Understanding the Differences Between French Ski Schools

France is home to several ski schools, each with its own history and its own way of teaching. Every instructor holds the same demanding qualification, wherever they work, but the schools themselves differ in their origins and their approach. Here is a quick guide to who is who, and what sets OxySki apart.

The main ski schools in France

The ESF (Ecole du Ski Francais)

The ESF is one of the most widespread ski schools in France. It is hard to visit a French resort without spotting one of its instructors, dressed in red from head to toe, with a trail of children behind them.

It was founded in the mid 1940s by ski champion Émile Allais, who wanted French instructors to adopt his own teaching method rather than the Austrian style that dominated at the time. Today the ESF operates in 250 resorts across France, from the Alps and the Pyrenees to Corsica.

Despite using French national symbols, the blue, white and red of the tricolour, and the word 'francais' in its name, the ESF is not the official ski school of France: it is simply a French ski school, like the others. With around 17,000 registered instructors, it is easy to assume it is a government body. In fact, every ski school in France, the ESF included, operates completely independently from the state.

The ESI (Ecole de Ski Internationale)

The ESI was founded in 1977 by a group of former ESF instructors who wanted to meet growing demand from an international clientele. The first schools opened in Flaine, Val d'Isère and Avoriaz.

It now runs 65 ski schools across France and Switzerland, with around 1,500 instructors. Its teaching style stays close to the ESF's, but it was among the first to bring in instructors of different nationalities, opening up to an international audience.

Evolution 2

Ten years later, in 1987, another independent ski school appeared: Evolution 2. Founded by mountain and snowsports enthusiasts, it set out to reinvent ski and outdoor teaching with a more personal, human approach.

Evolution 2 also built a wide range of outdoor activities beyond skiing, all year round. The school is still active today, with around 500 instructors.

What about OxySki?

Our history

Our story begins in 1992, when Bertrand and Pierre de Monvallier, both ESF instructors at the time, imagined a new kind of ski school: Oxygène, now known as OxySki. Their idea was simple: students who felt relaxed and were enjoying themselves would progress faster and get more out of their holiday.

They opened their first school in La Plagne, then a second in Val d'Isère five years later. Today OxySki operates in 16 resorts across the French Alps, with around 300 passionate instructors.

Our services

OxySki has grown beyond the traditional ski school model, turning a ski trip into a full holiday experience, with plenty of non skiing activities on offer across our resorts.

The school also runs ski rental shops in La Plagne, Val d'Isère, Tignes and Serre Chevalier, with a chalet fitting and delivery service.

Each school, its own style

The arrival of several competing ski schools across France in the 1980s and 1990s let each one build its own character, with lesson programmes shaped for an ever changing clientele.

Every school offers a broadly similar end product: group and private ski and snowboard lessons, taught by instructors who hold the same demanding qualification. Some differences are easy to spot, such as the colour of the uniforms or the names given to children's levels. The more important differences tend to be harder to see: the values a school is built on, how an instructor shares their passion for skiing and the mountains, their teaching methods, and the relationship they build with their students.

OxySki sets itself apart with smaller groups across all its group lessons for children, for a more personal experience, with lessons genuinely designed with them in mind. The school has also become a major player in adaptive skiing, thanks to its investment in adapted equipment and its training programme for adaptive ski instructors. Its Ski Academy prepares future instructors for their exams.

Choosing your school

Every school has its own personality. To find out more about ours, start with our story.