How to Organise a School Ski Trip: Detailed 5-Day Itinerary

Please note: The following is an example of a typical 5 day school ski trip. The timings and activities described, will vary depending on your ski operator and destination. This guide is designed for a school that has never visited a ski resort before, this outline aims to give you a clear idea of how the trip may look during your week in the mountains.

Day One: Your journey to resort

Just getting to your ski resort is a important part of the adventure. Choosing between the various flight and coach travel options can be daunting, but your ski operator will help with this.

Flying is almost always the quickest option. Once you arrive at the airport, transfer times to the resort are usually shorter than coach journeys. With a flight, your group could be settling into accommodation by early afternoon, giving you almost an extra day on the slopes.

Coach travel can certainly be cheaper but takes longer. The journey might take a full day or more. You'll be tired when you get there (even if the children aren't) and by the time you get to the accommodation it could be late at night or even early hours of your second day.

Day Two: Arrival, Ski Fitting, and Accommodation Settling

Morning - After breakfast, your group will head to the ski hire shop for fitting your ski equipment. Experienced staff will get every student the correct boots, skis, helmets and goggles.

Once fitted, you will have some free time to settle into your accommodation, or explore the surroundings. A short orientation walk is a good idea, to get the children familiar with the resort.

Food is usually a cut above what you have to put up with in the school canteen, so after a hearty evening meal, you could get a short talk from the ski company rep about safety and ski etiquette on the slopes. Evenings usually include fun activities like quizes and games, or a snow based films to get everyone in the mood.

Days Three, Four and Five: Ski Lessons and Excursions

After a filling breakfast, its up and out early to being ski tuition. Your students will be grouped by their ski ability so that qualified instructors can work with each group at an appropriate level. Some schools ski every year and the children may all be competent improvers, but for the majority, skiing is a completely new experience and the lessons will begin with how to say upright! A morning session/lesson typically lasts around 2 or 3 hours, with breaks.

Lunch in resort at a cafe will fill you up again, ready to tackle the afternoon with renewed energy. This may be more ski lessons or supervised free skiing to practise what you have learned. Every programme is different but fun is often build in so expect some fun races or obstacle courses. You may also get to try other snow based activities, such as snowboarding, tobogganing, or snowshoeing.

Evenings back at the hotel or chalet include another good meal followed by evening entertainment. Again, every company will have its own plans for how to keep the children amused, but think pizza nights, quiz nights, and mini award ceremonies.

Day Six: Final Skiing and Equipment Return

Trust us when we tell you the week goes fast! The last morning in resort is a final chance for your group to practise what they have learned through the week, or just enjoy some free skiing time before saying goodbye to the slopes and returning all equipment to the rental shop.

Depending on your travel departure times, you may have some free time for last minute sightseeing or shopping before your journey home. For those travelling by coach, the journey back may start in the late afternoon or early evening.