Ski Trip 2010

Ski Trip to Italy 2010

The morning of Saturday 6^th March saw 30 pupils and 4 staff setting off, on a rather long journey, by coach and ferry, to the Italian Alps. By the Sunday morning, we had finally reached the Mont Blanc tunnel, crossed the border into Italy, and reached our destination of Pila, in the beautiful Aosta valley.

However, before we could unpack and rest at our hotel, we had to go straight to ski hire to be fitted with our equipment for the week ahead. This involved a rather complicated routine of boot fittings, locker assignments, skis, poles and snowboard fittings, which had to be carried out with military precision! Once everyone had been processed through ski hire, we were finally ready to be taken to the hotel in time for lunch and a chance to unpack, unwind and take a shower before our evening meal and a much needed early night.

Our first day on the slopes involved a very early start, and again a very precise routine of checking everyone had what they needed for the day. A daily chant of “gloves, goggles, helmet, lunch token” became our anthem before leaving the hotel, and then “boots, skis, poles” when we got to ski hire. A 16 minute ride on the gondola followed, and then we were on the mountain and ready to meet our instructors. This was the routine that followed for the next 5 days, with 4 hours of instruction and a break for lunch in one of the lovely mountain restaurants every day.

More than half of our pupils had never skied or boarded before, and it was fantastic to see the progress they all made throughout the week. From the first day of simply getting to grips with putting the skis or board on and standing up, to the last day of perfect turns down the piste, everyone had achieved their goals of learning to ski or board or improving their existing skills. The snow conditions were fantastic again this year, with fresh snow falling throughout the beginning of the week, and we were lucky enough to enjoy some warmer, sunnier conditions in the last few days.