how much can we expect to pay for .....

[auntyquated]

7 nights skiing for 2 adukts and 2 childern - 11 and 7 - during half term week. in total - so including ski school, lift passes, etc etc

we have no idea at all, never ever done package hol so don't know what is cheap/expensive.

ta very muchSKI

Probably £2.5 - 4k depending where you go and type of accommodation etc

we were thinking of the cheaper resorts BUT £2.5K!

Sorry Half term is peak week of the season so basic costs are high and some discounts won't apply. Try looking at the Thomson Learn to Ski resorts which give free lessons etc and you may be able to keep the cost down or have a look on Igluski.com for offers. The larger resorts can be horribly busy too.

thanks Lizs I will look at Igluski.

You can keep the cost down if you don't mind drving rather than flying, and self catering. And going to a resot which perhaps isn't one of the best known/biggest areas.

It is definitely cheaper to book direct too (accommodation prices have a low, mid and high season and don't go up sharply just for our half term weeks as UK tour operators will have you believe). Not sure if the low cost flights are out yet but they tend to be snapped up early and you may want the reassurance and organisation of a package anyway.

Ski-ing's an expensive habit as a family - but brilliant fun. You can keep the costs down by:

• driving (use Tesco Deals for Eurotunnel if you have them).
• self-catering (don't eat out in the evening, and always take a packed lunch out with you)
• shopping around for equipment hire and ski school, which will save a bit - you can book most things online.
• stay outside a resort rather and compromise on ski-in, ski-out. We're going to Brides-les-Bains which is a half-hour gondola ride from Meribel.link{http://www.brides-les-bains.com/index.php?location=/uk/accueil.phpBrides-les-Bains \description} Not as convenient as staying in a resort itself, but prices are about 30% less than staying in Meribel. That should keep it below £1500, maybe less.
• also, borrow ski gear for the kids if you can, or go to places like Aldi or Lidl for it.

Invest in a few lessons on your local artificial slope if you've never been before. That way you'll learn the really basic stuff before you go and will get better value out of your time there.

Or if you don't want to do that look for places which have one or two free lifts for beginners, or a cheaper restricted ticket, to get you through the first few days. No point in paying for a full area ticket if you don't need it. Look at the resorts own websites for this info, the big tour operators often won't tell you about it as they like to sell you a full price ticket so they get their cut on it.

I am a teacher at a school in Sheffield and we use a company that charges us £550 a head for our school ski trip. They have told us that they will keep this price for 2008 ski season. Most offers we receive are in the region of £700 (coach) per child. We add on a few pounds to the price the company charges us to cover additional costs such as a few trips to the local dry ski slope.
We used to take about 50 individuals but the trip has become so popular that I now take two coaches. I dont know if you are allowed to post links to commercial interests on here but if you want to check out the company we are using, they are called Snowslippers and their web address is www.snowslippers.co.uk There are some tesemonials on there from schools, including ours.
I know it is a worry when your children are away but the ski trip is a great way for them to learn new skills, not only skiing but social and intependant development!