Thursday was a testing day for the students as the cloud crept up the valley and shrouded our resort in thick fog. However, after catching the ski lift up the mountain, the fog was replaced by clear skies and the wonderful feeling and views of skiing above the clouds. Dropping back down was a different matter and the students got to experience skiing in poor visibility, a completely new sensation where you have to feel rather than see the mountain. They all coped fantastically well and came back full of exuberance and epic tales of the day.
In the evening, after a supermarket trip to stock up on “essentialsâ€, the students had a Movie Night and watched the film Ironman. Some took the opportunity in the intermission to have an early night and catch up on their (ugly) beauty sleep.
On Friday, the fog had lifted and it was test day with their Instructors. Each student was marked on their ability and technique by the Instructor from another group (to eliminate any bias!).
In the afternoon our top group headed up to the snow park, where their Instructor took them over, under and occasionally through various obstacles laid out along the track. It was an opportunity to practice jumping, high-speed cornering, not to mention horizontal to vertical manoeuvring (getting back up to you and me!).
Some groups also “branched†out and took the Route of Roots through a small copse of trees. A narrow track winds its way backwards and forwards amongst the trees and a few of our more ecologically-minded students decided that a bit of tree hugging was in order and attached themselves to branches and roots at various points along the track.
After skiing it was back to the hotel for Ski Presentation, where the students’ Instructors presented them with their grading and certificate and the students had the opportunity to thank each of their Instructors with some gifts. All students did extremely well and some were awarded merits and double merits for their performance over the week.
The trip was rounded off with the traditional last night visit to the nightclub, a chance for the students to let their hair down, mingle with the other schools and bust a few moves on the dance floor. At 10pm, the lights came up and it was time to head off for bed and the early morning departure for the airport that awaited the following day.