The residential is a trip organised by a core group of professionals, from schools and other backgrounds in education. It has been in existence for over 30 years! The trip has run annually and takes children in years 5 and 6 to the Alps for a week of skiing and to enjoy the character-building and cultural experience of being abroad for a week in a European ski resort.
At the moment, the trip goes to the Italian resort of Artesina in the Piedmont region of the Italian Alps. In the past, the trip has gone to many other resorts in both France and Italy.
At present, 120 places are open to the trip.
The trip is for all levels of ability, from complete beginners to expert skiers. Whilst it is great to take beginners, it is always a help to have some lessons on a dry slope or an indoor ski slope before the trip.
At present, the trip consists of three pickup points by coach. They are in Cockermouth, Penrith and Kendal. From there, the party travel to a local airport and fly to the Alps, then get a transfer from the airport to resort. The whole journey takes about 12 hours.
For 2025 we are pleased to be returning to the Italian resort of Artesina. The ski resort is located in the heart of the Maritime Alps, in the Piemonte province of Cuneo. The Mondolè Ski Complex consists of both the resorts of Artesina and Prato Nevoso. There are more than 100 Km of well-kept, first-class pistes and an ever-modernising ski-lift system. The resort sits at an elevation of 1300m and rises to over 2000m. It has a good snow record and is backed up with modern snow-making facilities. For beginners, we have extensively researched then secured a hotel with ski-in-ski-out access and a beginner’s slope and moving-carpet ski lift, right outside the door of the hotel. Surrounding slopes provide an array of interconnecting runs, suitable for developing skiers. With their instructor, the more advanced skiers have the opportunity to explore Artesina and its interconnected resort, Prato Nevoso, even skiing black runs!
The trip is organised by a core group of head teachers and other educational professionals.
This year we will return to 3*** Hotel Marguareis. It has an ideal location, with the ski school meeting point a few steps from the entrance. The hotel provides a very high standard of accommodation and as we will be filling it, we will maintain exclusive access, allowing for excellent security and safeguarding of the children. The bedrooms are of a good size and all are en-suite.
This year, the trip was launched using Eventbrite to secure places. The initial letter was sent out to headteachers for schools to distribute the letter to parents, well in advance on the launch date. This letter had that date on it and a link to the booking page. An initial non-refundable deposit was required to secure a place.
In short, yes! The trip 'sold out' in less than an hour this year.
We maintain a waiting list. When any places become available, parents will be contacted by email with an offer of a place. We usually request a deposit within about a week of asking, then agree a schedule for any further outstanding payments, depending on when the place was taken.
As the initial invite letter states, your deposit is non-refundable.
We do all we can to safeguard your child on the trip. We have exclusive access to the hotel for example - no other groups stay there that week. Most staff on the trip have been several times before. As with a child's needs in school, all dietary requirements at mealtimes, support for specific health conditions and any considerations for children with special educational needs can be met. Part of the booking process requires any information of this kind to be submitted. All children are split into small groups and allocated an individual leader, who will be your point of contact for the trip as we get closer to departure.
Yes, the price includes skis, boots and poles, a full area 6-day pass and 5 hours of ski lessons per day.
We currently travel with Select School Skiing. They are fully ABTA bonded. Comprehensive medical insurance is provided within your payment for the trip.
You child must have a valid passport, with a minimum of three months left on it from the date we travel home. They must also have a valid Great Britain Health Insurance Card (GHIC). We provide a comprehensive kit list of things to take.
Whilst many children have gone on the trip and enjoyed themselves as complete beginners, they will get much more out of the experience if they have had a few taster sessions or lessons beforehand. this could be on a dry slope or at an indoor centre. The advantage of a few hours just getting the feel of wearing boots and what it is like to slide on skis will take away the apprehension of a complete beginner and ensure much faster progress when on the trip.
As the trip runs independent of any schools, we are unable to accept childcare vouchers towards payments.
No - we believe that the children are there to ski, socialise and have a cultural experience. It is too much of a safeguarding risk for children to have unmonitored electrical items with WiFi/mobile phone coverage. We encourage them to bring card games, reading books and jotters but these are largely for the journey - they are kept super-busy most of the time they are on the trip.