With all the anticipation building up for this year’s ski trip, there was no surprise to see all of the students arrive at school early ready for our annual ski trip.  With a reduced number of students on the coach this year (45) it was always going to be a very comfortable journey to Falcade, although we thought.  All 45 students arrived with their passports and EHIC cards in tow very excited for the BMS Ski Trip experience.  In no time at all we were all on the coach, luggage loaded and we were away and heading to our first stop which was Maidstone in order to change drivers and coaches. This year’s trip comprised of Year 10’s being the majority group of skiers some experienced skiers from Year 12 which is always a bonus. 

By the time we arrived at our first stop off you would be amazed to think some of these students had not had breakfast or lunch.  Before we knew it we were are the Euro Tunnel bound for Calais and the second leg of our journey.  It was also very clear that students were very excited about being on the trip and could not wait to see what skiing experience where going to unfold.  For Year 12 students it was a case of reminiscing about some of the events which they experienced in Year 10 and thinking to themselves how much better this year will be.   Once off the Euro Tunnel it was time to get back on the coach as we headed on the rest of our journey to arrive in Falcade with LOTS of snow and sunshine (minus all the technical issues with the coach in Germany).  The Saturday evening comprised of getting used to our hotel and getting our ski equipment for the week which was a smooth transition.  It was also the beginning of actually skiing for the first time for some students in terms of getting used to their ski equipment.

The first couple of days gave the students an insight into how physically demanding skiing is on the body as well as how important it is to have good technique in order to make progress and tackle challenging pistes.  It was really nice to see most of the Year 12 students showing the Year 10 students how it is done i.e. putting ski equipment on, pushing themselves in terms of remembering all of the exercises which they learnt when they were in Year 10.  There were some stand out skiers from the beginning such as Zoe, Anouska to name a few who moved up groups early on.

There were also students and teachers (Ms. Budd, Ms. Miller) in the beginners group who were making a lot of progress and by the time we got to Monday.  They were on a blue slope and making left and right turns with a lot of confidence.  By the time we got to Pizza night on Monday evening it was clear to see that all students had settled into the regime of skiing and accepted the fact that pizza and pasta are part of the everyday lifestyle in Italy when on a mountain.  It was also clear to see how much the weather was having an impact on energy levels, due to the hot sunshine we experience.  There were several students who had already caught a nice ski tan.  It was nice to hear students discuss their accomplishments and other runs which they would like to complete before the end of our stay.  It was clear that there were a lot of competitive students who wanted to outdo each other in terms of progress which had been made and pistes which had been conquered (Year 10 Boys Leo, Jaden, and Harris etc).

By Wednesday students had experienced excellent “blue sky day” ski conditions in terms of weather. This simply meant that students were able to see amazing views of the mountain, clear skies and sunshine whilst learning how to ski.  It was so nice to see that students had picked up a few words in Italian such as saying hello and goodbye and sharing words with their instructors as well.

Skiing with some of the groups it was clear to see that relationships had been developed with the ski instructors this could be seen with the amount of big smiles on the faces of students. They were tackling more challenging pistes and starting to realise why it is important to develop their basic ski skills before taking on a pistes which are more difficult (Shout out to Rubia’s group completing a red run all the way down the ski hire shop). This was the first year were all the groups completed the famous “Lovers Run” which is approximately 10km of amazing views of the Dolomites.

Tubbing provided to be a highlight of the week as students got the opportunity to release some of the tensions of skiing by going down a slope on a plastic doughnut tube.  All that could be heard was the screams of joy and the groans of having to walk back up the hill once they had had their go.  We even managed to create a chain of students going down in one go which proved to be really popular.  This was washed down with a lovely warm cup of hot chocolate.  With all that energy used up the coach was very quiet coming back to the hotel. 

The last 2 days flew by and before we knew it there were Bushey Meads students who were taking in their last moments in Falcade before they had to head home.  Certain students got very emotional towards the end of the final day reminiscing about all the fun he has had over the week.  It was just nice to see a student actually take that moment in and appreciate the fact he had truly had an amazing week.  Right at the end of the week there we a lot of goodbyes, hugs and pictures taken with their instructors to round off a truly memorable week.

I personally would like to thanks my fantastic ski team for lots of different reasons (Mr. Malik, Ms. Budd, Mr. Lyley, Ms. Miller and Mrs. Waring).  Together they made this year’s trip seamless and smooth from leaving school to arriving at Falcade and stepping up with issues which had to be resolved, and I will never forget.

A massive shout out goes to Mr. Malik and going to extra mile with some of the students especially in Year 10 on the trip.  He never really stopped doing his job in terms of pastoral care for the students and it should be noted.  I can say without fail there will be a lot of memories and laughter which will never be forgotten between the staff ski team and BMS students.  The picture below gives an indications of how nice the weather on the last day and how much the students wanted to stay a bit longer.

Watch this space for Falcade 2020 #Shamoona.

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