NOW YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE ACTION ON THE SLOPES



Apologies to every one that has been checking for our Ski Dairy 2009. We have had a bit of difficulty finding internet access in Tonale. We have now located a Wi-Fi zone within 20 minutes walk in -11⁰C, but it is worth it. This is not just any ski diary it is the SJC ski diary!

Saturday and Sunday 14^th-15^th February.

After an emotional farewell every one was excited to finally be under way. The boys had fantastic views of the Swiss Alps, driving through two magnificent passes seeing view only surpassed by Upper Norwood Rec. Unfortunately one of the routes to the resort was closed due to heavy snow meaning a further 100km were added to the trip. The boys were all impeccable and have received nothing but praise from the coach drivers. We arrived in resort and were fitted for boots and skis. We were very impressed with the Italian organization! The hotel has a delicious healthy, hearty and varied menu. The boys can have 4 course meals if they so desire.

Monday 15^th February (Day 1 skiing)

Early to bed early to rise on the piste at 09:00hrs. Groups were organised according to experience (number of weeks skied), and we were off.

The beginners The whole group had a fantastic start putting on their skis quicker than a rat up a drain pipe. They then learnt how to side step up the nursery slopes and began learning how to stay on their feet and stop. Next they moved on to snow plough turn and by the afternoon went on their first chairlift. We have never seen such amazing progress in any of our students within 5 hours. All seemed to be really enjoying themselves and thriving in the fresh air and awe inspiring scenery. Mr Mills and Mr Sanders spent the morning giving all the boys words encouragement and taking a few snaps.

The intermediates Luke G, Max W, Connor S, Connor M, James G, Mario , Jack H, Michael C, Michael E, Art-Michael, Anthony C. What a start, they quickly found their ski legs and were at 2500m within one hour. Paolo the instructor was impressed by the standard of skiing as most of the boys had only skied for one week on snow previously. They will be up on the black runs soon and vying for a place on the GB ski team. Mrs Copson spent the day skiing with the group and got some great footage of the boys traversing and turning. It was poetry in motion.

The Advanced Kamil K, Jack B, Andrew S, Eamon G. What an awesome group! Guido started on a couple of red slopes to check out their ability. It didn’t take him long to realize they really were the crème de la crème of SJC. They moved quickly on to the red slopes receiving good tips to improve their technique. Throughout the day they were all asking to be taken over jumps, unlike Eddy the Eagle they landed them with finesse and panache. Mr Miller was skiing with the group and after his jumps the tremors were felt in Naples!

Tuesday 17^th February (Day 2 skiing)

Another early start. All the boys were raring to get out on the snow. The beginners went straight onto nursery slope for a warm up run, they then went onto the chair lifts again and by the end of the day they had tackled their first blue run with style (you would expect nothing less in Italy!).

The intermediates were improving their balance and technique to facilitate their progression from stem to parallel turns. Some of the boys have showed so much progression that they may be moving up to the advanced group on Wednesday.

The advanced group skied down the mountain and tackled some of the tree lined black and red runs in Ponte di Legno. What a group, they didn’t complain once about having to wait at the top of every lift for Mr Mills to put his foot back into his snowboard bindings (the staff usually leave him and an instructor lost him after less than 10 minutes last year!)

Ice skating

A different type of boot was worn in the evening, we all swapped ski boots for ice skating boots. The location was different to Streatham Ice rink. The boys got a chance to skate outside surrounded by the Italian Alps, with clear skies and twinkling stars. All the students took part and the absolute beginners all made it round by themselves before we finished. The climax was the staff vs. student relay race. The odds were not looking good for the staff; Mr Mills looking like a donkey on roller-skates, Mr Cook was talking a good game but showing no evidence of any ability, Mark the coach driver was steady and reliable, just like his driving, Mrs Copson was a dark horse, the students never knew that she played ice hockey in Canada for two years, Mr Miller was at one with the ice (pity it was his face) and Mr Sanders was complaining that the South African ice was a lot wetter? The race started it was neck and neck all the way but to everyone’s astonishment the staff were first to cross the finish line. The boys returned to the hotel in good spirits and wolfed down a hearty evening meal.

Wednesday 18^th February (Day 3 Skiing)

The boys all arrived at breakfast on time and were met by bright blue skies. The snow was glittering in the morning sun and the boys were looking forward to another morning of fun, fun, fun. The beginners groups were all making steady progress, shooting down the ski cross course and stopping in a nicely formed pile. They all managed to successfully ski down the beginners terrain park navigating 5 bumps and 2 jumps. The instructors have started to try to move the boys from the snow plough turn to basic parallel turns.

The intermediates were looking to put in to practice all their newly acquired skills and are now taking on the more challenging slopes that Tonale has to offer. If progress continues at this rate Bode Miller will be quaking in his ski boots next year.

The advanced group (who have now almost doubled in numbers) have consistently been up for the challenge and today was no different. They were last seen heading for Ponte di Legno in search of the infamous mountain cat that Mr Cook claims to have seen on Tuesday afternoon.

The evening activity was a visit to the local swimming pool. Following on from yesterdays staff vs. pupils ice skating race the boys were looking to get their revenge in the water. Cameron (breast stroke is my stroke), Gareth (the man from Atlantis), Robert (the dark sea horse) and Mario (Super Mario) all had fantastic technique and were strong favourites to win. Confidence was high in the student camp. Unfortunately the teachers experience and power helped them pull in front. It was a close race and the boys were unlucky to come in a close but honorable second.

Thursday 19^th February 2009

All the groups are now meeting in the same area of the resort. The beginners are very pleased because they now have to walk 300 metres less to join their instructors. Lele’s (one of the instructors) group completed their first full Red Run today to the delight of Mrs Copson who spent a good while capturing their prowess on celluloid (actually it’s a SDHC 2GB memory card.) The fantastic group consisted of Aidan, Cameron, Vickesh, Robert, Daniel, James, Frank, Joe, Gareth, Tayla and Ryan; it was a brilliant achievement on only their fourth day of skiing. The group also spent some time trying to perfect their jumping technique spending some time in the beginner’s terrain park.

The intermediate group (Michael, Mario, Jack, Anthony, Art-Michael, Connor, Michael, Connor and Max) went to a new part of the mountain this afternoon. They tackled some really steep terrain and some very tight bends. A few of the boys are now venturing off the sides of the piste to try and get some air when ever they can. Their instructor is very pleased with their progress and thinks they should all pass the test at the end of the week.

The advanced group (Andrew, Kamil, Eamon, James G, Jack and Luke) went over to Ponte di Legno. They are all skiing quickly and safely. They have now conquered the majority of black runs in the resort and are starting to look like seasoned skiers. Guido their instructor has been trying to ensure that their technique is constantly being fine tuned to allow them to ski down even the slopes in not only a safe manner but also looking stylish.

The second beginners group (Ramone, Edmond, Neil, Alex, Daniel, Pierce, Louis, Michael and Abdul-Azeez) were eager to go further up the mountain today and were rewarded by some long runs with intermittent jumps and some speedy downhill sections. The highlight for this group was a run through the terrain park with five jumps.

Bum Boarding

After skiing all the boys headed off to the UFO bar to pick up their bum boards. A bum board, which most of us had no idea what to expect, resembled a large, brightly coloured plastic dustpan, available in two sizes; pupil and teacher! All the skiers had left the slopes and our boys marched up to begin their shaky descent. Students were keen to avenge last nights defeat in the swimming competition. Trials for the team took place with seven spots available. The staff’s confidence gradually diminished as they witnessed some lightning runs by James G and Luke. The competition began with the teachers taking a 1 -0 lead, but was very quickly turned around and ended with a 4 -3 victory to the boys. The evening activity left us all cold and damp yet elated, so we traded in our bum boards for hot chocolate with cream.

Friday 20^th February

Another great day of skiing for all groups, exploring more of the mountain range at Tonale and Ponte di Legno. The weather had turned with visibility reduced slightly, while the boys that went to the top of the resort experienced skiing in snow flurries (the first time for a lot of them.) The weather had cleared by lunch time and everyone was back out in the sun and blue skies. Luckily the temperatures stayed below 0^oC meaning the pistes stayed in excellent conditions. All the boys spent some time in the freestyle park going over bumps and trying to get some air time.

After skiing the instructors came over to the hotel for the presentation ceremony which involved each of them receiving a certificate and badge relevant to their progress and in keeping with all good ceremonies a photograph was taken of each student posing with the instructor that gave them their award.

After dinner the boys hit the town for a night of disco dancing and strutting their stuff at the Miramonti venue. What a sight, most of the boys were as smooth on the dance floor as they were on the ski slopes, definitely a few aspiring ski instructors in the group. It was clear how all the boys had bonded over the week, as they took over the dance floor and put the other schools to shame. We think we have found the new John Travolta at SJC.

Saturday 21^st February 2009

The final day of skiing and the weather did not disappoint, as Mr Connolly says “The sun always shines on St Joseph’s College!” The boys were picked up by their instructors and went off to watch them race in the Italian Army Slalom. It was good for them to see what they might be able to do after a few more ski trips. The day was a tight schedule but all the boys had packed and prepared the night before and showed fantastic organizational skills, which help make everything run smoothly, so smoothly that we actually left the resort early (this doesn’t happen very often). We thought the boys would appreciate a view of lake Como as we moved from Italy into Switzerland, unfortunately they were much more appreciative of the neon McDonalds sign 15 minutes later as we pulled into a service station for our main evening stop. The rest as they say is history. After a hard weeks skiing most of the boys slept well and when they woke up they were all looking forward to seeing everyone at home. Another successful ski trip, over the next half term the teachers will be preparing a video for all the students as a memento with pictures and video clips.

Thank you to all the parents for supporting the trip. It was great to see the boys develop over the week. Ciao for now.

Tune in next year for the SJC Ski Dairy