1) Uncrowded slopes

We’ve all been there; spending months planning and daydreaming about the school ski trip, only to find ourselves stuck in the dreaded February half-term lift queues! Although we Brits are renowned for our polite queuing ability, anything that means less time on the slopes will inevitably test anyone’s patience!

Travelling during term-time will guarantee less queuing for the lifts… if any at all! More skiing time, less time in queues, less time on lifts, less complaints from impatient students…no wonder it’s at the top of our list!

2) Quieter resorts

OK, so we may have taken the lead from our last point for this one, but after a morning of skiing, who wants to wait for their lunch? Or their turn at the bowling alley in the evening for that matter?

Although it’s not always possible to be first in the queue, hanging around and waiting for other groups to finish will undoubtedly lead to bored students – this is when misbehaviour is more likely to happen and incidents could occur. When travelling outside of the school holidays, you can guarantee that the restaurants and après-ski venues will be less busy, leading to a (hopefully) stress-free and more enjoyable experience for all. The students will have the freedom of the slopes, making learning easier with the benefit of the extra space.

3) Wider choice of hotels

Have you ever found that by the time you get permission from Senior Leaders to begin organising the trip, your favourite hotel or resort is fully booked? This tends not to be an issue when travelling in term time.

Want to try that resort that everyone raves about? You can!

Want to stay at that hotel that’s walking distance from the slopes? No problem!

4) More affordable for students

We all know that skiing isn’t up there with the cheapest of experiences, but what an experience it is! Simple economic forces of supply and demand mean that travelling within the school holidays unfortunately means inflated prices, making the trip out of reach for some. Changing your trip to travel in term time could open it up to an entirely different demographic of students, giving everyone the chance to spend time in the mountains, learning new skills. Even if they don’t take to snowsports, travelling independently from their parents/guardians is a real confidence booster for young people and part of a rounded education.

5) Educational benefits

How many times have you defended yourself to members of staff who think the ski trip is ‘just a jolly’?

A snowsports trip is a chance for students to learn a new physical skill, acquire knowledge and participate in healthy exercise in an unfamiliar, but controlled, environment. Most elements can be referred back to the National Curriculum too.

There’s no doubt that the educational benefits make a strong argument for term time skiing – paired with our previous point about lower prices making it more accessible to students, it really is a no-brainer!

6) Additional free places for staff

Ever feel like you could do with that ‘extra pair of hands’ to help you on the ski trip? Especially when it’s your turn to spend the day with the sick and injured whilst everyone else is carving up the slopes! We know – harsh, but true!

It’s very likely that this wish will become reality if you change to term time skiing. As a rule, operators offer more generous free place ratios outside of the school holidays to incentivise term time travel.

7) You get your holidays back

Yeah we said it. You think this point should have been at number one, don’t you? Now get out there and make a stand for term time skiing!!