During the Easter break a group of 36 pupils from Years 8 to 13 and six staff members went on a week-long trip to Les Deux Alpes in France for the College's annual ski trip.
In fact because of the Covid pandemic, it was the first trip since 2019, so pupils were keen to get back on the slopes.
Despite reports of airport chaos it was easy to get through Heathrow and onto the transfer at Lyon Airport on the other side.
After a good night's rest, the group woke to a blanket of brilliant snowfall which then provided excellent skiing conditions for the rest of the week.
On the first day it was a quick turnaround with boot and ski fitting and then onto the lifts to meet the team of ski instructors by 10am. Pupils were split into three groups: beginners, intermediate and advanced which presented a brilliant opportunity for new friendships to be forged across the year groups.
After a hard first day of skiing in sometimes complete white-out conditions, it was back to the hotel for food and a chance to explore the town. For the rest of the week, the sun shone brightly making it fantastic for Easter skiing.
In the evenings pupils took part in bowling, bumboarding, a visit to the creperie and Snake Gliss (a train of sledges all bolted together piloted by a ski instructor which snaked their way down the mountain).
The trip was organised by Mr Grant Woolner, who took over the planning from Mr Urkidi who left Shiplake at Christmas. It was great to have Mr Urkidi visit for the day from his new home in Switzerland.
Mr Woolner said: "I was delighted by the behaviour, good humour, and skiing prowess demonstrated by all College pupils, who were unfailing in looking out for each other, and forged friendships transcending year groups."
A big thank you goes to Mr Dix, Mr Bowden, Miss Jones, Miss Pye and Mrs Morgan who supported Mr Woolner on the trip.
