Park City students head to French Alps for sister city exchange

Park City High School students and chaperones pose for a group photo Feb. 12, 2026, ahead of a sister-city cultural exchange trip from Park City to Courchevel. Photo: Karri Dell Hays

PARK CITY, Utah — Seventeen Park City High School students departed this week for Courchevel, France, for a 10-day cultural immersion program through the Park City Sister City Association’s annual Winter Student Cultural Exchange.

The trip, running through Feb. 22, will take students into the Trois Vallées region of the French Alps, home to the world’s largest ski area. The region spans eight interconnected resorts, nearly 400 miles of ski terrain, and 161 lifts. Beyond the slopes, students will visit Chamonix, Annecy, and other destinations in the Alps as part of the program’s cultural curriculum.

All 17 students are enrolled in Park City High School’s French program, where the exchange serves as a capstone immersion experience in the language and culture they study in the classroom.

“The Sister City program provides our students with a rare opportunity to experience another culture firsthand, build global awareness, and represent Park City abroad,” said Tina Quayle, president of the Park City Sister City Association. “These exchanges create lifelong connections and meaningful educational impact.”

The association was founded in 1984, when then-Park City Mayor John Green and Courchevel Mayor Michèle Ziegler signed an agreement making the two mountain resort towns each other’s only official sister cities. The nonprofit has since facilitated exchanges among municipal leaders, resort partners, community members, and students across four decades.

The winter trip to France is one half of a bilateral exchange. Each summer, students from Courchevel travel to Park City for a reciprocal program designed to deepen cross-cultural understanding and build lasting international friendships.