Ski Trip Support and Advice

Whether you're organising your first school ski trip or a seasoned party leader, putting together a top-notch ski trip for your school can often seem like a monumental and daunting task. However, you don't have to do this on your own, we can help! We've put together a list of helpful information and advice on how at Equity, we can support you in running your next ski trip and hopefully put your mind at ease

Designated Travel Advisor and Destination Specialist

From your first enquiry you'll be designated your own regional Travel Advisor, who'll be able to suggest resorts and audited hotels if you're undecided on what ski resort is best for your group. You'll then be appointed a destination specialist who'll work with you to tailor your booking; organising lessons, evening entertainment and any desired excursions.

Inspection Visits

Inspection visits are a great way for you to assess and familiarise yourself with resorts and hotels. Every year we run Inspection Visits (often referred to as IV's in the school travel market), which are hosted by our Travel Advisors, hotel staff and ski instructors.

During our Easter IV in the French and Italian Alps, our brand ambassador and four-time Winter Olympian Chemmy Alcott came along to ski and give advice to our party leaders.

We asked Chemmy about her experience of our most recent IV and this is how she responded: "An inspection visit may sound like a jolly, but it's anything but. The teachers are fully focused on the safety and happiness of the students, learning how to support the ski instructors, motivating those who are facing confidence hurdles and responding to those who are a bit chilly up on the mountain and taking them back down to get a hot chocolate. The experience allowed the teachers to improve their skiing technique, discover their group needs and compare notes with fellow party leaders."

If you're interested in attending our next IV to Italy, we'll be running our next one from 5th April, returning on 9th April 2020. The IV will be a 4-night stay based in Hotel Roma Aprica, with the opportunity to ski across the 3 days in Aprica, Passo del Tonala and Folgarida, as well as visit our accommodation options in these resorts.

Snowsports Course Organiser (SCO) Course

In partnership with Snowsport England, we offer free* places on SCO courses, which is a basic six-hour course designed to give party leaders the skills necessary to organise a ski trip for groups.

Our next SCO course will be taking place on Wednesday 6th November 2019 at Xscape - SnoZone in Castleford, Yorkshire.
*subject to booking trip with us and availability

Alpine Sports Course Leader (ASCL) Award

Want to improve your skiing and learn how to supervise a group on the slopes? This week-long course teaches you how to supervise and develop your students on the snow, without the need for a ski instructor.

Before applying to this course, it's important to be aware you must be a competent skier with more than 6 weeks of skiing experience to be able to qualify to attend the ASCL course.

Help with Promoting Your Trip to Parents, Students and Senior Leadership

Sometimes it can be difficult to drum up interest for a school ski trip on your own, so we have created a wide range of resources to help promote your tour to both parents and the senior leadership team. From letter templates to promotional posters, PowerPoints, brochures and videos - you'll have direct access to all these materials from our website and online portal. Plus, we can arrange for your regional Travel Advisor to come in and present a parents' evening, as well as discuss more details in person with you.

Flexible Payment Options

We understand how difficult it can be for students to fund their trip, so we only ask for an initial deposit to confirm your booking and final payment isn't due until 12 weeks prior to your departure.

Online teacher portal

Our unique teacher portal 'My Equity' allows you to login to your account with us and view all your documents in one, centralised place so you don't have to trawl through your emails to find important information. Your account will hold all the information you need for your trip - from accommodation details to payment schedules and passenger information.

24-hour support

We fully understand taking a group of students on a ski trip can sometimes be a daunting experience. However, you'll have no need to worry, as we'll always be on hand to resolve any issues or in case anything unexpected happens.

From the moment you set off on your school ski adventure, you'll have access to our Duty Office on call 24/7. The phone is staffed by an experienced team who have the details of your tour, allowing them to deal promptly to any problems that may occur during your trip.

You'll also be appointed your own designated ski representative, based at your chosen resort, who will be able to answer any queries you have and solve any problems - whether that be reserving a table at a restaurant or changing an evening activity.

We hope this information has made you feel more confident about booking your next school ski trip and remember, even though it may seem like a huge task organising a ski trip, we are always here to help you.