Travel updates

13:22 (French time): all boarded and hoping to take off on schedule at 13:55.

14:26 (English time):  Landed at Gatwick, taxiing.

15:34 Just leaving Gatwick in coach. If traffic OK should be back at school at around 16:15.

Final update:  Arrived at 16:15 and all pupils safely collected.  Many thanks.

Friday messages ...

No photos to post at present but I may put up some more in the next day or two.

You will be delighted to know that all pupils and staff survived the week with no injuries.

Please watch this blog tomorrow in case there is any change to the expected return time of 4.30pm at school. I will be able to be much more specific once we are leaving Gatwick on the coach.

Thursday's skiing

Once again, apart from the odd bruise here and there, everyone has returned intact and all report that they had a good day on the piste.  We did have a couple of skis dropped on the chairlift, only one of which was retrieved at the time and the other was delivered to the hotel later in the afternoon, having been found by a man on a quad bike!  The moral being not to try to bang them together to knock off the snow when on a chairlift.  Mr Mathias donated his skis which were adjusted to fit the person concerned, which was quite heroic as he then spent an hour and a half getting back to base by bus.  All is now sorted, finally.

Whilst waiting for a bus(!) Mr Mathias was able to email me these photos of today's skiing:

Not to be left out, Mr Edlin has just sent me some as well:

Ice skating

On Wednesday after the afternoon ski session we all strolled over to the ice rink for a session of ice skating, which went very well.  Lottie (a previous ice-skating casualty) is pleased to report that she survived unscathed for the second year running.

Wednesday morning

Another sunny morning on the piste. I skied with the beginners and nobody succeeded in wiping me out (although one or two made a pretty good effort!). We managed to descend the blue twice in the lesson with time to spare, having managed it only once (and having run out of time) yesterday, and the skiers remarked how much easier it seemed today. Progress indeed!

The beginners (plus Hannah who paid us a brief visit)

Years ago, people used to ski in interesting hats, which was always fun, but the recent very sensible move to wearing helmets had stopped that. Now, however, it is possible to buy novelty helmet covers, as modelled here by Harrison and Harley:

The chicken and the elephant go skiing

I am hoping to have some more photos from people to post later.

Beginners' progress

Our beginners have made really good progress over the first three days. We started by getting the hang of things on a very gentle slope just adjacent to the hotel on the first morning:

During the afternoon, we went up a chairlift and tried a different piste just at the top. On the Monday morning, we took a quick hop on the bus to the neighbouring village of Chantemerle and used the beginners' piste there which had the great advantage of "un tapis magique" (magic carpet), which is a conveyor belt to return the skiers to the top of the slope to try again. By the end of the second afternoon, the beginners were developing some nice controlled turns.

Le tapis magique

This morning, the instructors felt brave enough to take us all up to the top of a "blue" run and ski down it. The green runs aren't open yet, so this was going to be quite a challenge. I'm delighted to report that all our beginners successfully made it down the run with very few meltdowns. Aphra may now be in line for a special "taking down Mr Court" award as she managed to knock me completely off my feet (and skis) at one point. Needless to say, Aphra came off worse but fortunately was only winded!

Here are a few of our heroes about to ski off a snow mound:

Aphra

Freya

James

Monday skiing

More good skiing today and all have returned intact.  Here are a couple of photos by Louis Rawlinson from this morning.  I may have more later.

First day on the pistes

We were all very relieved and pleased to find that the snow cannons had been hard at work and there were good pistes to ski on in Serre Chevalier today. The more advanced skiers went up a couple of lifts and found some nice pistes at the top and the beginners were taken to an area adjacent to the hotel this morning and were able to cope with a chairlift this afternoon. All are going to Chantemerle by bus (about 15 minutes) tomorrow to try the pistes over there.

Higher intermediates (Photo: Louis Rawlinson)

Photo: Lily Simon 

Photo: Lily Simon

Photo: Mr Edlin

Photo: Mr Edlin

Photo: Mr Edlin

So far so good.

All pupils and staff seated on plane!  Always a relief ...

Now on the ground in Grenoble.

All arrived safely and installed in the hotel.

Serre Chevalier 2015: Final checks

Just a few final things:

• Please report to school at 6:20 am on Saturday 12th December
• See the post below to find out which member of staff is registering you on arrival
• BA allow suitcases to a maximum of 23kg but excess charges are very high, so be careful
• One small piece of hand luggage is also permitted
• Bring a sandwich or similar (no liquids) as the first meal is in the evening
• Bottled water etc. can be bought after passing through security
• There should be food of some sort on the flight
• Remember that liquids and sharp objects cannot be taken in hand luggage.  Follow this link for details from BA about what is permitted.
• We have done our best to allocate rooms as requested, we will tell you on arrival in Serre Chevalier.  If you want to do a direct swap, let us know, otherwise see how it goes.  We won't know if there is any flexibility until we arrive.

Serre Chevalier 2015: Registration groups

The following groups are for purposes of checking that pupils are present. Please report to the relevant member of staff when you arrive on Saturday morning (6.20am) and at any time that we ask you to do so to check that everyone is present.

Please note that there is no need to stay in this group and these are not the same as the rooming groups or the skiing groups, they are just to split up the large group to make it easier for us to count you all.

Mr Mathias:
Lily Simon, Ashleigh Phipps, Alex Griffiths, Lottie Bentham, Ben Carpenter, Luca Falletti, Euan Griffiths, Tom Prate, Alfie Simpson, Oscar Worley

Mr Court:
Blake Barling, Marshall Darby, Ben Fitzpatrick-Nash, George Fletcher, Adam Foster, Elliott Hasler, Charlie Knight, Reba McDowall, Louis Rawlinson, Lewis Sloggett

Mrs Liley:
Hannah Kistruck, Anna Frost, Aphra Saunders, Isabella Sawyer, Freya Simpson, Emily Tate, Maia Marston, Kai Green, Ethan Gilbert, Luca Bigg

Mr Edlin:
Harry Parker, James Wootton, Ben Townley, Harrison Rodger, Harley Prince, Joseph Pearlman (meeting us at Gatwick), Archie Hyde, Parsa Hedayat, Ollie Clouting.

Serre Chevalier 2015: Basic kit list

This is the basic list.  We are expecting the resort to be snowy and the weather when skiing will be cold (apologies for stating the obvious!), so the thermal base layers and really good gloves will be important.

We don't recommend taking mobile phones and other expensive electronic paraphernalia as some of it always gets lost.  The staff will not have time to look for lost gadgets, so please only bring things that are heavily insured or that you are prepared to risk losing.  If pupils do bring mobile phones, we will be asking for their numbers.  If parents want to speak to a member of staff during the trip, one of us will have the College mobile phone, the number of which is 07854 983257.

General:

Normal everyday clothes for wearing around the hotel
Normal washing equipment for use in the hotel
Nightwear
Towel
Swimming kit (in case a visit to the local pool is arranged)
Outdoor clothes and suitable footwear for use in cold, snowy conditions
Hats, scarves, gloves etc.
Spending money changed into euros. Around 100 euros should be plenty.  Staff can look after money if given to us in a named envelope (not a bulky wallet).

For the skiing:

Thermal base layers
T-shirts, sweatshirts
Salopettes or ski trousers
Ski socks (several pairs)
Ski jacket
Ski gloves
Ski goggles
Balaclava or thermal face protection would be useful
(We will be wearing helmets, so most hats will not fit inside)
Ski goggles (normal sunglasses are not appropriate)
Sun cream, lip balm

We will have medical kit with us, but if pupils require us to look after any medical requirements whilst away, please clearly name and hand to a member of staff.  Accompanying staff hold current first aid certificates.

Equipment provided at Serre Chevalier:

Ski boots
Ski poles
Skis
Helmet
If you have your own helmet and wish to bring it, you may do so, but please pack it in the suitcase, not the hand luggage (airlines sometimes object to helmets in the cabin!).

Serre Chevalier weather

The snow has been falling in the Alps this weekend, and here is a weather widget that will give you updated forecasts for Serre Chevalier. This forecast is for the middle station of the lifts at an altitude of 2000m:

View detailed snow forecast for Serre Chevalier at:
snow-forecast.com

Serre Chevalier 2015: Travel Itinerary, videos

We have now received all the details about the travel arrangements. Any updates will be posted here. Please watch this blog for any delays or alterations to return times.

Saturday 12th December 2015   Outward journey
06:20   Arrive at Shoreham College to register and load the coach.
06:40   Leave for Gatwick
07:40   Check-in at Gatwick North Terminal
09:40   Depart from Gatwick, flight BA2754 for Grenoble
12:30   Arrive at Grenoble, get luggage, depart by coach for Serre Chevalier
16:15   (approx) Arrive at Clubhotel Frejus, Serre Chevalier

Please note that a packed lunch will be required, as the first meal provided is in the evening, although there will be food of some sort on the plane. We suggest buying a bottle of water at the airport after passing through security checks.

Saturday 19th December 2015   Return journey
08:55   Depart from Serre Chevalier
11:55   Check in at Grenoble airport
13:55   Depart from Grenoble, flight BA2755 for Gatwick
14:35   Arrive at Gatwick, collect luggage, board coach and depart for Shoreham
16:30   Arrive back at Shoreham College

All times quoted are local times, i.e. times in France are an hour ahead.
Hotel Address: Clubhotel Frejus, Villeneuve, 5240 Serre Chevalier, France
School trip phone (always carried by a member of staff on the trip): 07854 983257

I will be able to update this blog via smartphone during the journey if there are any alterations to the expected return time, so it would be a good idea to watch out for updates on the Saturday.

Here is a video from Skibound showing the Clubhotel Frejus:

- and a video showing the skiing at Serre Chevalier:

Arrival time

ETA at the College is 3.00 or just after.

Return journey.

07:43 (French time) at Caen ferry port waiting to board, all expected to run to time so far.

08:57 (French time) on the ferry and under way. There was a slight delay whilst the police tried to find the owner of "the red handbag of Mrs Phoebe" that had been abandoned at the terminal (see photos of the culprit below).

Matt and Miss Teixeira watching a scary film on the ferry:

Une leçon de français.

Between the French film and a visit to un supermarché, we are fitting in a 30 minute French lesson.

Fabrication du pain

The weather has taken a dramatic turn for the worse, but fortunately this morning's activity is bread making at La Grande Ferme.

"Le quizz"

Escargots!

A little surprise for supper. The verdict from the brave was basically "rubber and garlic".

The American Cemetery, Normandy.

A brief visit to Arromanches followed by the American Cemetery.

Lunch

A picnic today after visiting the Bayeux tapestry.

À la piscine

A twilight session in the very warm pool.

Mont Saint Michel

A very enjoyable and interesting (if rather arduous for a few of us!) trip to and up Mont St Michel this afternoon. We all made it et je crois que j'ai perdu deux kg. Peut-être trois ...
Supper sorted that out though, I fear.  The food is excellent.

Au marché

A very good morning at the produce market in Avranches.  The pupils had to buy the fillings for their lunch baguettes and there were some quite adventurous choices (!). I went for ham and tomato. Sorry to disappoint.

Lunch

Picnic lunch back at La Grande Ferme using ingredients purchased by the pupils at the market in Avranches this morning.

Enjoying the facilities on the ferry.

Elliot beats Reba 9-5 at air hockey.

All arrived safely

I'm pleased to report that the crossing was smooth and we are all safely installed at La Grande Ferme.

En route to Caen

We are on the ferry crossing La Manche and all is running to time so far.

Last nights festivities