Ski Course, New Year 2014
This year’s ski trip was the quietest for many years. Just 9 students and 2 teachers headed off for the Italian Alps on the 28th December, of which only three had skied on snow before. This was not only an incredible opportunity to experience skiing in a beautiful resort but also a rare opportunity to meet fellow students we had never come across before.
This year we went with Interski again to Pila in the Aosta Valley. Having been on the ski trip twice before, visiting this resort on my first time, I had a fair understanding of what this trip would entail. First of all, the journey, only enjoyable for those who managed to get some sleep during the 20 hours spent on a coach (with a large group from an air cadet regiment) but worth it. By about 10am the following morning we arrived in the Alps and caught a first sight of what we would gradually get used to over the week, snow!!! After a couple more hours and a transit through a very long tunnel we arrived in the Aosta valley, home to the tallest mountain in the Alps (well only half of it.) We had our skis, boots and helmets allocated to us before we headed off for lunch in the hotel where we would be staying. Afterwards we had time to unpack, relax with a game of table tennis and prepare for the first day on the snow.
Each day we skied for 4 hours, with an hour for lunch, and more time for anybody who wished to ski extra with Mr Bird. During this time I managed to cover most of the runs whilst the others completed all the blues and a red. Our techniques improved drastically over the course of the week and everyone made considerable progress. Whilst skiing we were able to experience the stunning views and even look down on the snow clouds below when we headed to high altitude.
For breakfast, it took several days and several eggs before we finally got a fully cooked boiled egg and actual toast, not just warmed bread! For lunch we ate in several of the mountain restaurants with a choice of pizza, pasta, hot dogs, chips and a few more options which I won’t go on to name. For drinks there was water, Coca- Cola, Sprite and hot chocolate, which had a high viscosity and was more like melted chocolate. Our evening meal varied every night but always started with a bowl of pasta. For the main course, most of us had the vegetarian dish as only one student could eat meat but nevertheless the hotel provided delicious meals.
It was a fantastic trip this year and I think I speak for everyone who came. I would urge anyone who is thinking about going next year to go. Skiing is an amazing opportunity and although it is expensive it is definitely worth every last penny. I would like to say a massive thanks to Mr Bird and Mr Jones for organising this trip, especially as they had to switch to another provider after the required number of students was not met. For pictures, look at the Ski Trip 2014 Album on the school website.
Josef Feiven 10G
