Travelling and Arriving
Trip Details
Further information regarding your trip will be forwarded to you around fourteen weeks before departure. These will include departure from school, the ferry time, the eta in resort, the hotel room list and the breakfast voucher. Confirmed details will be sent two weeks prior to departure and these do not usually change from the previously supplied provisional details by very much, if at all. Supplying the hotel room list to you allows you to allocate students to rooms prior to arrival and we usually see groups slotting into their hotel rooms in about 15 minutes.
Outbound Breakfast
The breakfast stop (coach travel Premium All-Inclusive package only) is timed to be at around 08.30 and is made up of a continental breakfast and hot drink. The stop is made at a motorway service station which has been pre-booked to expect a coach party.
Hotel Room List
A hotel room list will be supplied to you in advance of departure date and you will be able to allocate your students accordingly. Once your room list is complete this should save time upon arrival and getting the group into the hotel rooms should be quick and easy. All hotel rooms that we use have en-suite facilities, and are for no more than four students, (apart from the Chalet della Luna in Claviere, where there may be up to eight).
Arrival in Resort
We time the journey to arrive in resort in mid to late afternoon. Hotel check-in is well organised, and quick due to the pre-prepared room list. There is then the opportunity to shower and change before equipment hire is arranged.
Arrival Day
An orientation tour can be arranged for the group upon arrival in resort. The tour designed to familiarise the students and teachers with the layout of the resort and town. This can take place on the day of arrival or the following evening. Please let us know if you would like us to organise this.
Equipment Issue
Arrival day is when everyone is fitted out with their hired equipment. We go to great lengths to ensure that boots fit properly, and that they are comfortable, however it is not always easy to get it right on the first attempt. We will change boots as often as necessary to achieve a comfortable fit, and the ski hire facilities we use are more than happy to help out in refitting skis and boots as often as is necessary.
Organising Lesson Groups
Experience tells us that the most effective and quickest way of organising groups is to leave the instructors to do what they do best. On the first morning, the groups are split into three – total beginners, ‘one weekers’, and those who have skied more. Average group size is ten, although these can vary from eight through to twelve to accommodate different ability levels.
The instructors are aware of the need to move skiers up or down ability groups according to the rate at which they learn, and by the end of the first day it will be clear if there need to be any adjustments to the groups to compensate for the very fast or slow learners.
The quality of the ski instruction in resort is something that we are extremely proud of, and the instructors regularly receive fantastic feedback from our schools. The instructors are calm, patient and good-humoured, and there is a lot of laughter during the lessons. They also understand the safety implications of teaching school groups and we have very clear understandings about where the lessons start, finish and at what time. Progress from the start to the end of the week is usually dramatic, and extremely satisfying for all parties involved.
The Return Journey (Coach Tours)
We depart resort in the evening, after a full day skiing and evening meal. Departure is usually around 18.00 and the coach will travel directly to Calais, making only comfort and driver changeover stops on the way.
The return ferry is timed for around 07.00 the following morning. A hot breakfast and drink will be supplied on board (Premium All-Inclusive package only) with vouchers issued on boarding. The group will arrive into Dover at around 08.00 and depart straight away back to the school.
