No phones on ski trip

[AreTheyMad]

DD is going on a ski trip with school next week. We've just been informed they won't be allowed to use their phones during the day, only for an hour in the evening.
Would you be happy with your DC not being allowed to take their phones on the slopes?

I think it's mad, and I'm trying to formulate a mail which doesn't sound over protective pub! It means they can't call if they get separated from the group, check the map, if they injure themselves. What if the visibility is bad? Am I overreacting here?

Given how several kids died in a school trip because the teachers ignored how sick they were and didn’t take them to a doctor I would not be happy with my child not being able to contact me. So I would not be ok with that.

And how exactly do you mitigate against a white out?

Do you know the size of the groups?
Do you know which slopes they will be ski-ing on?

Probably not and neither will the parents or the children or probably even the teachers at this stage, because much will depend on the snow conditions, the weather and the abilities of the groups.

I have no doubt that every effort will be made to keep the children safe. However, it is impossible to mitigate against all risk - particularly with outdoor activities. Why wouldn't a mobile phone be considered a useful, sensible and practical tool?

@FordExplorer why do most Y6s have a phone? If a Y6 can’t cope without a phone for a few days on a school residential then they have a serious problem

I don't know how some of you let your children out the door in the morning.

@FordExplorerthey all have phones in year 6?? Certainly not the case at our school so wouldn’t even be an issue. Ours do a week long residential in France in year 6, with no phones allowed at all. Not aware of anyone not going or of any issues whilst they have been away.

Several people have already explained the reality of teenagers with phones on the slopes - it's the same as the reality with children on phones everywhere - lack of focus, tunnel vision, no awareness of surroundings.

Sounds like they'll be plenty of room for my other dc on the ski trip next year due to some of these responses.

Imagine your dc giving the reason for not attending any school trips as their mum not letting them due to no mobile phones!

@BlackRowan have you got a link?

Because, as has already been pointed out multiple times, school ski trips from the UK do not allow kids to ski without an instructor (at all times!) - instructors will take account of the weather and the children’s’ abilities and know the resort well enough to guide them to safety should conditions deteriorate. There are strict rules around numbers in a group etc, and in my experience of these trips, instructors always err on the side of caution when weather is poor.

Of course YABU, and your thread title is very misleading. They are allowed to have their phones for an hour in the evening, so 'no phones on ski trip' is an innaccurate statement. And yes, you are overreacting wildly @AreTheyMad

When did this happen?

@usedtobeaylis it is perfectly possible to ask them not to have their phones out during the ski tuition.

They will do stupid stuff with them if them have phones.

Like some will be messing around on the phones and hold the group up.

Others will lose their phones.

Others will try to use them on the lifts and then either total themselves when they are not ready to get off (it is quite hard getting off a wide lift) or drop stuff while they are faffing about with the phones.

So no phones - it's a good idea. Probably imposed by someone with more experience of trying to handle a big group of kids with phones than you.

@MargoLivebetter did you read the post from a ski instructor where students ignored that rule

When? What kids died on a ski trip because of 'teachers ignoring them?'

You are being unreasonable.

No UK school group is going off-piste or even onto black slopes without there being a qualified instructor with them. Schools undertake comprehensive risk assessments before any school trip is allowed, which includes understanding who will be responsible at any given time during the trip.

There is not an issue with older children having a phone on them as long as they adhere to the rule that it is for emergency use only - which of course assumes that they have been taught what to do in an emergency and are capable of actually doing what is required. Do they know the emergency number to call? Do they speak the language? Do they know where they are on the mountain? Can they do all of this under thestress of being lost or being with an injured person? The ski instructor and/or the teacher should be able to do all of these things, but what if it is the instructor who is injured or incapacitated?

[As I've indicated, I'm an experienced instructor. My group lessons always begin with a "safety briefing" in which I tell people what to do in the event of an accident, insist that people pair up with a buddy and show them where my phone, paper map and first aid kit are in case I'm the injured person. This has been the standard procedure in all of the ski schools that I have worked with in Europe]

So that they actually get the most out of the trip without sitting there not talking and scrolling on their bloody phones. I would rather they concentrate on what they are doing quite honestly!

I’ve just come back from an international trip with students. We did similar- they could have their phone for an hour in the evening then we collected them overnight. Worked really well.

@sittingonabeach sure. However, that was one post by one ski-instructor. Did you read my post where I helped people down the mountain in a white-out and then ensured that they could reconnect with their friends using their phones. These are all individual experiences, so not really deciding factors either way.

I guess we are going to differ in opinions, but I would rather know that my DC had their phones with them doing an outdoor activity in a foreign county.

Were they a school party with an instructor?

We put an air tag in my DD very expensive coat to track the coat, not her!

I’m not an instructor or teacher but have been skiing for about 40 years and regularly ski with groups of friends in the capacity of unofficial guide. They obvs have phones as it’s not a school ski trip. Having lost people on a perfectly sunny day in a resort that they knew well (we are talking good skiers in their 40s) I can tell you the phones were not a lot of use. They hadn’t paid any attention to where we were! Hard copy piste maps are much more useful. I’d also be interested to know the resort…most school ski trips (not all admittedly) go to smaller more contained resorts where it’s harder to get lost.

im sure staff will be with them and there’ll be a plan to meet up at X point if anyone gets separated. All kids should have a hard copy map and know how to use it. I have 2 kids who have bee. On school trips and who are both good skiers. I would 100% support the school’s phone rule.

Yes. It is bogus. Most of us manage to have a phone with us without staring at a screen every 5 minutes. The life where we “managed” without one was very different.

They are a part of life now, whether you have one or not. And if you are out on a mountain, even if you start out with a group of people, it’s a really good idea to have it with you.

People have skied for decades before phones were even invented.
There will be staff monitoring the kids
The phones will just be for selfies and social media.
Let them enjoy nature and sport without being attached to a device.
Oh, and don't be 'that parent'.
I am sure the school would be happy to refund your money if you're not happy.