What happens on a ski trip arrival day?

Daisy Mae Shuttleworth - Marketing Intern at Experience Education 

Daisy Mae has recently joined the Experience Education team, before working as a ski rep in Alpe d'Huez with SkiBound! Daisy studied Marketing and Management at the University of East Anglia and loves to travel, having interrailed around Europe and explored West Coast USA. 

This blog lays out the groundwork for a ski trip arrival day at one of our exclusive SkiBound Clubhotels. Teachers love to know what they're walking in to, so this blog will clearly show the process of an arrival day. Arrival day is all about making things simple, smooth, and stress-free for both teachers and students. From the moment you step off the coach, our team is there to support you, not just with logistics, but with the pastoral reassurance schools tell us makes all the difference.

Our SkiBound Clubhotels are:

• The Skilt in Les Menuires
• The Vallee Blanche in Alpe d'Huez
• The Frejus in Serre Chevalier

Arrival at the Clubhotel

Once our airport reps have met the school group, they will be directed to their coach. Bags will be organised, and heads will be counted, before departure to the SkiBound Clubhotel.

As your coach pulls up outside one of our SkiBound Clubhotels, your school is met by our friendly in-resort reps, who immediately take the lead so teachers can focus on checking in with students, rather than worrying about practicalities. Students will grab their bags and make their way to the hotel entrance, it's a pretty simple process! Teachers will ideally support the reps in organising the students with their bags and ensuring everyone is off the coach. One rep typically tends to lead the line of students, with the other bringing up the end.

Each rep has a different system. To make it easier, reps usually tell students to take any suitcase. Bags will then be exchanged inside the hotel, which makes the whole process much smoother. However, some schools would prefer for students to take their own bags, just let the reps know, and that works too! This structured welcome sets the tone for the week, and gives teachers instant peace of mind, knowing your group is in safe, organised hands.

Meeting the Clubhotel team

Once inside the Clubhotel, there's plenty of staff to make your welcome a warm one. You should have met both reps, and the hotel manager should be by the entrance to greet you.

There is also plenty of extra support around too, including assistant managers, and general assistants. All our staff receive extensive training, and only the top candidates make up our Clubhotel teams, so you really have the best support. Feel free to ask lots of questions, as they're there to help! For teachers, this means you're never left managing everything alone; there's always a trained, capable member of staff ready to step in, answer queries, and take the pressure off, so you can focus on your students.

First briefing for teachers

Once everyone is inside the hotel, there is often lots going on. Usually, students will be given their rooms before ski fit begins. However, timings change each week. One thing that does not change however, is the first day briefing. Teachers will be called together, to run through the goings on within the week. This is normally carried out by the Clubhotel manager and at least one rep. This structured briefing ensures teachers feel fully informed, prepared, and supported from the very start, removing uncertainty and giving you complete clarity on how the week will run.

Topics discussed at these teacher briefings are usually:

• Dining timings, which will align according to the other school groups, and ski lesson times.
• Allergen information. This is already confirmed way before resort, but reconfirmation is important.
• Use of balconies and lifts. Each school has different rules and risk assessments, so this needs to be clarified.
• When the practice fire drill will be.
• The protocol for if a student is ill / not skiing that day, as staff will need to be informed.
• Any other important information

First briefing for students

The teacher briefing is a priority on arrival day, to make sure all staff and teachers are on the same page. Additionally, students will also have a first day briefing. A good time to have this will be during their first meal in the restaurant, but this will differ for each hotel and its' manager. Having a separate student briefing ensures that information is delivered in a clear way, helping pupils understand expectations, routines, and safety procedures without feeling overwhelmed.

Topics discussed at student briefings:

• Whether or not students can use the lifts or the balconies (according to the previous teacher briefing)
• Where the fire exits are, and that there will be a fire drill
• How to get to the slopes in the morning, and the process of getting ready to leave the hotel
• That our staff members are there to help, so please ask them for support

Settling into rooms

Once students are assigned to their rooms, they will be given a room key and told who they are sharing the room with. Before arriving at the resort, rooming preferences should have been communicated. Some teachers give their students the option, but some schools just have the teachers decide. Depending on which SkiBound Clubhotel you stay at, rooms can vary from 2-6 beds per room. Each room will have an ensuite, with a shower, toilet and sink.

It's often a good idea to let the students know beforehand which room they will be in, so when they are given their room key, the process is as smooth as silk. Our Clubhotels have several floors, and where possible, we will keep each school to one floor. This means you can easily keep an eye on your students and know which doors to knock on to get them up in the morning!

Exploring the Clubhotel

Let's be honest, the first day into resort can be a busy one. So students often don't have the energy to do apres activities in the evening. This is a great opportunity for students ( and teachers ) to get to know the hotel.

Often reps will have organised a town trail, whereby students can go around the resort in small groups, answering questions and getting to know their surroundings. It's a great way to settle in, whilst keeping them busy. If students don't want to take part in the town trail, there is plenty of social areas, and games rooms to explore too. This gentle first evening gives teachers a much-needed breather after a long travel day, while still keeping students engaged, supervised, and safely occupied as they find their feet in the new environment.

Getting ready for the first skiing day

The night before, ski fit would have taken place. Skis, helmets, poles and boots would have been fitted, and a lift pass assigned to each child. Afterwards, each school should have neem shown a designated spot to keep their skis, and other equipment. Name tags should also be given out, to make it easier to keep equipment organised.

It is a big task for the reps to help everyone with their equipment, so it is really appreciated when teachers help with boots and helmets. It's also nice to see more experienced students, helping first time skiers. There's often only one rep, helping over 50 students get their gear on.

Students can be organised by making sure they have everything with them before they come out of their room. Once ski boots are on, they cannot walk around the hotel with them, as they damage the carpets. Once ski boots are on, they cannot walk around the hotel with them, as they damage the carpets. So even if a student has left their gloves in their room, the boots will need to come off first. The first day can always be a tricky one, especially for those first time skiers, so keep an eye on them. Our staff are around to help in any way they can, and after the first day on the slopes, students will be able to get ready in their sleep.

Top Tip: Bring a bag of 'spares'. Extra gloves, socks, and goggles. It's always bound for one to go missing, so if you've got spares readily available, it ensures no one is held back

Once everyone is ready, the ski rep will guide the group to the ski lifts and to their ski instructor meeting point.

Final words

It sounds like a lot of information, but our team are prepared to help you every step of the way. Hopefully now your ski trip arrival day, seems much easier. Our exclusive Clubhotels are a great opportunity for doorstep skiing and a specific SkiBound rep, so contact our team to get planning your school's next ski adventures!