Can teenagers ski with others their own age rather than with families?

QDo you know of any ski companies that would take children aged 16 and 17 on a ski trip as part of a group of other kids, rather than with their families? I have tried PGL, which used to do this, but alas, it does not any longer.

– Nikki McBride

ASki holidays for teenagers travelling solo are less common than they used to be and I only know of one way of doing this. French charity UCPA (ucpa. co.uk) specialises in providing goodvalue accommodation and its youth holiday programme, run through British operator Action Outdoors (action-outdoors.co.uk), caters for independent travellers aged 16 to 17 with an all-inclusive package. UCPA’s centres, while basic, are comfortable and the atmosIf

Tough for teens: there are limited outlets for young people to join ski trips with peers phere is friendly. I’m afraid, though, that they won’t be able to travel this year – unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the programme has been suspended for the winter. Dates for 2021-22 will be confirmed later in the year.

I do have one other suggestion, if you’re prepared to accompany your child for a week and they’re keen to progress their sporting prowess. A week’s junior ski racecourse with Snoworks (snoworks.co.uk) in Tignes, France, includes five full days of training for all abilities and leaves you with the chance to explore the slopes. If they prefer backflips to race gates, at the British Freestyle Ski & Snowboard Championships in Laax, Switzerland, anyone can compete alongside some of Team GB’s brightest young stars.