19 February 2018
On Friday 9 February a group of 43 students and five staff departed Abingdon on a coach for the annual school ski trip to Saint Gervais in the French Alps. After a long journey we arrived in the resort on Saturday in time to check in and collect our equipment from the ski hire shop.
Students shared self-catering apartments that were located approximately 1.2km outside of the centre of town giving a good variety of eating out as a large group, reserving their own tables in restaurants as small groups and even the challenge of the boys cooking for themselves with provided ingredients on two of the nights.
A large snowfall during the preceding week led to good snow conditions and also sunny weather for the majority of our time there. The main skiing area extended from the top of the Bettex cable car at 1400m up to the top of Mont Joly at 2525m giving a good variety of skiing options. On the first day all students spent six hours in ski or snowboard school provided by ESF, refining techniques previously learned and getting to know the resort.
The morning of the second day gave the students their first opportunity to explore the slopes with their friends with the majority of the groups re-skiing the routes shown to them by the instructors previously. Lessons then resumed from 2.00pm to 5.30pm each day with the instructors enjoying guiding the more able groups off piste and down black runs that they were not allowed to ski outside of lessons.
The trip was very enjoyable and the boys were a credit to the school. Next year's trip will be advertised in a couple of weeks time.
We would also like to thank the staff that accompanied the trip: Mr McGill, Mrs Griffiths, Mrs O'Doherty, Mr Simmons and Mr White.
