The Swiss canton of Valais, home to famous ski resorts such as Zermatt, Saas-Fee and Verbier, will be adding three mandatory snow sports days per year to the school curriculum. Under the proposal, children will see three days of their physical education days replaced by a day on the slopes. The initiative is expected to be implemented starting next year, for the 2020-21 ski season, and will cost CHF 2.7 million.
Switzerland already has a snow sports camp tradition, but this new initiative would make skiing accessible to a wider population. The government will facilitate reduced prices for ski passes in the Valais canton, as well as reduced rates at ski schools and ski hire shops. Of course, the benefits will work both ways, as the program hopes to increase the number of young skiers. Schools can decide whether they want to sign up for the program, and the program will be mandatory for all students at any school which has signed up.
The decision comes in light of declining participation in snow sports among younger members of the population. Valais education minister Christophe Darbellay told Swiss newspaper NZZamSonntag, "“I am convinced that winter sport has a future. But for this to work, we have to get young people back on their skis and there is no better way of doing this than through school.”
Born and raised in the ski paradise of Vancouver, Canada, I learned to ski before I can remember, balancing precariously on my parents’ skis as they sailed down the hill. I started snowboarding in my teens and am now delighted to be exploring everything Europe’s ski scene has to offer!
