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Posted on March 31st 2018
Snow Sports Trip 2018 - Pictures and Reports Here
We're home from our amazing 2018 snow sports trip to Crans Montana, Switzerland, and would like to thank a few people...
Firstly, and most importantly, thank you to the members of staff across the academies who gave up nine days of their Easter holidays to support the trip.
We were up at 06.30 and in bed no earlier than 23.00 making sure students were suitably supervised and prepared for their activities. Of course they all got time on the slopes but the students were always put first and we were a great team!
You can view all our pictures and films from the trip here.
Neil Johns, who has been updating the website for me remotely, deserves a MASSIVE thank you for creating such a brilliant news feed on the website and twitter. I really hope you have all taken the time to follow and feel part of this trip. Please download the photos and videos and cherish the memories created. I will be adding more pictures later this weekend.
Our group of students were fantastic! Loved by the ski company staff, their instructors, our coach drivers and the members for the public we met for their exemplary behaviour and the big smiles. From the beginners through to our most advanced groups every student made phenomenal progress on and off the slopes. I would happily welcome any of them back with open arms.
My final thank you is to you... the parents, grandparents and guardians who saved up for this trip and had the confidence in us to take your children away. Its a big leap of faith you have shown but I can guarantee you this; every student had the trip of a lifetime and will have many memories and stories to share with you and look back on with a smile. Please, please, please talk to them about it, ask them questions and interact with their stories.
Until next year, THANK YOU! And enjoy this time with your family.
Kind regards,
Mr Connolly
Friday 6 April - final day!
Yesterday's evening entertainment was the disco! The disco is always a great end to the week, with lots of different genres of music and an array of dance moves on display. There was even a dance off against another school! Everyone got a long really well and thoroughly enjoy the final evening. We'll try and upload some of the brilliant videos soon.
It was then bedtime and we awoke this morning for the final morning of snow sports. This was the most beautiful day for weather so far. It was super sunny, warm weather and not a cloud in the sky. There were Harris students all over the resort finishing their 30 hours of skiing or boarding in style. Every student has now completed a red run... the second most difficult run.
We had some lunch and are now on are way back to England. We are still on course to be back on time.
- Harris Boys will be at their Academy for 7am.
- Harris Academy Bromley Girls and Harris Invictis will be back at BROMLEY for 7am.
Please be there waiting and leave space for the coaches to park. I will TEXT you very early on Saturday morning to confirm arrival times. Please check your phones before you leave the house!
Mr Connolly
Thursday 5 April - lots of pics of our last full day on the slopes
Day five was our last full day on the slopes. After a film or football night the groups were well rested and ready to hit the slopes again this morning. We had breakfast and then headed off. We were greeted again by the most stunning views this morning so please take the time to look at the pictures below!
As usual by 10.10am our groups were challenging themselves all over the mountain. We have no groups on the magic carpet or nursery slope anymore. What a great achievement by our students and their instructors.
Our beginner groups took the challenging run through the forest this morning. Please take the time to see some of the videos that were filmed - they definitely don’t look like beginners anymore.
Our other groups were at the top of the mountain and working there way down all day. By the afternoon our beginner skiers had graduated to the chair lift and got their first experience of the top of the mountain. You can check out their descent video of them coming down the mountain together in tough conditions. What an achievement in their first week of skiing.
Tonight we will present our awards and then we have the disco. Please see the report tomorrow for pictures of the disco and the awards.
PS. We are due back at 7am on Saturday morning. I will TEXT you if this changes.
Mr Connolly
STOP PRESS: here are our award winners. Congratulations to ALL our boys!
- Legend of the week - Jasper
- Hero - Dariush
- Best boarder - Jasper
- Hard man - Shay
- Fastest boarder - Cai
- Politest student - Deointe
- Laziest - Georgie
- Instructors choice skiing - Josh M
- Banter - Carnegie
- Best advanced skier - Dom
- Best newcomer - Liam
- Most improved beginner boarder - Adam H
- Excellent attitude - Atay
- Stepping up - Oscar
- Stick to the piano - Dexter
- Best S turn - Aymene
- Best role model - Tyreece
- Instructors choice snowboarder - Alpha
- Most repetitive saying - Ben
- Most organised - Isiah
- Best attitude - Samuel
- Wipeout of the week - Alex
- Romeo - Brandon
- Best manners - Benji
- Most improved boarder - Connor
- Best snowplough - Mico
- Always smiling - Tashan
- Best beginner boarder - Adam
- Best dressed - Diego
Don't you wish you were here?
Beginner skiers in the forest today
Watch more films from our fabulous beginners skiers on the slopes today.
Advanced snowboarders show their skills today
Wednesday 4 April - loads of pictures below!
Last night we were at the famous sports centre in Crans Montana. The students took over the badminton courts, tennis courts and table tennis tables and took advantage of the world class facilities. There was some great competition there and some students playing for fun. A really enjoyable and tiring night.
We awoke at our usual time and had a lovely breakfast and headed up the mountains. The staff took the time today to spend some time with our groups and take photos and videos. The conditions today were absolutely stunning, please take your time to go through the amazing photos and videos that were taken today! Our students have become so good that it’s difficult to keep up. Keep up to date tomorrow!
Mr Connolly
Beginners skiers and snowboarders in action today...
See more pictures from today of our beginners skiers and snowboarders.
And here's our intermediate skiers...
See more pictures and films from today of our intermediate skiers
Our advanced snowboarders today...
See more pictures and films from today of our advanced snowboarders.
And finally our advanced skiers on the slopes...
See more pictures and films from today of our advanced skiers.
Tuesday 3 April - blue skies again
After a refreshing spa last night we were up for our usual breakfast slot and off up the slopes for day three.
We had a weather report of rain however the weather report was wrong and we again had beautiful clear skies of sunshine and great conditions to ski in.
As usual by 10.10am we had students on the magic carpet, green runs, blue runs and the red runs. Our experienced skiers even took the time to go on some off-piste skiing, very challenging and very exciting.
We again spent our lunch time in the sunshine and had some food and drink before heading back off onto the slopes for the afternoon.
We managed to catch up with some of our advanced groups and even got some great action shots of our snowboarders as they decided to board the whole way down to the coach rather than use the gondola. Some of the pictures from today’s session are featured here - our staff were out on the mountains trying to photograph students as they went!
The group had two choices for this evening's entertainment. Option one was a relaxing movie night with the bar being turned into a cinema with fizzy drinks and popcorn. Option two was an active evening of sports in the local sports centre. It is the same sports centre where Rodger Federer sends his children for their tennis camp so you can imagine how good it is! The activities included; tennis, badminton, table tennis, pool and table football.
Tomorrow we are hoping some of our beginner groups graduate to an intermediate level and take the chair lift to the top of the mountain to continue their challenging development. Watch this space.
Mr Connolly
Monday 2 April - amazing progress
We awoke bright and early this morning to a beautiful sunrise creeping over the mountains, had breakfast and then made the journey up to the slopes.
At 10am lessons commenced and by 10.10am students were taking off some of their layers as the sun was beating down. It was really the perfect skiing conditions.
Our beginner ski and snowboarding groups were advancing from the magic carpet and on to the button lift - a slightly longer and steeper learning slope to help challenge and develop their skills. They were hardly recognisable compared to yesterday. Amazing progress!
We stopped for lunch and then hit the slopes again for the afternoon. Our advanced snowboarders spent the day riding the chair lifts to the top of the mountain and choosing various slopes to make their way back down.
Our advanced skiers spent the day travelling up to the glacier, the highest point of the mountain. It is so high that there is snow there all year round. They came back exhausted but with smiles from ear to ear having managed to complete four black runs back to back. Black runs are the hardest runs on the ski slopes and challenge the very best and most experienced skiers. So a great achievement to those boys!
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Our evening entertainment was at the thermal spa and baths. Therefore, we rushed our dinner to make sure we had a full evening and took advantage of the facilities. As there are no pictures of the spa I will try and paint a picture for your mind.... imagine concentrating all day on an activity that you find incredibly challenging and difficult. An activity that is potential dangerous if you stop being focused, while wearing equipment that is alien to you and you can’t fully control yet, then carrying all of this equipment around.... But then you get to the thermal baths, and step into a heated outdoor pool, a giant jacuzzi, with bubbles, sprays, water cannons. While you relax the backdrop is a view of the snowy mountains. It is heaven!
We are all well and truly refreshed and ready to smash out tomorrow. Watch this space!
Mr Connolly
Sunday 1 April - day one on the slopes
Last night we had some dinner before a sensibly early night in order to recover from our journey and prepare for a full day of snow sports today.
We woke up early this morning, had breakfast as a group before getting our skis and boards fitted.
We then made the five minute journey to the gondola at Crans Montana ski resort. Upon reaching the resort we were greeted by the fresh snow downpour which created the perfect back drop for our first visit to the resort. The snow cover all over the mountains helped create the most amazing scenery for our students to experience.
Students where then placed in their ability groups ready to begin the day. We have 28 borders and 41 skiers over a full range of abilities so it was over to the ski schools to plan the day ahead.
The beginners spent the morning on the 'magic carpet' getting used to their equipment and the new skills they have to master. The advanced skiers and boarders had a quick go on the nursery slope to whet their appetites before jumping on the chair lifts and heading for the top!
There were lots of faces in the snow early on and the boarders will have few bumps and bruises from their first day but by the end of the day we were watching our beginners graduate from the novice slope as they snowploughed down in complete control.
We also had a great chance to go up and see our advanced group who were at an outstanding 2257 feet above sea level! A new breathtaking record for any of our ski trips. The boys were attempting the most advanced red run of the resort. Make sure you check out the videos (if I can upload them), some excellent techniques and a few wipe outs!
The evening entertainment after dinner was a torch lit walk around the local lake which was a peaceful and cultural end to an exciting but very demanding day.
Mr Connolly
Saturday 31 March - arrived safely!
We had a successful journey and arrived safely in resort at 6pm today local time. We were welcomed by heavy snowfall which bodes well for our skiing and snowboarding.
This evening we had dinner together, got our snow sports equipment organised and sent the students to their rooms to shower and relax. Come back tomorrow for the first full report!
Mr Connolly
We are in Crans Montana in Switzerland for the annual snow sports trip.
We'll be adding pictures and reports to this page every day so come back here to see pictures of the students in action.
Follow us on Twitter too for pictures and updates.
