Our Ski Trip Blog

Friday/Saturday

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

We packed most of our stuff the night before but still had to get up early to finish packing. We then had breakfast and went skiing in beautiful sunshine again. We had a practice on the slalom course before we had races in our ski groups. We came in for a quick lunch and then most of us went back out on the slopes for a last ski.

2.00 pm We had a presentation opposite the hotel. The instructors gave us all our ski test cards and medals and then announced the fastest skiers in each group who had to stand on the podium. The winners were:

Monika and Gimmy's group: 1st - Maya, 2nd - Rosie, 3rd - Izzy CH.

Willie's group: 1st - Caitlin, 2nd - Eleanor H, 3rd - Hannah R.

Cristiano's group: 1st - Charis, 2nd - Chantal, 3rd - Dannika.

Nadia's group: 1st - Poppy B, 2nd Olivia H, 3rd - Thea.

The instructors gave the teachers a snood each and then we presented the instructors with a Coombe certificate and a thank you present each.

We returned all our ski kit and then showered before loading the coach. We were on our way home at 4.30 pm; very sad to leave the lovely people of Foppolo as they helped us have such a great trip.

Saturday morning... Happy Birthday Helen. The teachers gave her a card and present then awarded the winners of the room inspection and the quiz night before giving the drivers and Joe (our rep) certificates and presents.

We arrived at Calais really early and we hoped to get on an earlier train, however when we saw how many coaches were already there we knew we would have to wait for a while. We got back to Coombe at 1.10 pm so we still arrived earlier than planned. By this stage we were all looking forward to eating some fruit and vegetables and were hoping our parents were not going to give us pasta for dinner!

It was a fantastic trip and we would really like to go again.

Thursday

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

The sun was shining and the skiing was hot. We laughed all the way up the chair lifts teaching the instructors to speak more English. Emily B skied brilliantly and Livvy was smiling. Cristiano's group skied half a black run really well then all five groups went to play in the snow park over the boxes and ramps with only a few minor wipe-outs.

By lunch time it was 'molto caldo'. Poppy L got out her ipod on the balcony so the Year 10s, Miss Howarth and Mrs Ziriat could sing and dance for half an hour to the amazement of the locals; "dancing in the sunlight".

6.00 pm We were back on our skis for the Fiaccole/torchlight decent. We went up the blue chair lift with the ATC group and Moira school with all the instructors. The teachers and some students held the torches that Willie had lit for them. We all skied down in a very long snow plough snake which finished back at the hotel. We had no wipe-outs and managed to form a large circle at the bottom with all 150 people. We threw the torches into the middle of the circle to create a ring of fire before the instructors collected them up and put them out.

7.00 pm Dinner, shower, change into disco clothes... We walked down to Grizzly's which was many people's first nightclub experience. It was just open for the Equity groups where we danced the night away to top tunes and strobe lighting. We made friends with the students from the other groups. The night finished with YMCA and the Cha Cha Slide (teachers included).

A fantastic day was had by all.

Wednesday

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

We have had another amazing day. Monika and Gimmy's groups went down a red run, Willie's group also went down a red run, Cristiano's group went down a black run and Nadia's group perfected their skiing backwards and through each other's legs. The latter three groups all skied in Carona this morning however, we were all skiing down the same runs in Foppolo this afternooon as it was very windy so the Monte Bello chair lift was shut. The sun came out during the afternoon so we were skiing in +3 degrees weather which was warm.

We found a supermarket and some shops to buy souvenirs and presents for family and friends. This evening we had a presentation from the teachers who gave us various awards.

We are all looking forward to tomorrow as we are skiing and then going to the disco for our last night. The more able skiers are also going to do the torchlight decent with the other groups staying in our hotel.

Tuesday

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

San Valentino to our all our family and friends.

The day started with blue sky and the slopes were empty apart from "Coombie" and two other groups. We had another great day, up early for breakfast at 8.00 am and on the slopes for 9.00 am, with lunch at 12.00 pm and more skiing at 2.00 pm.

The top beginners skied down the red runs a few times and then went into the snow park to ski the ramp and then to try some jumps on the slopes. Pippa decided to do a Tigger impression and left us all aghast. She landed safely and then Cristiano made her fall over!

Cristiano and Willie decided to give Isabel a new pair of skis which happened to belong to Miss Howarth; this meant Isabel could ski with more control when turning. Miss Howarth then skied with much longer skis for the rest of the day therefore even faster than before. The two groups practised their parallel turns, "pizza and spaghetti".

Gimmy and Monika's groups were practising their turns on the blue run and made excellent progress. The intermediate group learned how to ski backwards and through each others' legs.

Two teachers faced their first embarrassment of the week by falling over!

We have had a relaxing evening to recharge our batteries for tomorrow.

Thank you to Vicky C, Martha, Livvy, Pippa, Lily and Maya for helping to write the blogs.

Monday

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

The girls were moved into different beginner groups depending upon how they had got on the day before. Today all the beginners groups went on the chair lift up to the top of the blue run by the hotel. The sky was brilliant blue, the snow was soft and skiing down the mountain was amazing. The top beginner went down the red run in the afternoon and also learned how to do some jumps.

The intermediate group decided to ski the entire resort in the morning including a black run and a slalom course. In the afternoon, Emily asked Nadia (our new instructor) if we could go and play in the snow park which had jumps, ramps, rails and boxes. We were nervous but really enjoyed it so we went again and again! We then went slightly off the side of the piste to do some more jumping!

A few girls fell over and have been given nicknames by their friends!

In the evening we had a quiz night which had a number of rounds including song lyrics, guess the James' and a Science revision round... team Gimmy won the quiz, Frosties came 2nd, Hairy Bikers 3rd and Question Mark 4th.

This was the second evening of Room Inspection and Mrs Ziriat had a special treat as the girls sang her a song when she entered their room.

"She'll be skiing down the mountain when she comes, okayee, okayee."

"She'll be skiing down the mountain when she comes, snow ploughed, snow ploughed"

"She'll break her leg and arm and slide down on her tum"

"She'll be skiing down the mountain when she comes, DISASTER!!!!!!!!!"

Sunday

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Sunday was our first day skiing. We had to collect helmets from two different shops before the beginners could go to the nursery slopes in the morning. The intermediate group set off from the hotel with Vittorio to ski on blue, red and black runs as a warm up for the week ahead!

The beginner groups were split into 4 as the ski school very kindly gave us an extra instructor. Willie, Gimmy, Monika and Cristiano were all great teachers even though the girls found the first day skiing challenging.

We all enjoyed our first day even though our legs ached a bit from the boots and the five hours of exercise we had just done. One of the highlights of the day was when Helen wiped out Joe (our ski rep) and then tried to wipe out Miss Richardson shortly afterward. Joe was a hero according to Livvy as he got her boots changed for a more comfortable pair.

In the evening, we went back out to the nursery slope to go bum boarding/sledging which was scary but exhilarating. Most people had a few turns before we came back to the hotel for dinner and hot chocolate before bed.

Saturday

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

We were late leaving school but managed to get to the train terminal on time. However there was a delay so we had to wait. The train journey and French motorways were clear and we had an excellent run through to Switzerland and across into Italy.

We arrived in resort fairly rested as most of us managed to get a little sleep on the coach. You will also be pleased to know, we still have lots of food from the journey to have as snacks throughout the week.

The girls settled into their rooms quickly before going to do 'ski fit' and collect their skis and boots; helmets to be collected in the morning.

Funny quotes:

"Miss, do we drive through the tunnel or get on a conveyor belt?"

"Miss, will we really see fish swimming past the window?"

"It's been so much fun already and all I have done is run to the toilet and back."

Dry Slope 3 & 4

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

The dry slope sessions this week were very successful. The girls are now looking forward to skiing on snow rather than carpet. We are also keen to see the beautiful views from the mountain slopes.

The weather has been cold in Foppolo, the current temperature is between -3 and -10 degrees so the girls will need to bring lots of layers and wrap up warm.

I look forward to seeing all participants and parents at 3.15 pm on Friday for departure to Italy. (Miss Howarth)

Dry Slope 2

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

The second group went to Sandown for their first dry slope lesson on Thursday. We found it both interesting and fun to be taught how to ski; snow ploughing was a new experience and something you don't get to do everyday. One group were lucky enough to try out the button lift and most of us managed to get to the top first time. We really liked our instructors who were very good. (Caitlin Hughes, Umm-Kulthum Mustapha, Regan Geffryes, Y9)

Dry Slope 1

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Our first dry ski slope lesson went really well; the instructors were really good. One group started at the bottom of the slope and learned how to snow plough. Our group were all people that have skied before so the instructors were helping us improve our ski technique as we were practising our parallel turns. Everyone learned a lot during the session and the teachers enjoyed watching us! It was a really fun evening and a great start to the ski trip. (Poppy Biggs & Emily Chamberlain, Y9)