Ski and Snowboard Camp in Sestriere, Italy

Skiing and snowboarding on the Vialattea (Milky Way) area, which links Sestriere with the neighbouring Italian resorts and, across the border, with Montgenevre in France. The lift pass covers six days on the Italian side and two days at Montgenevre. Riders are placed in ability groups in the morning and in groups by affinity in the afternoon, and the day is built around covering ground: the group sets off with a picnic and skis the wider area instead of staying on the home slope. Skis or snowboard are chosen before departure. The operator states plainly that this programme is not designed for beginners.

The school offers a special discount - ask us for details. The published price covers accommodation in the resort, full board, the lift pass described above, supervision by a qualified team and the group journey from the standard departure city. Families travelling from another French city pay the supplement published for that city; every one of them is listed under extras. Choosing a snowboard instead of skis carries its own published supplement. Equipment hire is not listed among the published inclusions.

The group stays in a large hotel in the centre of Sestriere, at the foot of the pistes. Rooms hold from two to six beds and have their own bathroom. The stay is full board. The younger and the older age band are kept apart in daily life wherever the operator can arrange it.

Full board, described by the operator as balanced and served in generous quantity. Lunch is a picnic carried up the mountain so that the group can ski the wider area without coming back to the hotel in the middle of the day.

Skiing or snowboarding every day on the Vialattea area, with two of the days spent across the border at Montgenevre. Through the stay participants film each other and put together a Snow Motion clip, with the filming equipment supplied by the operator. Evenings belong to the veillees - the evening entertainment run by the team, which the operator counts as part of what makes a ski colo.

The camp is based in the centre of the resort at the foot of the slopes, so the group reaches the lifts and moves around Sestriere on foot. Accommodation, meals and the evening programme all happen in the same hotel.

A deliberately small camp: the operator runs it with a minimum of twelve and a maximum of twenty-four participants, one adult for every eight young people, under a qualified director and animators. Ability groups in the morning let confident riders progress at their own pace, while the two age bands keep their own daily routine where possible. Two countries' slopes in one stay, and a film of it to bring home.