This programme includes all that is offered in the standard Family Week package, but the resorts (Flaine, La Plagne and Valloire) are ski in/ski out and the rooms are all en suite. Towels are included for Family Plus guests.

Family Plus weeks include ski instruction for children aged 3+ so you don't need to organise lessons or kids club externally (our standard family weeks only have lessons/ski equipment/lift passes for those aged 7+). Those aged 3-5 (or 4 - 5 in Flaine) will have ESF lessons and will be accompanied to their lessons by UCPA staff. 

The Family Plus weeks also include kids clubs from Mon - Fri, a choice of snowboarding* (for 16+), the option of introduction to off-piste courses* (for 16+) and the option of full-time skiing for 11 - 17 year-olds. 

*Snowboarding is only for improver+ level (i.e. not for complete beginners.) and the off-piste introduction is only during the February & Easter holidays.

UCPA was founded with the aim of getting young people into sports and the outdoors, all at an affordable price. This is achieved through many efficiencies, one of which is the 'multi-share' rooms. The rooms can be described as comfortable, warm, and quiet but basic with no frills.

During family weeks you and your family will have a room to yourselves (or multiple rooms). Still, occasionally we may need to ask two 2-person families to share together (unless you have booked into a twin room). This is because as a not-for-profit organisation, UCPA keep prices as low as possible and therefore as many beds as possible need to be filled. There are very few twin rooms in most UCPA centres and these do therefore have a supplement. These are always put aside initially for 2-person families to book, but where there is an excess of twin rooms available larger families can book them. On Family Plus weeks, 2-person families are allocated twin rooms without an additional supplement as these are more expensive weeks in centres with more twin rooms available. 

Bathroom facilities vary from centre to centre, the most common being bedrooms having a sink and a shower ensuite with shared toilets in the corridor. Some centres have all rooms ensuite, others only have twin rooms ensuite, and some centres don't have any ensuite rooms. The family week plus centres (Flaine, La Plagne and Valloire) have en suite rooms.

UCPA save costs by the guests pitching in and helping out. For example when you arrive you will be provided with clean linen for your bed, but you will have to make it yourself. This little bit of mucking in is what makes UCPA trips such excellent value and a fun experience.

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The instruction provided by UCPA is suitable for all levels and it is included for adults as well as children (see below for ages). It is not compulsory to attend lessons but they are a great way to meet others staying at the centre, be shown the best parts of the resort and fine-tune your skills.

UCPA Family Ski Instruction

Includes 4 sessions of approximately 2.5 hours Monday-Friday and is available for adults and children aged 7 and over (or for ages 3 and over on Family Plus weeks (over 4 in Flaine). Adults and children may have lessons together, depending on ages and levels. There is usually 1 lesson a day (often with Wednesday as a free day) and usually alternates between mornings and afternoons. There is usually an introductory session for beginners on Sunday afternoon.

In Chamonix, the instruction is always full-time (approx 23 hrs during the week)

UCPA Accommodation Only

This package is for children under 7 years of age and adults who don’t intend on skiing (during the standard family weeks only). The package includes accommodation and meals but excludes equipment hire, lift pass and ski instruction. The price is discounted to represent the smaller package. For children under 7, lessons equipment hire and lift passes must be arranged externally with ski schools such as ESF.

Children aged 2 and under

UCPA does not charge for children under the age of 2. You will however be required to bring your own travel cot, high chair and baby stuff with you, this will not be provided by UCPA. Childcare is not provided and you should therefore contact the local tourist information centres to find out about local provision. 

For the family weeks, UCPA centres will amend evening meal times to better suit children. The French do tend to eat meals later than we do in the UK therefore the adjusted times may still be later than your normal family meal times. We therefore advise you to plan accordingly. Most resorts have food shops however these may be very small and the choice limited so you might prefer to bring some non-refrigerated snack options with you.

It is usual in France for children to eat what the adults do, so there are unlikely to be separate options aimed specifically for children.

If a member of your family has a serious dietary requirement please let the centre know in advance. UCPA chefs will always try and offer an alternative option for those with allergies or dietary needs, however, it is not always possible to cater for all dietary requirements and they will be unable to provide specialist food alternatives such as gluten free bread or soy milk. We would advise you to bring such food stuff with you if you rely on these alternatives, as they may not even be available in resort.

Helping out also applies at meal times - you help yourself to food and are expected to clear your table and give it a wipe when you are finished.

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We are able to provide our customers with transfers to and from airports in most resorts, as well as a coach option from London at some resorts. The prices vary depending on resort and airport. Transfers can be applied at the checkout for some or all of your group, or they can be added post-booking.

It is important to check that your flights fit within our possible transfer times for the resort and airport you are going to - you can do this on the resort page under the 'getting there' tab.

Each year we have a selection of resorts available for family weeks during UK school holiday dates (with other UCPA centres being used for the standard individual market (for 18-45-year-olds). These resorts and the number of places at each change slightly year-on-year. On some dates, we have the whole centre for Action Outdoors customers (primarily English-speaking/UK customers). On other dates, we share the centre with international UCPA partners and there will be an international mix of French, Swedish, British and other nationalities.

For the 24/25 season, the below resorts/number of places that are originally available. For price information and to book, have a look at the 'dates & prices' page When these are sold out they will no longer show on that page, but you can add your name to the waiting list which you can find in the drop-down menu below.

The waiting list will be published once the trips have gone on sale.