At February half-term, we headed off on our annual ski trip! This year, we travelled to Verbier in Switzerland with 38 students from UK boarding schools.
Before we headed to the airport on the Saturday, some of our students spent a fun evening with our team. We went out for dinner and then headed to the bowling alley for two games of bowling. The students also enjoyed spending some time playing games at the arcade. We stayed overnight in a hotel before getting picked up and taken to the airport the next morning.
We had a smooth flight to Geneva and were met by a Les Elfes representative on arrival. We jumped on the bus to take us to our chalets. Boys were in one chalet and girls were in another. We arrived in Verbier to perfect sunny weather which luckily stayed for the whole week! Once we arrived, everyone was keen to put their ski boots on and get onto the slopes. Amongst our 38 students, we had some beginners and some more confident skiers so the students split up into different groups of ability so that everyone could benefit from the great ski instructors at the resort.
Each morning there was a buffet of bread, jams, fruit, cereals, yogurt and also a hot option. We shared a dining room with another school and the students came down between 7.30 – 8am. All students were encouraged to attend breakfast even just for a quick croissant and juice!
After breakfast each day, students had to be ready at the buses by 9am. Students then skied all day with their group and instructor, stopping only for lunch. For lunch some of the beginner groups came back to the chalet in the first couple of days. However, as the days went on all Academic Families students would meet up on the slopes to have a hot lunch together. The more advanced skiers were on the slopes for lunch every day.
Once back from the slopes around 4pm, there was tea and snacks on offer. Students were allowed to go to the village, although they had to go in groups and needed to sign in and out with their group leader of the day from Les Elfes.
During our time in Switzerland, we noticed everyone improve their skills on the slopes! The students who had never skied before started out on a baby slope and by the end of the trip had built their confidence and were skiing down the mountains. After a few days in Verbier, our more advanced skiers were doing some crazy tricks! We made the most of being in such a beautiful ski destination and had full days of skiing in the mornings and afternoons. Some afternoons, we stopped for some delicious hot chocolates before getting back out onto the slopes.
At the end of our first day, we all put our skis away and went to a big sports hall to play some team sports. We had lots of fun activities planned and other evenings involved all sitting around a campfire together, a disco, quiz nights, and some very tasty meals out. One night we did an Evening Torch Walk through the ski resort. All students joined in and again our group joined up with another Spanish-speaking group. Our students got to meet lots of new people and got on well with everyone.
Another highlight of the ski trip was getting the chance to zipline off Mont Blanc – the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe. Some of our students were even brave enough to try something called speed-riding which involves paragliding with skis on! On our last night in Switzerland, the resort held a prize-giving and lots of our students won prizes.
“The best part about this trip was getting to know other people and also going to one of the world’s most beautiful places!” – Juan Carlos, student on the 2022 half-term ski trip.
Find out more about the exciting trips we offer to students throughout the year.
This article appears in the following categories Guardianship, Students
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