A look at school skiing trips to Austria and what you can do to make sure your students have the best holiday possible.

Austria has long been one of the most popular school ski destinations. The reasons are obvious; there are excellent slopes on which to ski with plenty of novice options, the resorts are used to catering for groups of enthusiastic school children and all are easily accessible from mainland Europe.

Where to go
All of the ski resorts in Austria provide the same standard of accommodation and slopes for their visitors but some are more expensive than others, so deciding where to go will depend a lot on your budget. Total Ski resorts such as Salzburger Sportwelt, part of the Ski Amade region, have no less than ten resorts to chose from, all of which offer excellent facilities for school groups. All the accommodation in these areas are close to the ski lifts and the village centres. The villages of Wagrain and Zauchensee are especially good for groups travelling late in the season, as the snow stays a little longer on their slopes. Rauris is classed as a ski value resort and has a slightly lower price tag, but there are still plenty of places to eat and drink in the evenings, an indoor swimming pool and bowling alley for those evening hours off piste.

Accommodation
The use of a company experienced in organising school ski trips is highly recommended. These people are after all the experts and are fully governed by the major travel industry standards of ATOL and ABTA. If you use one of these companies to organise your trip, you can expect your accommodation to consist of dormitories of four to six beds for the students, with shared twin rooms for the teachers and companions. Children have shared bathroom facilities while the adults have en suite rooms with a television and a safe for keeping the groups valuables under lock and key. Hotels have bars and dining rooms with entertainment facilities for the youngsters, including discos. If you are staying a total ski resort, the skiing pass allows the youngsters onto the slops of the entire Ski Amade region, with over eight hundred and sixty kilometres of piste.

Value holidays
Ski value holidays are ideal if this is the first time you have taken your students to the slopes. Ski resorts have several value options. If you chose one of these holidays you will get all equipment hire and ski passes for six days, full board accommodation, transport including ferry crossings, lessons and an hour’s lunchtime supervision, allowing you to relax and get back some energy. There is also full comprehensive insurance cover that includes a snow guarantee, meaning that should the piste be closed, you will be refunded the skiing costs of that day.

With so much top quality support, there can be no better time to stop thinking of taking the students on a ski trip and actually do it. Using a reputable company to organise your trip will mean that you can sit back and enjoy your holiday with the gang.