Want to ski without spending a fortune?
Wednesday February 4, 2009 - Email this article to a friend

Not many people in England have heard of UCPA, Union Centre Plein Aire, but it takes hundreds of thousands of people skiing and snowboarding each winter.

It has been going for over 40 years and is in 28 ski resorts in France.

The idea is as simple one.

You stay in fairly basic accommodation in a good ski resort and included in the price is all your food, lift pass, ski/snowboard hire and lessons. You have 25 hours of good quality ski instruction.   Drinks are cheap, entertainment is laid on and there are no hidden extras.

It’s not luxury but if you want to eat well, ski hard and don’t mind sharing a room and mixing with all nationalities it could be for you.

Excellent and good value instructionThe skiing lessons range from complete beginner to a high level of off piste instruction and come with experienced and fully qualified instructors.

Think Club Med.

"It's no frills, but what UCPA concentrates on is what matters – top ski resorts, excellent equipment, amazing instructors and great food. The bedrooms are basic, but that’s more than made up for by the buzz that the whole UCPA centre exudes," says David Robertson from Action-Outdoors, a UK agent for UCPA.

“People come the first time to UCPA because of the amazing value, there is no cheaper way to ski. However people come back again and again because it’s so good."

Here’s a short interview with Celine Sobezack who helps to run the lodging in the French resort of Flaine. She is speaking to our content editor, James Cove.

Friendly staff in FlaineUCPA is a non-profit making company set up by the French government to get people to the mountains to ski and snowboard in the winter and enjoy the outside and other activites in the summer.

It may not be everyone’s cup of tea or idea of a skiing holiday but it works. 

You need to muck in as you serve yourself food, clear up afterwards and no-one comes to clean your room or turn your bed down at night.

However, all this means that the holiday is affordable to many.

From what we at PlanetSKI have seen in Flaine it works. 

We’re pretty keen on making our skiing pounds go further!

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