UCPA holidays offer a fun and affordable alternative to the usual sojourns on the slopes... if you don’t mind sharing a room and clearing your table after meals
Why am I doing this?
That was my thought as I boarded the plane. A ski trip can be dangerous enough, but a solo ski trip?
My friends and family told me I was a social butterfly and it’d be fine. But the nerves were settling in. The idea of staying in a room with four other strangers, who might not even speak the same language as me, was beginning to worry me.
But one simple Google search (‘Where is the nearest Irish pub to UCPA?’) settled me. A four-minute walk to a home away from home in Chamonix was my back-up plan if I couldn’t make any friends... or forgot how to ski.
UCPA is the union nationale des centres sportifs de plein air, a non-profit that offers activities and all-inclusive centres in France, as well as other destinations like Naxos in Greece or the Canary Islands. Rooms are shared, you clear your own table after meals, and it’s all very sociable. There’s a bar, and plenty of areas to chill in.
The ski and snowboard camp in the French Alps I went to included accommodation, three meals a day, a ski pass, lessons, equipment, entertainment and buses from €550pp (excluding flights), which is cheap for a ski holiday — and music to my ears as a Cavan woman.
Still, I was worried about skiing solo. I spotted a Dunkin Donuts at Geneva Airport and took a picture to show everyone at home I was starting off right.
Little did I know, someone was watching me, thinking, ‘What is she doing?’ This girl ended up sitting beside me on the bus to Chamonix. We got off at the same hostel, were assigned the same room and, next day, found ourselves in the same ski group.
I knew Elisa was going to be my buddy for the week. She told me about where she was from in Italy, and I told her all about the Irish pub up the road, The Beckett & Wilde. We ended up going a couple of times, swapping cultures as I was getting the Aperol Spritz and she the Guinness.

On day one of the skiing, I was in the improvers’ group with Elisa. By lunchtime, everyone figured out that I was too slow to be in that group. So, I was sent away and told to meet a man at the bottom of the gondola. I wasn’t the only one. Another girl, Huilin (Lynn), was also put into the beginners’ group with me. It was meant to be, as our conversations that week on the ski lift were about our mutual love for Taylor Swift, ice cream, and our ski instructor.
As the days went on, I picked up speed, as well as muscle pains, many falls and accidentally rammed a few random kids down some red slopes. But every piece of pain came with an abundance of laughs. I’m five foot tall and, at one stage, a French lad called Julian — who was definitely over six foot — couldn’t stop himself and, just like a Looney Tunes cartoon, somehow managed to come behind me, ski under my legs and nearly flung me into next week.
In the evenings, there were activities in the hostel bar — ice-breaker games, table quizzes, themed dress-up nights and karaoke. Some nights, we’d finish up at The Beckett & Wilde, and others, we were just too exhausted. UCPA holidays also come with a little card that gives you free access to things like Mer de Glace (an ice cave) and l’Aiguille du Midi — the closest point
you can go to the summit of Mont-Blanc without hiking or climbing.
Sharing a room with four girls had its perks. I got to use Elisa’s Dyson Airwrap, and shared treats with Lily.

But there were also downfalls. Two other roommates were nice girls, but they enjoyed going to raves, arriving home at 5am and forgetting their indoor voices. One night, they forgot to turn off the light once they got ready for bed but, thankfully, the three of us saw the ‘light’ and ended up making a Spotify playlist called ‘Turn Off The Light’. We skied down the slopes with it playing and had a little rave of our own. The three of us still listen to the playlist.
Another unusual aspect of my trip was that it was in April. But the slopes at Chamonix range from 1,035 metres to over 3,000 metres, and so tend to be more snow-sure than some resorts.
Another advantage of Chamonix in April is that you can secure yourself a snow and a sun holiday in one. I really enjoyed skiing during the day and sunbathing on the deck chairs with my Kindle in the evenings. It was freezing up on the slopes and the snow was fresh, but once we came down, it was time to put on the shorts and shades so we could sunbathe before dinner time. I got the best of both worlds. I’d have hot chocolate during the day to warm me up, and an ice cream in the evening to cool down.
In terms of the centre, you share with four to six others, sleep in bunks, and bathrooms and showers are common between a few rooms. Some people wouldn’t like that, but I didn’t mind — and there weren’t any issues sharing. We all showered at different times during the day.
For breakfast, there were continental options, and you could also make lunch for the slopes from the bread, meat, cheese and snacks (so, yes, it was possible for me to bring an orange in my pocket). Our dinner buffets had plenty of pasta dishes, salads, veggie options and a dessert afterwards, but sometimes you had to be quick before the good stuff ran out.
Clearing up after yourself wasn’t rocket science, and it keeps the price down, so once again, I was happy to oblige. They also had treats like waffles, mulled wine, crepes and hotdogs when we came in off the piste, to keep us going until dinner.
Most of us were travelling solo, so everyone was in the same boat when it came to making friends — or on the same slopes, in this situation. Flying solo also means you don’t have to hang around and wait for friends to decide whether they want to go, go through the group chats, or agree on where to stay and what to do. It’s all up to you.
So, yes, it turns out you can go on a ski holiday on your own. You just have to feel the fear and do it anyway.
Did you know?
Chamonix has Europe’s highest cable car, going up to 3,842 metres. The resort is spread over five main smaller ski resorts, and the nearest airport is Geneva, a 100km transfer from the slopes. Ryanair and Aer Lingus both fly to Geneva.
Do it
Amy travelled as a guest of Action Outdoors, the UK partner of UCPA.
Ski holidays to Chamonix start from €550pp, including meals, lift passes, shared accommodation and equipment hire, but excluding flights. Private twin rooms are available at an extra supplement. action-outdoors.co.uk
There are 70 UCPA centres in France. Other locations include Dakhla in Morocco (good for windsports), Peniche in Portugal (surfing) or Hurghada in Egypt (diving and snorkelling). ucpa.co.uk
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