Ski Trip 2011
On Sunday 27th March 13 pupils and 3 members of staff set off very early from Belfast International to Alpe d'Huez, France on the school ski trip.
On arrival to the resort, the snow was falling very heavily, which was a perfect start to our Holiday. The pupils quickly got settled into the hotel and were fitted with their ski boots, poles and helmet, ready for the slopes the next day.
Monday morning at 7am the pupils were all up bright and early, full of excitement for a day on the slopes. We made our way up to the slopes for 9am to meet our two instructors for the week, Matheus and Ludo. They split the party into two groups based on their skill level and set off for a two hour lesson. Each day the pupils had a two hour lesson in the morning and a two hour lesson in the afternoon covering most of the slopes and ski lifts on the mountain throughout the week.
Some of the group on the second day were parallel skiing down the green runs and using the chair lifts with ease! On day three and four they were advancing on to the blue/red runs with confidence and good technique. The pupils experienced the "scary chair" which was a chair lift down into the valley with a sudden and unexpected drop in terrain. The group thoroughly enjoyed the peace and tranquillity on the slopes and the breathtaking views from the top of the mountains. Each day their confidence, technique and skill level improved.
The evening activities consisted of a town trail, intermingling evening with two other schools in our hotel, a quiz and movie evening, Invertigo - an indoor high-ropes assault course, bum boarding and a disco on the final evening.
The pupils were all presented with an achievement award at the end of the week, based on their individual ski level, including Mr Boyd!
The unforgettable experience of the ski trip will remain with the pupils for a long time. The self management, working with others, time keeping, the cultural experience and the use of a foreign language are all life skills, which will not be forgotten.
