 Poster: A snowHead
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rob@rar, The real boom started early/mid 70s - something like half a million school kids per season. Today I think the number is nearer 100,000. Many of those boom time kids are now in their mid 50s and we know lots drop out from their 50s onwards.
I think you have a few weeks left in those legs don't worry.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Bode Swiller wrote: |
| I think you have a few weeks left in those legs don't worry. |
One can but hope!
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Bode Swiller wrote: |
On my trip at New Year I was struck by how few familes there were - vast majority of the Brits I saw were 30 - 60 singles and couples. Let's face it, with family budgets being squeezed, it's no wonder that the ski hol has to give.
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This could be because New Year week did not fall in school holidays for most people this year. Therefore only those with children in private schools not going back till this week or those who took their children out of school for the first 3 days of term would have been able to go. There doesn't seem much point in taking the children out of school for the second most expensive week of the season.
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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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| Richard_Sideways wrote: |
| Bode Swiller wrote: |
| ... especially via school trips... |
Good point. The old school trip used to be a good introduction to skiing and snowsports. I remember them happening even at my old comprehensive, although I never went myself. Do they still happen? |
yeah more than ever if my frds little sprogs are anything to go by.. they are all at it now
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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It was the 70s/80s school skiing thing that got me into it. I probably wouldn't have had the opportunity otherwise. After school I managed a couple of Uni group trips and worked a full season, then had to take a huge break until I was able to afford to go again. No family commitments, just paying off student debt commitments. I expect this is quite rife these days, they currently estimate a minimum of ten years for graduates to pay off their debts, after which they may want to get on the property waggon instead of going on holiday. The majority of people I meet on ski holidays are my age (40+) either with no kids, or grown-up kids. We seem to have the most disposable income.
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| Quote: |
In terms of demographics most resorts are full of student groups, young people pre-sprogs, then relatively few families can afford to ski whilst the sprogs are really young.
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depends on the resort - you can't generalise like that. Many smaller French resorts have probably never seen a student group (just one of the many advantages of smaller resorts......) and tend to be full of families. Often three generational families. Which partly explains the huge difference between the holiday periods and the lower season times - much more marked than in the big TO resorts. In quiet times, like now, there are a lot of older skiers. In a restaurant where we had lunch yesterday it was quite noticeable - the four old boys on the table by the window were at least 70.
Very nice lunch by the way. Dish of the day was calves liver, huge helping, half litre of drinkable plonk, coffee, 32 euros for two.
Maybe because many older French people are more competent skiers than holiday Brits (with markedly less tendency to be fat) they don't have to give up at 50.
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| queen bodecia wrote: |
| No family commitments, just paying off student debt commitments. I expect this is quite rife these days, they currently estimate a minimum of ten years for graduates to pay off their debts, after which they may want to get on the property waggon instead of going on holiday. |
For me student debt isn't a huge concern, I've got rid of my overdraft and my load repayments come off like an extra tax every month so I don't really notice it... It's not like the old system where you had much faster repayment schedules (but a much smaller loan to begin with).
Most students who started in 2006 onwards are in the same situation. So it's not a pressing concern in that I'm worried about meeting the repayments like with a conventional loan or mortgage, there's just 50 quid of my payslip I never see.
Worked out at my current rate of repayment it will take 44 years to repay my loan (not counting interest!!), but fortunately it will be written off in 2036 anyway...
But that's balanced by the fact that I have no kids, my rent is low as only need small place, council tax correspondingly low etc etc. There's far less demand on my income than on say, my parent's income.
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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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bobmcstuff, yes I realise it has changed considerably since my student days. There were no 'student loans' as such then, you took your chances with bank loans and graduate loans. It took me 8 years to pay mine off but I did a postgrad course after my degree course and had to pay off the fees for that also (undergrad fees were paid by LEAs in my day and a lucky few received a 'maintenance grant', not me I might add). The current system lands graduates with much higher debts but far more reasonable repayment terms.
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| snowymum wrote: |
| Bode Swiller wrote: |
On my trip at New Year I was struck by how few familes there were - vast majority of the Brits I saw were 30 - 60 singles and couples. Let's face it, with family budgets being squeezed, it's no wonder that the ski hol has to give.
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This could be because New Year week did not fall in school holidays for most people this year. Therefore only those with children in private schools not going back till this week or those who took their children out of school for the first 3 days of term would have been able to go. There doesn't seem much point in taking the children out of school for the second most expensive week of the season. |
I went on 26/12 and returned 2/1 so got end of Christmas week too. I DIY'd and it was not expensive.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| pam w wrote: |
| Maybe because many older French people are more competent skiers than holiday Brits (with markedly less tendency to be fat) they don't have to give up at 50. |
I wasn't suggesting that people give up at 50 because 50 is the new 35, but there is a drop out rate starting from 50. Obviously there are tons of 50 / 60 / 70 year olds who ski but for varying reasons there's a drop out rate not being matched by younger newcomers.
France has fat unfit people too you know.
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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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Skiwelt, well Brixham and westendorf where full of kids at the weekend..usually aviod these kind of resorts so was surprised how many tiny kids you could fit in a lift queue
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| queen bodecia wrote: |
| bobmcstuff, yes I realise it has changed considerably since my student days. There were no 'student loans' as such then, you took your chances with bank loans and graduate loans. It took me 8 years to pay mine off but I did a postgrad course after my degree course and had to pay off the fees for that also (undergrad fees were paid by LEAs in my day and a lucky few received a 'maintenance grant', not me I might add). The current system lands graduates with much higher debts but far more reasonable repayment terms. |
Let me get the violin out, guess your weren't paying £3.5K a year like my youngest is (albeit with a loan) with no guarantee of being able to use his degree at the end of it.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
France has fat unfit people too you know.
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indeed. But you don't see many of them round the mountains, streaking over mountain passes on their bikes in the summer, with brown stringy legs like chickens, or skiing in winter (especially, round here, cross country and touring).  I'd be dubious about generalisations about lack of younger newcomers to the sport, too. Again, we see plenty - we enjoyed watching some school groups today (big responsibility for their teachers!) and also quite a few sub-school age tots being shepherded by parents or in 1:1 private lessons with ESF instructors. Nice, safe, quiet pistes for them at the moment.
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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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| saikee wrote: |
| I am interested to learn the views from others but my experience tells me the number of piste users turning up at the skiing resorts is declining. |
The UK ski market has been shrinking since 2008.
The global ski market has been flat since 2008.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| saikee wrote: |
(3) The gradual decline of the exchange rates for the UK skiers/boarders. |
I'm curious the percentage of brit's in the european (& world-wide) ski population.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Kel, no. I repaid about £10k in total which comprised living expenses for 6 years including 2 abroad and course fees for my postgrad. This was over 20 years ago so not sure what that would equate to in today's terms. The big difference was that mine was a bank loan with a 15% APR, I believe today's student loans attract little or no interest. The other big difference is that everyone and their pet monkey has a degree these days whereas I was in 5% minority and didn't have anywhere near as much competition for internships and jobs. I agree most students these days have a rawer deal than back then and higher education certainly now favours those with supportive parents with deep wallets.
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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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P.S. Apologies for thread drift!
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FAQ
