Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

No snowboarding on school ski trip

231 replies

Gentillie · 28/11/2024 18:30

This is so frivolous I know!

My DD is Y8 she has two very close friends and they are all going on the school ski trip in January. Today one of the friends dad has complained in our group chat non stop about how they aren’t allowing his daughter to do any Snowboarding, he claims he’s offered to send her with equipment etc.
Now when it comes to it, it’s because his daughter is better at snowboarding, she’s been going on a trip with her dad every half term since she was a child and always doing private snowboarding lessons. He keeps making it clear she can ski but isn’t as advanced.
He’s now asked a slightly larger group chat of parents 7 kids worth, to join him in complaining to the school as it’s unfair she won’t get to snowboard.
One of the parents has pointed out that it will be because for lessons they will split into ability groups and even if they made a snowboard group she’d probably be too advanced as it would be a small minority who would pick it.
Others have agreed it’s very unfair and will be joining him in complaining.

AIBU to think he’s being very precious and his DD can ski with everyone else for 5 days? Is this normal in your kids school or do they let them ski or snowboard.

OP posts:
ChimneyRock · 28/11/2024 19:20

StormingNorman · 28/11/2024 19:16

Have you ever been on a ski holiday?

Show quote history

About to embark on my 25th trip in January. What has swimming in half a pool got to do with it?

Longma · 28/11/2024 19:20

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines. at the request of it's author.

LaPalmaLlama · 28/11/2024 19:20

OP I dare you to write “ but isn’t snowboarding basically dying out?” and watch the dad lose his shit.

Babycote · 28/11/2024 19:19

I feel like a lot of people commenting haven't skied very much.
The extra equipment is trivial, it all comes from the same place.
The staff ratios are the same, teachers wouldn't ski with the kids anyway.
The slopes are the same
The only thing that is different is you would have a dedicated snowboard lesson.

MassiveOvaryaction · 28/11/2024 19:18

What an utter bell end. His poor daughter must be so embarrassed.

Littletreefrog · 28/11/2024 19:17

StormingNorman · 28/11/2024 19:16

Have you ever been on a ski holiday?

Show quote history

A ski holiday is not the same as a school ski trip. School trips are not holidays they are structured activities with restrictions on what you can do and where you can go.

neverbeenskiing · 28/11/2024 19:17

StormingNorman · 28/11/2024 19:12

I grew up skiing and a ski holiday has always meant skiing and snowboarding. Within the ski holiday industry a ski holiday can mean skiing or snowboarding. Follow the link for an example…

It is not at all obvious to an experienced skier that a ski holiday does not include snowboarding. In fact it would be quite unusual. The usual assumption is that you could do either.

https://www.neilson.co.uk/ski?gadsource=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAxqC6BhBcEiwAlXp459gMJMx7w4TjDwnJ3Ion3B4d3tEPVvNr0EMfFZFABfVner4CjlT4xoCB2MQAvDBwE

Edited

This isn't a holiday. It's a school trip, which means the school decide what activities are on offer. They aren't obliged to cater to individual children's preferences, and they don't even have to justify their decision to not offer a particular activity. Assuming the trip isn't compulsory, parents and kids who don't like it are able to opt out.

If this parent feels so strongly that a few days skiing with no option to snowboard will be detrimental to his child, then he should have checked with the school before paying the deposit.

StormingNorman · 28/11/2024 19:16

ChimneyRock · 28/11/2024 19:15

It really isn't the same thing at all.

Show quote history

Have you ever been on a ski holiday?

kittybiscuits · 28/11/2024 19:16

kittybiscuits · 28/11/2024 19:14

Is he going to complain that there's no days in France on the German exchange because his daughter speaks French? What a PITA. How crap for the school to put up with this nonsense.

Whoops. Didn't read TFT

ChimneyRock · 28/11/2024 19:15

Ponderingwindow · 28/11/2024 19:06

It wouldn’t even occur to me that a ski trip wouldn’t be both ski and snowboarding. At this point it’s like saying we are going swimming but only using half the pool.

It really isn't the same thing at all.

Longma · 28/11/2024 19:15

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines. at the request of it's author.

kittybiscuits · 28/11/2024 19:14

Is he going to complain that there's no days in France on the German exchange because his daughter speaks French? What a PITA. How crap for the school to put up with this nonsense.

Barrenfieldoffucks · 28/11/2024 19:14

Gentillie · 28/11/2024 18:55

Out of curiosity, others who have kids who have done ski trips, have both skiing and snowboarding been offered?
The school runs the trip annually so while he’s being a total A-hole this year he might have a point asking for it to change next year if this is something that actually is possible.
It’s about 50/60 kids a year but I don’t know how many are in the lessons.

Ours had both, but it was made clear that both would only be offered if the numbers were viable.

As in, there were 40 spaces available overall. Groups were made up of 8, so if 8 people wanted to snowboard they would make one group of snowboarders and the remaining 32 ski.

As it turned out, 8 people (including our daughter) expressed an interest in boarding or both, so they did run one group.

But if only 3 for example had wanted to board, it wouldn't have been arranged.

skilpadde · 28/11/2024 19:13

If the school was doing a language exchange trip to France, would he complain because his DD has been learning Spanish and he thinks the school is consequently obliged to provide a trip to Spain?

He's a twit.

EmberAsh · 28/11/2024 19:13

Suggest that he plans and organises a youth snowboarding trip. He can give up his time and energy to look after other people's children to take them to do this activity if he's so passionate about it.

Longma · 28/11/2024 19:12

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines. at the request of it's author.

StormingNorman · 28/11/2024 19:12

I grew up skiing and a ski holiday has always meant skiing and snowboarding. Within the ski holiday industry a ski holiday can mean skiing or snowboarding. Follow the link for an example…

It is not at all obvious to an experienced skier that a ski holiday does not include snowboarding. In fact it would be quite unusual. The usual assumption is that you could do either.

https://www.neilson.co.uk/ski?gadsource=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAxqC6BhBcEiwAlXp459gMJMx7w4TjDwnJ3Ion3B4d3tEPVvNr0EMfFZFABfVner4CjlT4xoCB2MQAvDBwE

neverbeenskiing · 28/11/2024 19:11

He's a twat.

If you want to control what activities your child does on a trip, you need to plan a trip yourself and take them on that trip in your own time. You can't sign them up for a school trip and then throw a tantrum when it doesn't cater to their individual preferences.

This sort of demanding and entitled behaviour from parents is happening more and more unfortunately, and it's why so many of our staff who used to volunteer to run trips won't do it anymore.

Sparxdislike · 28/11/2024 19:11

It's also my understanding the cost is significantly higher and they need minimum numbers. I would say he's approaching it the wrong way. He would be better to ask if it's an option they would consider if they had the numbers. The organisation/risk assessment etc for these trips is so detailed. He does sound very entitled.

Original poster
Gentillie · 28/11/2024 19:11

LaPalmaLlama · 28/11/2024 19:10

I would LOVE to be a fly on the wall of the staff room

Well apparently an email has been sent and if he doesn’t get a reply for lunchtime he’s going to go in and talk to them?

OP posts:
LaPalmaLlama · 28/11/2024 19:10

I would LOVE to be a fly on the wall of the staff room

edwinbear · 28/11/2024 19:09

He sounds like a prick - you can perhaps understand why he’s divorced! DC’s school ski trip letters have always made it clear they don’t offer snowboarding as part of their trip. I’m assuming because a) it’s easier for first timers to pick up b) it would be a logistical nightmare trying to sort kids not only into ability groups for ski-ing, but also snowboarding and c) I think the staff who accompany each group are skiers rather than boarders.

Why on earth would the DD want to spend all week in a snowboarding class/group on her own anyway, whilst her mates are all off ski-ing in a ski lesson/group? It’s not like anyone would witness her Olympic standard riding skills if she’s stuck in a group by herself?! Would be bloody lonely and miserable.

Sparxdislike · 28/11/2024 19:09

My child's school offers both (snowboarding costs more as smaller groups).

LIZS · 28/11/2024 19:07

Maybe she would rather ski with her friends and keep snowboarding with him.

Ponderingwindow · 28/11/2024 19:06

It wouldn’t even occur to me that a ski trip wouldn’t be both ski and snowboarding. At this point it’s like saying we are going swimming but only using half the pool.