Easter skiing holidays are always a firm favourite with families and a recent report by Club Med (Skiing Together: December 2014*) has found that almost half of all Brits (46%) who have booked a ski holiday will be travelling with their family. Therefore, to help families planning a last minute ski break this Half Term or later during the Easter holidays, Airport Parking and Hotels has created a comprehensive guide highlighting the ski school facilities at Europe's best ski resorts. This is available in the Know Before You Go section of the APH website, atwww.aph.com/skischools.

The research compares the ski school facilities available for children at Europe's popular ski resorts in Austria, France and Switzerland, highlighting the different age groups specified for each course, safety requirements, cost of classes and the extra activities provided by each ski school.

All the ski schools included in the research were found to provide a variety of facilities that cater for different age groups. ESF in Les Trois Vallées, for example, offer a crèche facility for non-skiing children aged three months to five years whereas Skischule Skiverleih in Kitzbühel and Ski & Board Skischule in St. Anton both offer ski lessons for children aged two and up. However, perhaps because  many children over the age of 14 would be happy to ski with their parents or in adult groups, only five of the 34 schools researched offer ski courses designed specifically for teenagers up to the age of 18, including Snow Sports School in Alpbachtal, Rote-Teufel in Kitzbühel, Oxygene School in Val d'Isère, ESF in Chamonix and Les Trois Vallées, and European Snow Sport in Verbier.

The cost of ski lessons varies greatly across the resorts, with ESF in Samoëns offering the most affordable option at £124 per child for a six-day course of group lessons, whilst New Generation Ski & Snowboard School in Verbier charges £430 per child for a six-day course. Families should also be aware that lunch is not provided by any of the ski schools and is an additional cost.

Most ski schools offer similar ski facilities for beginner skiers including designated children only ski areas and catering facilities, as well as the option of morning, afternoon or full-day classes for children.

With regards to safety, only a few ski schools such as Oxygene Ski & Snowboard School in La Plagne and Val d'Isère and New Generation Ski & Snowboard School in Val d'Isère, specified that helmets were compulsory during lessons. A further two ski schools, Snow Sports School in Alpbachtal and Element3 in Kitzbühel, offer free helmet hire for all children enrolled in their school, but parents should be aware that Austria is the only destination that make it a legal requirement for all children to wear a helmet.

For further information on Airport Parking and Hotels (APH) visit,

www.aph.com or call 01342 859515.

-ENDS-

Airport Parking and Hotels (APH) is the UK's award winning long stay airport parking operator and booking agency, after winning the Best Airport Parking Company for a fifth year running at British Travel Awards 2014. This year APH also celebrates its 33rd year as a retailer and operator of pre-booked airport parking and travel extras. APH offers parking at all major UK airports as well as airport hotels packaged with parking and airport lounges. APH is also a carbon balanced company and has, through support of the World Land Trust, helped purchase more than 1,000 acres of endangered rainforest.

Notes to Editors

*Club Med Report – Skiing Together: Winter Sport Holidays for Families 2014, http://blog.clubmed.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Club-Med-Ski-Report.pdf

Media Enquiries

Sarah Salord / Jessica Meins / 020 8747 2170 / aph@mccluskey.co.uk