With the bus into the mountains and out into the snow - many former students look back fondly on the skiing holidays in the class group. But such journeys are becoming increasingly rare in the south-west.
Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) - too expensive, ecologically questionable and past the target group - ski camps and ski camps at schools are no longer desirable everywhere. "Skiing is no longer a big issue," confirms Dirk Lederle from the Baden-Württemberg Education and Training Association (VBE BW). The head of the Johanniterschule in Heitersheim (Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district) thinks that's a shame, but: "The number of young people skiing has decreased quite a bit, even here in the Black Forest." Lederle estimates that only around 30 percent of children can ski at all.
But that's exactly the problem, says Valentin Kiedaisch, head of the Ski Instructors' Association DSLV for East Baden-Württemberg. "Yes, fewer and fewer schoolchildren can go skiing because they don't go on ski vacations with their families. But this is where schools should ensure equal educational opportunities and experiences," he says. Kiedaisch criticizes that winter sports have lost their importance in the education plan of the Ministry of Education and are only summarized under "driving-rolling-gliding" and trend sports.
Funding seems to be the main problem. "In general, there is a discussion on school trips: does it always have to cost so much?" says the chairman of the state parents' advisory board, Michael Mittelstaedt. The debate is due to the tense financial situation of many families, and skiing is not the cheapest sport. "The fact is, many parents groan because school trips are far too expensive."
Dirk Lederle has observed that regardless of the costs, the target group itself is no longer necessarily enthusiastic. "The demand from the kids is no longer there to this extent." Although individual winter sports days at his school went well, the "coolness factor" has decreased overall.
The state student council of Baden-Württemberg states that the point "costs" and the question "how ecological is such a ski holiday" are decisive. "We believe that other activities are now being used more and more in Baden-Württemberg, such as swimming pools, nature hikes and zoos," says Board Member Berat Gürbüz.
The ecological factor is mentioned more and more when it comes to skiing. The Ski Instructors Association is opposed to this. Valentin Kiedaisch says that there are many ways to make a skiing holiday eco-friendly, such as the way you travel, the choice of ski area and your own behavior on site.
