Alpine Adventure 2018 by Cdt Newman

The Journey 

I was apprehensive about going on such a long coach journey. Thankfully it was much better than my school bus with lovely seats and a TV. In no time at all we were sailing across the English Channel, enjoying breakfast en-route to France. Later we woke up to amazing views of frost covered fields whilst snacking on an array of sweets. Slowly the mountains came into view and we arrived at our lodge. 

Accommodation 

Our lodge was a retired watermill with the distinctive sound of running water from a huge waterfall. Spread over many levels I enjoyed a warm room all to myself. 

Skiing 

Skiing initially started on a small chair lift where practised and were assessed by our ski instructor. Occasionally, we were 'forced' into cafes to enjoy a drink, pancakes and discuss the day. 

Over the following days we got faster and more confident. The days did not pass without incident though, as someone always seemed to fall off a chair lift! 

As snow conditions improved we learnt to go over moguls and got some decent air! 

Later in the week we enjoyed complicated black-runs and sped through pine trees. Some days we were skiing at such high altitude that we were above the clouds! 

Evening Fun 

There was always lots to do in the evening including: 

• Bowling. 
• Swimming - with flumes and a wave machine. 
• Table tennis. 
• Playing cards. 
• And of course huge snowball fights! Food 

We were never left hungry with lots of Nutella for breakfast and packed lunch. 

Every evening we enjoyed a warm hearty meal such as dumplings, curry sausages, lasagne and much more. 

The Final Day 

On the final day it was raining so unfortunately we could not go skiing. However, we did return to the awesome swimming pool and ate a delicious lunch at a café. After dinner and a debrief we had an early night because of the early start the next day. 

Sad to Leave 

After a great week of skiing and making friends, I was sad to leave. We are not leaving behind any snow though because it had all melted! I had great fun and learnt a lot about skiing. 

I would recommend this trip to everyone of all abilities.