When I heard that Mr. Quinn was organising another school Ski trip to Switzerland I was over the moon, because I knew how much of an incredible experience it would be. I was fortunate enough to have been able to go on the last school Ski trip in 2008, and to be honest, it was one of the best weeks of my life, so when I found out that I was going again I, and everyone else going, couldn’t wait. In the months prior to the trip, we began talking about it , building up the excitement, until the point when all of our expectations were sky high, but, it’s safe to say the trip did not disappoint, if anything, it surpassed all expectations!

Skiing, for me, is amazing. There’s a great sense of freedom when it’s just you, your skis and the snow, and there’s no greater feeling that zooming down a snow capped mountain, shifting your weight every so often to cleanly turn and being able to travel through some of the world’s most idyllic scenery every day. This, being my second time skiing, meant that I was relatively good at it, and therefore on the first day we were on the mountain we were straight into skiing. It was brilliant! The snow conditions weren’t the best, but thanks to some nifty Swiss engineering and a scattering of snow cannons the Gastaad Mountain had plenty of snow to ski on. Because the ski groups are small (6 to 9 people), everyone bonds very quickly and your instructor becomes one of your friends, meaning that there’s never a shortage of good banter, from the train in the morning to the slopes in the afternoon. As for me, I was in a group with some of my closest friends and my instructor Eamon became a good friend too.

Although Skiing is a very physical sport, the younger kids we went on the trip with always seemed to have a renewed energy every evening when we came back from the slopes, and to satisfy this energy, the Haut Lac International Centre provides loads of activities, movies and discos. For us, the sixth years, there was some flexibility in our participation and so on some occasions, a few of us would grab a guitar and play a few tunes to unwind. One thing I enjoyed most, apart from the skiing aspect, was the friendliness of the staff. We got on very well with everyone working there because they were so down to earth good for a laugh. To sum up the 2011 ski trip, I would have to say that it has been the most intense, exciting, fun, unforgettable experience of my life to date, and I feel in debt to the teachers involved in taking us and the staff at the Haut Lac International Centre for giving us all a trip we will never forget!

Edward Byrne 13E

When I heard that Mr. Quinn was organising another school Ski trip to Switzerland I was over the moon, because I knew how much of an incredible experience it would be. I was fortunate enough to have been able to go on the last school Ski trip in 2008, and to be honest, it was one of the best weeks of my life, so when I found out that I was going again I, and everyone else going, couldn’t wait. In the months prior to the trip, we began talking about it , building up the excitement, until the point when all of our expectations were sky high, but, it’s safe to say the trip did not disappoint, if anything, it surpassed all expectations!

Skiing, for me, is amazing. There’s a great sense of freedom when it’s just you, your skis and the snow, and there’s no greater feeling that zooming down a snow capped mountain, shifting your weight every so often to cleanly turn and being able to travel through some of the world’s most idyllic scenery every day. This, being my second time skiing, meant that I was relatively good at it, and therefore on the first day we were on the mountain we were straight into skiing. It was brilliant! The snow conditions weren’t the best, but thanks to some nifty Swiss engineering and a scattering of snow cannons the Gastaad Mountain had plenty of snow to ski on. Because the ski groups are small (6 to 9 people), everyone bonds very quickly and your instructor becomes one of your friends, meaning that there’s never a shortage of good banter, from the train in the morning to the slopes in the afternoon. As for me, I was in a group with some of my closest friends and my instructor Eamon became a good friend too.

Although Skiing is a very physical sport, the younger kids we went on the trip with always seemed to have a renewed energy every evening when we came back from the slopes, and to satisfy this energy, the Haut Lac International Centre provides loads of activities, movies and discos. For us, the sixth years, there was some flexibility in our participation and so on some occasions, a few of us would grab a guitar and play a few tunes to unwind. One thing I enjoyed most, apart from the skiing aspect, was the friendliness of the staff. We got on very well with everyone working there because they were so down to earth good for a laugh. To sum up the 2011 ski trip, I would have to say that it has been the most intense, exciting, fun, unforgettable experience of my life to date, and I feel in debt to the teachers involved in taking us and the staff at the Haut Lac International Centre for giving us all a trip we will never forget!

Edward Byrne 13E