With beginners making up at least half the 80-strong party that headed for the French alps, this year’s QE skiing trip was a time to enjoy thrilling new experiences alongside friends and classmates.
The boys enjoyed plenty of time on the slopes in the beautiful setting of Les Deux Alpes, near Grenoble – the destination for this year’s nine-day, half-term trip.
Group leader Richard Scally said: “It was a super trip, with everyone having a good time – and no major injuries!
“Such visits provide adventure and fresh experiences for the boys, and are a really important element in the QE experience.”
Les Deux Alpes, a ‘snowsure’ resort popular with British skiers, boasts a number of records: it has Europe’s largest skiable glacier and is also home to the longest fully on-piste vertical in the world, at 2,200m.
In total, Les Deux Alpes has 200km of on-piste terrain, ensuring that skiers of all abilities and experiences can enjoy their alpine adventure.
The boys stayed at the traditional Le Soleil alpine hotel in the centre of the village. Its après-ski attractions include a cosy fire area, ping-pong and table football.
Their busy programme when not skiing included ten-pin bowling and the opportunity to see some spectacular ice sculptures.
The trip began with a coach journey of more than 21 hours that took them all the way from the School to the resort, and included crossing the Channel on the Dover–Dunkirk ferry.
The boys were accompanied by ten members of staff, led by Mr Scally, who is QE’s Head of Cricket and Combined Cadet Force Contingent Commander.
He said: “Temperatures were very warm – up to 18 degrees one day.
“Snow was good at higher altitude, but, in an indication of how the climate is changing in the alps, it was interesting to see things getting a little slushy lower down in the afternoons.”
Destinations for the long-running QE skiing trip have in recent years ranged from the Italian alps to the Purcell Mountains, close to the Canadian Rockies.
- Click on the thumbnails below to see more images from the trip.
