France Considers Rescheduling School Breaks to Boost Skier Visits

News Search

02 March 2015

Push to The Latest: No

SAM Magazine—Denver, Mar. 2, 2015—How much PAC money would it take to persuade President Obama to make aiding the U.S. ski industry one of his highest priorities?

Leaders of the French government are backing a proposal to reschedule spring school holidays to allow families more time to go skiing. French ski resort operators said the move could result in a 3 percent boost to their overall revenues. French President Francois Hollande has reportedly given initial support, and French foreign minister Laurent Fabius is also backing the plan.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Mar. 2, 2015—How much PAC money would it take to persuade President Obama to make aiding the U.S. ski industry one of his highest priorities?

Ski resort operators in France argue that the spring holidays, which were shifted a week later six years ago, now occur too late for families to capitalize on good snow in the mountains.

But like the U.S. and Canada, skiing families are a minority in France. Parents' associations and teachers' unions have objected to the proposed change, noting that only 8 percent of the French ski.

Still, the idea of adding winter holidays isn't as foreign as it may sound. In 1990, Alberta, Canada, recognized a new winter holiday, Family Day. Family Day is now a statutory holiday in six provinces, including British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Saskatchewan. In B.C., Family Day coincides with Presidents Day in the United States.

Could that happen in the U.S.? It's worth noting that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is an avid skier and snowboarder, and the Obamas are frequenters of the slopes.

That may not be enough to make expanded midwinter holidays a national policy. But one ski mom we spoke with sees opportunity among school districts in ski states. “Colorado would do well to follow the lead of districts in other parts of the country that offer a weeklong mid-winter break,” she said, “especially during slower times in the ski season. This gives kids and teachers a needed break, supports the ski industry by driving local midweek traffic to resorts, and reinforces why many of us live in Colorado. It's not for the schools, it's for the skiing.”