FAQ

The best way to be notified of new events is to join our facebook group Each event is announced on this website. Members also typically receive email reminders.

Who can join?

Anyone living in Switzerland , typically in the Zurich area.

Is it an exclusively English speaking club?

No, definitely not! Although as with any international organisation these days, the default language is English, it is not a prerequisite. Most European languages are represented, especially of course German.

When does the season start?

Typically the first events begin in October.

When was the club formed?

November 1985

What does an event organiser need to do?

Essentially there are 2 categories of event organiser:

Category 1. Organise and lead

Arrange an event (skiing or social) by sending the web publisher the necessary details for it to be published (date, time, venue, cost, description, etc ... see website for many examples). (The club is currently in a financial position to subsidise events). Once organised, we can publicise it for you, leaving you to just turn up on the day and lead it.

Category 2. Lead

This is the simplest form of help that a volunteer can give to the club. This is the case when the event has already been organised and publicised, but simply needs someone to be there on the day to take the initiative where necessary. (e.g. if it is a ski day then arrange somewhere for everyone to meet up for lunch).

Membership

How long does my membership last?

One year. From the 1st October to the following 30th September.

When can I join the club?

Any time.

How do I join the club?

See this page for details

How much does membership cost?

Membership SFr 50 for Adults

What does membership cover?

ISCZ membership is required for participation in the ski and snowboard classes which the ISCZ organises.

As a member you will also be able to register and participate in the club events which we organise during the year (E.g. member's Apres Ski Aperos, drinks evenings, ski trips). Please check out the Calendar on the clubs website for details of any planned events. However, some members-only events are not publicised on our website or Facebook page but are sent directly to the registered member's email addresses.

Ski School

What is the Ski School ?

Together with the Flumserberg Ski School (Flumserberg Schweizer Skischule & Snowboardschule) a number of weekends of skiing and snowboarding lessons are organised, covering a wide range of ages and abilities (see link)

When is the Ski School?

We organise Ski School for January and March. The dates are uploaded to our calendar when they have been agreed upon. We don't normally organise school in February or any other month.

What do the school levels/categories mean

See separate page Ski School Levels/Categories

First day instructions, meeting point, etc.

First Day Instructions

Does the ISCZ organise other types of lessons, E.g. Cross Country?

Sorry. No. We only organise ski and snowboard school. Try this link

Is the lift pass, transport or equipment hire included in the ski school fee?

Sorry. No. The fee covers the cost of the lessons only. We will send vouchers which entitle you to a 20% discount on the lift pass and a 10% discount on ski equipment hire.

What are the discount vouchers for?

Each voucher can be used to obtain a 20% discount on a one day ski pass in Flumserberg. The one day ski pass is valid only on ISCZ school days and can only be obtained at a Flumserberg ticket office on the day. It cannot be used to obtain a discount on other types of ski passes (multi-day, half-day, etc.)

They can also be used to get a 10% discount on ski equipment hire and and for goods purchased at:

One of the Intersport Network branches: https://www.intersport-network.ch/filialen/. (
The Intersport Flumserberg shop in Tannenbodenalp: https://www.intersportflumserberg.ch/kontakt.

This discount is not available for equipment rented online on their websites rather for rentals done face-to-face in the branches.

Remember to rent skis before purchasing your ski pass, as you would need to show the discount card at the rental shop but the Bergbahn will keep your discount card when buying the ski pass.

The discount vouchers are sent by post to the correspondence address on the week before the school starts (unless you specified this during registration "Requires Lift Pass Discount Vouchers? = Has vouchers left over from a previous ISCZ course")

How do I buy a lift pass

In order to benefit from the 20% discount, te lift pass must be bought from one of the ticket kiosks in Flumserberg including the gondola stations in Unterterzen and Oberterzen. Note it's not possible to use the discount voucher if buying the lift pass online.

I did not receive any discount vouchers for my 4-5 year old child

Children under the age of 6 are entitled to a free lift pass at Flumserberg. Just take a proof of age with you. As such we do not send out discount vouchers for 4-5 year olds.

Are there lockers for storing personal items, skis, etc.?

Yes, here are the details:

https://www.flumserberg.ch/en/information/Sports-shops/Ski-locker

I cannot make one of the lessons. Can I attend a different day to compensate, pay pro rata, or receive a refund?

Sorry but no.

Switching days: Due to the numbers of students involved (approximately 700) we have an arrangement with the Ski School Flumserberg whereby the club sends the list of students with age, level and registered day. Based on this list the school organises the students into classes and arranges teachers. The number of participants is limited per day to guarantee the correct class sizes. If special requests were possible this would be an administration nightmare.

Pay pro rata or Refund: For each student that the ISCZ registers for a course with the Ski School in Flumserberg it has to pay the school for the full length of the course in question. The ISCZ cannot pass on any refund to the students because the ISCZ will not get any refund from the school.

Also, the ISCZ committee organises the ski school in our spare time and we would not have the capacity to arrange individual special cases.

Can I transfer my lessons to somebody else?

Sorry but no. The Ski School in Flumserberg does not allow this and it would, in any case, be an administrative nightmare with approximately 600 students involved.

I've only just heard about the school and it has already started. Can I pay pro rata and join?

Sorry but no. ISCZ voluntarily organise the school for approximately 600 students. There is overdemand for the number of places we have available. It would not be fair to those who registered in advance or to those who did not get a place from the waiting list.

What equipment do I need?

Skis, sticks and ski boots or snowboard and snowboard boots

Ski socks

Waterproof insulated bottoms

Waterproof insulated jacket (waterproof hiking jacket + fleece will also work)

Waterproof ski gloves or mitts (mitts are warmer for those with cold hands)

Helmet

Goggles or sports sunglasses

Does my child need ski poles

Even small children should bring their own sticks -especially for walking and climbing uphill and later for balance support while skiing.

Where can I hire the equipment?

Every item of equipment can be hired. The discount vouchers entitle you to a discount of 10% at the Intersport shop in the lift station at Tannenbodenalp. For more details and prices see https://www.intersportrent.ch/skimiete/standorte?countries=CH&city-id=3949561

The advantage of renting by the day in Flumserberg is that you do not need to take the equipment to and from the ski resort but the disadvantage will be the time taken to fit the equipment each morning.

An alternative is to rent the equipment for the whole season from your local sports shop or a chain like Migros SportXX ( http://www.sportxx.ch ).

Which lift pass should i buy?

Complete beginners (children, adults, ski or snowbord) do not need a list pass on the first day. At the end of the lesson, ask the instructor which pass to get for the following lesson.

Children under the age of 6 are free of charge and do not need a lift pass.

Everybody else needs to get the full day lift pass.

How do I get to Flumserberg

You need to arrange your own transport to Flumserberg. It is easily reachable by public transport or car.

By public transport: Take the train to Unterterzen. The Flumserberg gondola is directly over the road from the train station.

By car: Either park at the gondola station in Unterterzen and take the gondola up to Tanenbodenalp or drive up to the car park at Tanenbodenalp. All public car parks are subject to a fee. Note: in case of snowfall it may be obligatory to use snowchains on 2wd cars to drive up the mountain. In case of good weather the car parks can fill up very early necessitating to park in less convenient locations. Allow extra time.

Note: in case of windy weather the Unterterzen gondola may not be running. Check on the flumserberg.ch website.

I'm travelling by train. Should I get a snow'n'rail ticket or use the discount voucher?

It depends on where you live and the actual offer which changes from month to month. The discount vouchers entitle you to a 20% discount on the lift ticket price when you buy it in Flumserberg (including the base stations at Unterterzen and Oberterzen). In 2025 an adult day pass (full price CHF72) will cost CHF57.60

The SBB snownrail offer is a combined ticket for the train travel and lift pass and gives a useful discounts over buying the tickets separately. You get a voucher for the lift ticket that can be exchanged for the lift pass in Unterterzen (you still need the CHF 5- deposit for the hands free lift ticket). Alternatively you can have the lift pass loaded directly onto your Swisspass card which is then recognised at all the lift turnstiles.

How large are the groups

On average there are 8 people per group with a maximum of 10.

The level of my/my childs lesson is not correct. How can I change that?

The ski school wants you to make the most of your lesson. It is the responsibility of the ski school manager to make sure everybody is happy and in a suitable group. If you or your child is not comfortable in the group or feels that it is too easy, do not hesitate to tell the instructor as soon as possible. This could be at any point in the day; at the meeting point, after the first run, at lunch or after the lesson. The instructor will talk to the ski school manager and arrange to transfer you to another group if appropriate. Groups with neighboring levels will generally have lunch in the same restaurant to make it easier for students to move.

Please do not send emails to the iscz committee asking to change level. The instructor or ski school manager needs to be the first point of contact as they are managing the groups once the list of participants is handed over to the school. If you decide during the week that you would like to change groups for the next lesson, please come to the meeting place early. Go to the ski school hut if the instructor is not around.

With over 200 people participating on any given day it is generally possible for us to put together groups of similar abilities. It can happen that one person is struggling and requires a lot of attention from the instructor. Please be patient. The instructor may arrange for that student to move to another group.

Older children who are good skiers and have outgrown the Child level D have the possibility to join a higher level adult ski group. Please discuss with the instructor.

Please bear in mind that a large part of taking group lessons is the social aspect of learning and skiing in a like minded group. This involves some element of compromise. There will always be someone in the group who is fastest and someone who is slowest. If conditions are more challenging this difference will be exaggerated. The alternative is private lessons which can also be booked directly through the Ski School Flumserberg

I missed the first lesson. Can I still join the course next week? Where will I meet my group?

Yes of course. The meeting place is always the same as for the first week (See First Day Instructions) Please get there early enough to discuss with the instructor about your level.

The weather will be bad on a school day. Will the class be cancelled or postponed

Unless every single lift is closed the lessons will go ahead on the specified dates. It is an extremely rare occurence that the whole resort would be closed.

On bad weather days we would advise travelling early as motor and train transport may be affected.

Please check out the News on the main page for live updates affecting the classes: www.iscz.org

If a student does not turn up for a lesson the ISCZ cannot give a refund to the student because the ISCZ has to pay the Ski School Flumserberg for the pre-booked lessons regardless of whether the student shows up.

Travelling by train: In some very bad weather conditions the gondola from Unterterzen is closed. In such cases those travelling by train would have to take the train to Flums and transfer to a bus which would take them to Tannenbodenalp. Check whether the gondola is open and replan the journey via Flums.

Travelling by car: For those travelling by car there can be occassions when snow-chains are obligatory from Flums apart from all-wheel-drive cars. If you don't have snow-chains you can park in Flums and take the bus to Tannenbodenalp

I am late for my class or I won't be able to make the class at all. Can I contact the teacher?

The ISCZ doesn't have the phone numbers of the teachers to coordinate late arrivals or non-attendance. The school have a standard procedure to deal with these situation:

If a student turns up late they should go to the meeting point. There will be some SSSF teachers there and they will be able to direct the student to where his/her group is skiing and/or to where the group will be having lunch.

If a student does not turn up at all the group will continue without requiring notification. The group will not wait indifinitely for all the group to arrive as this would not be fair on other members of the group.

Can you arrange a private lesson for me?

No we can't but the Ski School Flumserberg will be happy to provide you with an english speaking instructor if you contact them directly. More information is at https://www.flumserberg.ch/en/Experience-winter/Ski-School-Flumserberg/Ski-lessons.

Lost and found (Fundbüro) Flumserberg

Bergbahnen Flumserberg: info@flumserbergbahnen.ch: T +41 81 720 15 15

Or possibly the ski school itself if left behind at the meeting point: info@sssf.ch: T +41 81 733 39 39

Ski School: Registration process

Google account

You will need a Google account to log into the registration site.

If you have a Gmail account then you can use its credentials to log into the registration site.

If you do NOT have a Gmail account then you can set up a Google account using your existing non-Gmail email address, E.g. iscz@hotmail.com.

This link "Create your Google Account" can be used to set up your account in advance of registration. You will be asked to give your name, email address and a new password with confirmation. You will then be able to use this non-Gmail email address with this new password to log into the registration site.

Top section

Correspondence email address

This email address will be used to send you the payment instructions.

Address

The address fields should specify a Swiss address. This will be used to send you the discount vouchers.

"Student" section

Requires Discount Vouchers?

See What are the discount vouchers for?

This email address can be different for each student you register and would be used to send ISCZ notifications, upcoming events, etc. If this field is not filled in then we would use the "Correspondence email address" above.

Why do I need a google login?

We require you to have a login to our registration site so that

You can resume a registration session which is not finished
You can login at any time and view the payment instructions
So we have a verified email address at which we can contact you in case of problems.

We require a google login specifically because

We don't want to store passwords ourselves
We don't want to verify your email address ourselves
The application runs on the google cloud platform so it's a natural fit. (For the Googlers out there: thanks very much :) )

To get a google login you can associate your existing email address or even create a new gmail account.

The advantages to you of having a google login:

Two factor authentication if you require it
Will save you from creating a login on many other websites e.g. digitec.ch to name just one
Can use it as your android account

I don't want to have a google login can I register by email?

Sorry no. Every year we handle 600-700 registrations. We need the process to be as automated as possible. We are volunteers doing the ski school admin in our spare time.

Can I send you my details by email and you enter them into the system for me?

Sorry no. Every year we handle 600-700 registrations. We need the process to be as automated as possible. We are volunteers doing the ski school admin in our spare time.

Payment options

We only support payments made directly into our Post Finance account, as detailed in the registration email.

Unfortunately we do not support Reka, cash payments, etc.

How does the waiting list work

Once the initial registration is booked out you may join the waiting list as follows

Go to the normal registration page and proceed to register as normal
Now all the levels you see will be preceded with the phrase "Waiting list for"
Choose the waiting list level(s) and enter the other information.
You will receive an email confirming you are registered for the waiting list levels you chose. Note there is no payment instruction with this mail.
After the initial registration day we will send the provisional numbers to the ski school and discuss with them in which groups we may add more people.
The groups with spaces will be filled from the waiting list on a first come basis.
Process for upgrading a waiting list to a confirmed registration
- The waiting list registration will be upgraded to a normal registration
- A mail will be sent out confirming the upgrade with payment instructions
- If you receive the email but no longer require the places please send us a mail so we can offer them to someone else.

Ski School: Children specific question

What is the minimum age for children in ski school?

4 years of age but the child should no longer be using nappies/pamper/diapers.

How do the children's lunches work?

All the child ski groups meet at the same restaurant for lunch were they will be supervised by the ski instructors. They get a main course, desert and drink for a fixed cost of CHF 15.

The instructors prefer that the children do not have extra money. Otherwise the children pester to go to the kiosk.

The child snowboard lessons tend to stay with the adults and will have lunch in a normal restaurant so your child will need enough money to buy a suitable meal from the menu.

What about childcare?

The ISCZ does not arrange childcare. Here's an website which organises babysitting: https://babysitting24.ch/de/babysitter/sg/flumserberg-tannenbodenalp

In the past parents have used the ISCZ Facebook page to find other parents in order to make up a group of children.