Junior School Hits the Slopes: Ski Trip to Alpe d’Huez
Over the February half-term, 25 pupils from Years 5 and 6, along with three members of the Junior School staff, went on the annual Junior School ski trip to Alpe d’Huez in the French Alps.
Excitingly, our week coincided with the heaviest snowfall in the Alps for around 30 years. This, of course, brought with it some tricky conditions, as even ski resorts are not fully equipped to cope with so much snow.
The pupils had lessons for five hours a day: three in the morning and two in the afternoon. Of the 25 pupils, around 15 were either total beginners or relatively new to the sport.
To say they took to the sport like ducks to water (or ice) would be an understatement. They showed so much resilience and determination, not only in learning a brand-new, often exhausting activity, but also in coping with the challenging conditions brought by so much snow. By the end of the week, they were confidently skiing green and blue runs and having the time of their lives.
Our more able skiers were exploring whatever parts of the mountain were open from day one. Despite having skied before, none of them had experienced conditions like these, yet they embraced the challenge with enthusiasm, all tackling some tricky red runs towards the end of the week.
The instructors could not have been more complimentary of our pupils, and we, as a school, were incredibly proud of them.
The evenings were full of après-ski activities, from games nights and karaoke to shopping and watching our instructors in a ski extravaganza.
It was a tough but amazing week. The pupils could not be faulted in any way and were an absolute pleasure to have taken away.
