History and Geography on School Ski Trips in Morzine

For anyone faced with organising an educational trip abroad, it’s a fine balance that needs to be achieved – you need a mixture of genuine learning experiences and activities that make sure it’s fun and engaging for the students. With that in mind, school ski trips are a popular choice at the appropriate time of the year.

Morzine, a fantastic resort in the French Alps, is an ideal location to take young learners on school ski trips. Not only does it offer a wealth of fun and energetic activities on its snowy slopes, it also holds great appeal in terms of its history and geography.

Humble History

Young learners will find plenty of stimulation in the history of Morzine, and while it’s renowned today as a fun-filled winter resort, its humble agricultural beginnings reveal an entirely different side. Way back in the days when it was still a number of smaller, separate villages, the locals were almost entirely self-sufficient through the farming of vital crops. A local slate industry also provided employment, but many of the villagers travelled to Geneva or further to obtain work to sustain their families.

In the 1920s and 30s, when the region was developed as a summer leisure resort, its appeal spread with climbers and hikers. Then, with the establishment of the first cable car, Morzine’s appeal as a premier winter and summer tourist destination was solidified. The rest is skiing history.

Interesting Geography

Your students won’t have to look far for inspiration for their geography learning on school ski trips to Morzine – because it’s literally all around them. The beautiful French Alps share the landscape with both Italy and Switzerland, and Morzine is just one of many resorts that has been developed for the internationally-worshipped sport of skiing. It has to be said, though, that it’s one of the loveliest.

The resort encompasses areas both above and below the treeline, and takes in a range of altitudes – giving rise to a variety of vegetation that includes fir trees, pines and larches, as well as great swathes of open landscape. This also means it supports a diverse array of flora and fauna, and students will have the opportunity to see birds of prey, stoats, antelopes, lynxes, marmots and many other small mammals. 

The geology of the mountains themselves also provides excellent educational aspects for young visitors. The landscape dates back some 500 million years but the Alps were created a mere 50 million years ago, with the compression of the Eurasian and African tectonic plates. It’s certainly something for students to consider as they whizz down the slopes.

Trust the Experts and Make Life Easy

If you want to create fun, interesting and worthwhile school ski trips for your students, your best solution is to engage the services of a specialised educational travel operator. The skilled consultants will offer tried and true options for an itinerary and take care of the finer details for you.

With that kind of professional help, your only job will be to help your lucky students make the most of their time on and off the slopes.

Author Plate

John Gardiner is the Managing Director of The School Travel Company, a tour operator specialising in educational trips in destinations all over the world. If you’d like help organising school ski trips, cultural tours in Europe or exciting UK day trips, this company will work with you to design bespoke outings to suit the needs of your students.