School ski trips, essential to the future of ski holidays, could be lost to the pandemic

Annual school ski trips have long been the most hotly anticipated event in many a pupil’s calendar – a thrilling chance to go on holiday with your friends, without your parents, and to learn a new skill that looks insanely cool on YouTube.

In a year when youngsters have been forced to trade the classroom for their front rooms, and their teachers for the homeschooling efforts of Mum and Dad, it would be understandable if next year’s ski trip had dropped somewhat in the list of priorities.

However, while the number of schools offering holidays to the mountains has fallen in recent years and despite the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on both the travel industry and education sector, there is still a dedicated cohort, of educators, operators and a dedicated not-for-profit organisation, committed to getting British youngsters onto the slopes – a welcome light at the end of the pandemic tunnel.

The National Schools Snowsports Association (NSSA) is a not-for-profit membership organisation that works in close partnership with Snowsports England, the national governing body for snow sports.

NSSA’s ultimate goal is to encourage more children of school age onto the slopes. With a primary focus on strengthening the UK’s medal-hopeful sporting talent it also aims to share the delights of ski holidays with those that previously may not have had the opportunity to trade the beach for the mountains.

"We were working with several schools through our snowsports training business, Impulse Racing and Alpine. We then realised that there really wasn’t a great pathway out there for schools. There was one organisation running a series of dry slope races but these were not particularly inclusive and there was nothing beyond these events for many children," explains Phil Brown founder of NSSA and keen ski race coach.

The school ski trips and races that NSSA supports have become the breeding ground for some of the UK’s best ski and snowboard talent, particularly in Alpine racing. While some schools offer ski trips as a recreational activity many use them as training camps for their ski teams and students who are passionate about skiing as a sport, not just a holiday.

These students look set to lose out tremendously if school ski trips are shelved in coming winters, whether because of coronavirus or the impending strains of Brexit, with many harbouring aspirations to work or compete professionally in the ski industry. Without access to the slopes through school their dreams are left in tatters.

At the other end of the learning spectrum, the novice skiers who attend their school’s annual trip could also lose their only opportunity to sample the delights of a ski holiday or take their first turns on the slopes if the pressures of organising such trips become too much in the post-pandemic world. This group often don’t have the opportunity to go skiing with their family, for them school ski trips are a lifeline.

The Telegraph’s readers expressed the pivotal role school ski trips played in their childhoods and long-term passion for the slopes in a recent poll. "Was lucky enough to go every year with school back in the early 90s, very grateful for the opportunity (thanks mum and dad!). Still hooked now I’m in my 40s. It’s a shame more kids don’t have the opportunity due to costs or more likely risk aversion," wrote Ian Hattersley.

"Went each year with school skiing from 1982 to 1985, to Austria and Aviemore. Still go skiing every year with my family, my daughters have been skiing for 8 years and love it," wrote Debbie Sumner.

Aside from the obvious physical benefits of snow sports, ski trips provide a range of valuable experience to students ranging from team building and linguistic skills as well as building confidence and independence – virtually every box of the curriculum is ticked.

Hurstpierpoint College in West Sussex saw four ski trips cancelled last season because of the pandemic, one recreational holiday, two race trips and a training camp in February half term. Fred Simkins is director of outdoor education at the college; he believes the benefits to pupils are simple and has already signed up to two trips for next winter, virus pending. "Ski trips allow non-team sport pupils to enjoy a sport together and the travel and residential setting brings groups within the school together. While the ski racing has a considerable impact on those pupil's confidence," he said.

The college’s commitment to providing snow sport opportunities for its students has led to a number of past pupils racing at university and international level plus others going on to train as ski instructors after they leave school.

However, despite the benefits championed by the NSSA and its member schools there are still a number of barriers preventing more students from hitting the slopes. "In many cases it’s perceived cost but there are operators out there who can make these more cost effective. Sometimes there are no teachers at the school with any background in, or desire to run, snowsports either as a trip or UK based activity," said Brown.

Helping bridge the gap and facilitate trips is Halsbury Ski, which specialises in school ski trips, and delivers 140 each season as one of the biggest Abta and Atol protected specialist operators. Last winter 90 of its trips were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic and restrictions brought in on travel, leaving hundreds of youngsters disappointed.

Keith Sharkey, chairman and founder of Halsbury Ski, agrees that price remains to be the biggest hurdle for many students, and unfortunately there is little hope of the horizon that the cost of ski trips will come down. However, Halsbury believes education bosses could help ease the strain on parents’ purse strings.

"The best thing that could happen would be the ability for schools to travel in term time, rather than just in February half term and Easter. The costs of travel and accommodation in off-peak periods drops enormously and travelling and skiing in January or March means fewer people on the roads and the pistes and thus less travelling time, less queuing, more skiing and greater safety with fewer other skiers to get in the way," said Sharkey.

"Skiing is a relatively expensive sport. Going skiing with your school is probably the cheapest way for anyone to experience skiing. Many families could never afford to all go away together – with three, four or five people in a family it would be a huge expense, but it becomes more manageable and affordable if you are only sending just one person at a time."

Telegraph reader Rachel Holweger reiterates this point in the recent survey: "It was my first introduction to the sport. 40 years later I'm still skiing but now with my family. I still remember the school ski trips so well. I really hope they can continue particularly for children whose families can't afford to all go together," she wrote.

Halsbury is also positive schools will want to return to the slopes in the wake of the pandemic. "We are hoping that by 2022 school travel will have returned to normal and that school ski trips will be back to booking in their normal numbers. In the meantime we expect that some groups will want to travel in 2021 and we already have around 40 ski groups booked for 2021 with more enquiring every week," said Sharkey.

Telegraph reader Sarah Elizabeth is one such teacher who has been dedicated to taking pupils to the slopes each winter. "I run our school ski trips, after every one I say that’s the last, but there I am a couple of months later organising the next! I never had the opportunity when I was a pupil as out of our price range. I love giving pupils the opportunity to experience the slopes, hearing their stories at the end of the day, seeing their progress and beaming faces makes the red tape and paper work worth it," she wrote in ode to the beloved school ski trip – long may they continue.

Did you go skiing when you were at school? Or are you keen for your children to take up the sport? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.