The Oundle School Combined Cadet Force (CCF) Joint Service Adventure Training Alpine Skiing Development Camp (JSAT ASDC) has operated for the last eight years, and locates annually at Les Louerettes in Siviez-Nendaz, Switzerland: a location at 1,730m in the heart of one of the world’s greatest ski areas – the Four Valleys – with over 400km of pistes. The camp caters for all levels of skier, from the complete beginner through to the trainee instructor.
Before departure, there had been concerns over the apparent lack of snow, but the height and expanse of the ski area did not fail to disappoint the cadets over the six days spent high up in the Four Valleys ski region. The party comprised 58 cadets, 10 instructors, 3 support staff and 4 coach drivers!
Both the skiing standards reached and the rate of improvement of the cadets made 2011 a vintage year for the camp and ski school.
Organiser and geography teacher Cris Symes commented: ‘In many ways this camp is unique compared to standard school-based ski trips. One key difference is that it is self-run, risk assessed and normally partly funded through the Ministry of Defence. The School CCF also runs its own ski school for the week. Use has sometimes been made of military personnel with the correct instructing qualifications, but the bulk of instructors tend to be civilian former pupils – and this year, for the first time, a current pupil – who work alongside School CCF staff. All instructors are qualified to at least BASI Alpine Level 2 or equivalent standard.’
As a development camp (and therefore much more than just a ski trip or holiday), instruction includes several aspects not normally provided on standard school ski trips, including giant slalom gate training and video analysis. Skiing in such an extensive ski area also allows plenty of development of the four ‘extension strands’ – powder/variable terrain skiing on official mountain tours, high speed, steep slope and bumps skiing, including skiing one of the world’s top ten bumps runs, Mont Fort. Completion of the camp leads to the award of Snowlife Awards recognised within the UK snowsports industry.
Freya, a Year 12 cadet on the camp and now looking forward to Basic Ski Instructor training, commented: ‘This is a great trip, you do so much more skiing than on any other school ski trip and the instructors are all really good fun.’
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