,
Sue, thanks again for your input, he does have boots & skis but as it is part of a package I will have him take the hire stuff (plus not worry of losses or damage or him leaving it behind).
It is early days and hopefully we will get chance to talk to the organising teacher soon, once she has ideas of numbers.

Certainly the more I learn about schladming the more I am convinced he will have a great time and perhaps we may have a try at Austria in Easter, rather than return to our usual 3 valleys chalet that we use at Christmas - I have emailed our friends to see what their plans / thoughts are for the 2012 season.

I am not sure if he will want to go into race school (the one reason he didn;t want to continue with ESF school was that the next step was race school), he did have a go at boarding once but I think he would rather improve his skiing rather than spend a week with either his face or his backside planted into the snow !!.
I was considering looking at whether we could do off piste tuition together at Christmas, with a view to possibly doing some off piste work with guide but I doubt if they would be able to do that as part of his school trip.

Although his ideas may change once he gets chance to talk to older pupils that have already been as I have told him to try to mingle & find out who has been on previous trips and once he has had his family Christmas skiing holiday - you know kids, the goals posts are continually on the move. Little Angel

Cheers Noisey

You know it makes sense.

what samerberg sue said Smile

Everytime i go to ski amade i am amazed once more at the awesome equipment and service there compared to any french resort i've ever visited Confused

Help!!

Schladming, Austria - 2012 half term school trip - advice ??

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