School ski trips to France

Are the French ski resorts crowded?

This is a question lots of teachers ask us. While there are obviously honey pots, most school ski specialists will have clubhotel accommodation away from the busiest areas, giving your school a bit of breathing space. While you don't want to be stuck out in the middle of nowhere, you don't want your group to be spending too many hours each day queueing for the lifts or seats in a local cafe. France's large resorts are able to cater for many thousands of people while not giving you the impression of being too crowded.

Facilities

The French invest heavily in their ski resorts each year, creating facilities that are pretty much unrivalled in the Alps. Upgrades to lifts and cable cars reduce queues to get back to the top of the mountain; one of the few tedious parts of the school ski holiday experience! Other top notch facilities include so called snow parks –designed for snowboarders and slopestyle skiers. These are great fun, especially if you have some more experienced students in your school group.

The Food in France

Don't worry, in this mountainous region of France, you will find less in the way of sophisticated French bistro cuisine; instead, heartier mountain fare is the order of the day. Your students will enjoy steaming soups and stews, plenty of potato and meat dishes, and although not especially authentic, pasta – which is ubiquitous in the Alps. Even the resort cafes you will encounter have a different take on eating, serving up the food in record time compared to the rest of France, as the know you are all in a hurry to get back out on the piste.

Five reasons to choose France for your next school ski trip...

Ease of Travel – France is nice and easy to get to for UK school groups. You can choose to fly if you want to get there quickly, or go by coach for a more leisurely journey, or even the special Eurostar ski train if you want to arrive in style.

Bilingual resorts – Ski school trips to France are a good opportunity for your students to practice their French language skills. Most French resorts are English speaking due to the huge numbers of British tourists, but there is still plenty of French to soak up.

Choice of resorts – What France lacks in character and charm, it makes up for in mega resorts and joined up ski areas. Places like The Three Valleys, and Portes de Soleil. The variety and opportunity for skiing is unrivalled, with many hundred of kilometers of runs to explore.

Reliable snowfall – Ski resorts in France are located in a high altitude part of the Alpine chain. This means the snow fall is very reliable, especially once winter has arrived in force. A lack of snow would be disappointing for anyone's holiday, but for a school group it would be a bit of a disaster.

Slope side accommodation – The large, purpose built French ski resorts, complete with state of the art lifts and transport networks, are also well provided for when it comes to accommodation. For school groups, plenty of clubhotels and ski in ski out chalets on the side of the mountain mean make life easier for party leaders.