Kluhspies Reisen - Demand For School Ski Camps Unbroken

Skiing weeks with the school class are a good thing and do their part to ensure that the future of winter sports is secured. In order for such a school trip to be successful, meticulous planning is necessary. your winter. your sport. interviewed the two leading providers in the tour operator industry: Arndt Kattwinkel (Managing Director of Klühspies Reisen with 45 employees from Halver in North Rhine-Westphalia) and Jörn Knissel (authorized officer and department head for ski and sports travel at alpetour with 130 employees based in at Lake Starnberg). Together they bring around 100,000 schoolchildren to the mountains every year. 

A winter sports week offers enormous added value: for students, teachers and the class community - but also for accommodation providers and ski areas. Knissel is of the opinion "that a winter sports week is the best school trip ever". Kattwinkel agrees that the idea of ​​team building is paramount on a school trip. 

Corona pandemic survived well 

Astonishingly, the industry survived the corona pandemic well, the two school ski class professionals report in unison. At least they would have good news from the post-Corona period in their companies. The Klühspies managing director notes that his company has “similar booking numbers to those before the pandemic”. Knissel confirms: "The demand for school ski camps is unbroken - we are fully booked." And those who book a class trip with alpetour and Klühspies mainly want to go skiing. That was the case 15 years ago and is still the case today. However, what has changed in terms of school trips over the past few decades is the duration of the trip. In the past, ski school trips were usually booked for ten to 14 days, says Knissel, who adds: "Nowadays, most people go for seven to eight days. “ It is a great network that the two tour operators have built up. After all, both companies live from a very high core group quota. So from schools that book every year. A good sign for both – and that the quality of the offers is right. 

Challenges in finding accommodation 

No class trip without accommodation – that is clear. At the same time, the search for accommodation is also “the sticking point of the school skiing issue”, as Knissel puts it. For him, one explanation for this is above all that many family-run pensions have a successor problem. When it comes to a school trip, however, the overall package is always decisive, as Knissel knows. That means: Affordable accommodation, cheap ski pass and rental, ski bus logistics, ski school and lunch in the ski area. In order for young people to continue to go skiing, they need to work together. "We have to get together with tourism regions, mountain railways and accommodation operators and put together packages," demands Knissel. 

Kattwinkel fully agrees with his interview colleague. At the same time, he appeals to “responsible tourism managers who know where and with whom to seek talks”. Because such a cooperation with students also offers the inns many advantages. A very important one, according to Kattwinkel: "School classes come continuously." 

Further information 

The entire double interview with the two school ski class professionals can be read here: www.bit.ly/schulski class professionals. In addition, by the Safety in Skiing Foundation and the association representatives of the Your Winter initiative. your sport. developed platform www.wintersportschule.de   used annually by more than 10,000 teachers. There are sometimes lists for planning a winter sports week as well as checklists and material lists that are extremely important for the success of this trip. Because the success of such a winter sports trip depends to a large extent on the preparation and organization.