Top 9 tips when planning a school ski trip

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.

We know that planning a school ski trip can be a big responsibility. We also know that teachers are brilliantly organised, and to make things even easier when planning a school ski trip, we've highlighted a few helpful considerations that can sometimes be overlooked. Take a look below:

1. Communication with parents is key

You might not have all the answers, but what you do have access to are parents who know their kids inside and out. Two important questions to ask them are: does their child have any allergies or dietary restrictions? Is their child's birthday is during the trip? Both these questions can help our hotel staff during the planning stages to ensure your trip runs as smooth as possible.

2. Group counts

As a previous ski rep, I have seen all sorts of methods for ensuring you have everyone, so figure out what yours is! You could choose to allocate each student a 'buddy', a group leader for the week, or even a designated number to remember for the week which they call out when asked.

3. Divide and conquer

Organising and executing is a big task, but that is why it is best to organise your school ski trip as a group of staff. Decide who is responsible for what element of the school ski trip. Will each of you take responsibility for a group of 10 students, or will roles be divided so that one leads on first while another manages permission slips?

4. Your staff are your support network

It's important to consider lots of factors when choosing trip staff. Who is first aid trained? Who can already ski? It may be good to have a variety of abilities to support the variety of abilities of your students. It's an added advantage if a staff member speak the local language!

Some schools have a designated teacher responsible for their groups' passports, boarding passes and GHIC cards during the trip, all organised in coloured folders to keep everyone organised and accountable.

5. Bring spares, and then some

Students will lose stuff. No matter their age or how many times they've been skiing, stuff will go missing. Bring a bag of spare ski socks, gloves, goggles, toothbrushes. Students will likely pack spares, but they too may go missing. Check out our recommended packing list here.

6. Put a timeline together

Work backwards from the end of your trip and note any key dates and deadlines. Different schools have different deadlines for trip approval and parental permission, so don't lose track.

7. Consider your students' abilities

Some students may be frequent skiers, and for others it may be their first time. Consider the right ski resort for your group. Alpe d'Huez and the SkiWelt are two resorts that provide a wide variety of pistes.

8. Organising 'spending money'

All our SkiBound trips provide students with opportunities to purchase souvenirs, confectionary and keep sakes of their trip. It's important to think about this for your students. Are they allowed to take cash? Is there a limit? Will the students oversee their own money or will teachers be responsible? Cash may be easier to keep track off, but then there are different currencies to consider. Card is an obvious alternative, but relies on parents providing safe bank accounts, as well as children remembering important information.

9. Passports

The most important thing to look after on your trip. Make sure to check with parents that passports are well in date. It's also important to understand the requirements depending on your destination. To enter North America, you'll need an ESTA or ETA, so do your research and speak to your SkiBound contact if you have any questions.