SKI TRIP

After a long day travelling, we arrived at Crans-Montana. It was nighttime when the coach was driving through the town, with twinkling Christmas lights everywhere giving it a welcoming and magical glow. Soon after we were settled into our dorms, we headed down to the ski room to be fitted for our skis and boots, in preparation for the next day’s skiing.

On Saturday 12 February, we finally arrived on the slopes. They were clear and crisp, displaying their new layer of snow that the grey clouds of the week before had left behind. The sun was shining brightly, creating a magnificent view. Not long after we arrived, we were put into our groups and the first day of skiing began.

Our ski instructor Katie was an English skiing racer; she taught us a range of different skills throughout the week too! How to ski on one ski and go down a slope with no poles. It was hilarious to watch everyone topple over one by one. The most strenuous yet amusing thing we had to do was go up a button lift on only one ski! Throughout the week we had many adventures on the mountain – we skied down black runs and red runs. We did powder skiing and even went up to the glacier, where there was a spectacular view. However not all the adventures took place on the slopes. The evening activities also made way for tons more fun. From moonlit walks to tennis indoors to snow tubing, there was plenty of room for even more memories to be made.

The hotel we stayed in was called La Moubra. Each room had an astonishing view of the mountains and had two bunkbeds, a desk, plenty of storage space, and a sink. Breakfast consisted of cereals, croissants, yoghurts, orange juice and hot chocolate. In the evening, after a couple of hours of free time, we would make our way down to dinner. Every evening we would have a starter of soup, a different main course each night, and a dessert. One night we even had a ‘celebration of chocolate’! If we had money to spare, we were allowed to buy food on the mountain and sit in cafes. Sometimes, if the weather wasn’t great, we would stop at little chalets and have a hot chocolate together.

One of the things I most enjoyed about the ski trip was the amount of independence and free time I had; years 9, 10 and 11 could go out into the town to buy souvenirs after skiing, and years 7 and 8 were taken up with teachers. We also had much more down time than I expected. I really appreciated this as it allowed everyone to spend their time how they liked. Every day, the hotel would offer us tea and cake when we returned. This was a great opportunity to catch up with your friends who were in different ski groups and tell them about your day. There were also chances to shower, go into town, or even take a quick nap if need be!

The thing that I appreciated most about the ski trip, however, was the amount of support the teachers gave everyone. The School always considered our School motto, ‘to love is to live’ and made sure everyone had the best time possible; they always recognised that the ski trip was difficult for some, and were greatly considerate, whilst still encouraging us to take up any challenges we had to face. This ski trip made me think differently about school trips; it gave me so many new memories and so much more confidence. I would definitely recommend this experience.

FLORA D YEAR 9

#UnforgettableExperiences