This February half-term staff and 110 Abbey Grange students from Years 10 to 13 took to the slopes on the 5-day Annual Ski Trip, this year held in Siestriere, Italy.
After many weeks learning techniques on dry slopes, students had the chance to show off and refine their skills on the snow with 25 hours of ski instruction, with many progressing from nursery slopes right up to black runs.
Day One was spent travelling from Manchester to Milan/Turin to our hotel which was originally built for workers by the Fiat motor car company. A piece of real brutalist architecture, it features a steadily rising circular corridor all the way up a tower with rooms on each side. Students and staff were evenly distributed across rooms (alongside 3 or 4 other schools) ranging from twins to up to 5 beds. Each day started at 7.30am with breakfast in the hotel restaurant, followed by skiing from 9am till 12pm, a break for lunch, and continued skiing from 2pm till 4pm.
On the first day of skiing, students were tested on their abilities and split into groups accordingly with assigned staff of similar abilities. Mr Prinsep and his beginners started on nursery slopes and after a few days ascended to blue runs with the students going on to reds with a great run to a nearby village by the end of the day. Many students moved up to black runs and chariot ski lifts with every single student making incredible progress by the end of the week.
Every day, we presented awards, including fastest skier, best skier, student with most progress and, of course, biggest joker and biggest wipeout. Amelia in Y11 achieved the fastest skier award on the day she skied down a very steep float and ran over Mr Prinsep! This was a very popular award! Some students went through a speedometer and clocked speeds of over 40mph.
Each night there was an activity and students had time to explore the small village and shops. On the second night we hired an ice skating rink where students showed off their ice skating skills along with some props such as an ice skating chair and penguins to keep balance. With the exception of Isaac in Y9 (who brought his own skates), I’m not sure any of the students will be taking up professional ice skating any time soon! On Shrove Tuesday, students were treated to a crepe and on Thursday, we acquired the use of a night club from 8pm – 10pm (no adults or alcohol served) for a disco which we shared with another school. Friday night was a pizza night in a local restaurant before an early night as groups were up extra early to head back to the UK.
Accompanying students on the trip was Abbey Grange’s Principal, Mr Prinsep, who had this message to share:
“It was a fantastic trip with the loveliest bunch of students and a real opportunity for those who have never skied before to give it a go.”
Find more photos in our Ski Trip 2024 album on Facebook.
