Ski Trip 2010: Livigno

On the 10th April, 60 students and 7 staff met at Leeds/Bradford Airport for the annual Shelley College Ski trip. Our destination was Venice Treviso by plane (for the first time ever, which would prove to be our downfall!) and then on to Livigno. After an excellent flight and a seamless transfer to resort we hit the slopes in beautiful sunshine.

The students progressed very quickly and many were soon at the top of the mountain learning to progress from their snowplough to their parallel turns. Many snowboarders jumped onto the air cushion as did Mr Heath and Mr Tipler who were overshadowed by the dashing good looks and all round skiing and gnarly-trick-pulling ability of Tom Bedford, one of our reps.

Below is a video clip of our very own sixth form student, Thomas Richter performing a backflip!

Faced with high temperatures and well-bashed pistes a few students took the odd tumble here and there but we were lucky to have one the few skiing trips with no twisted knees or broken legs. However, Mr Briggs will now ALWAYS wear a helmet after rather royally “stacking it” on the snow cross against Mr Tipler and eventual winner and hence increasingly unbearable Mr Heath.

By day 3 all students had been to the top of the mountain especially when we all travelled to the other mountain “Motellina” where even the beginners could ski the 5 km route from top to bottom. Having turn from the dark side of snowboarding to skiing, Mr Bardsley eventually found his ski legs and spent less and less time with his face in a pile of snow. Highlights from the start of the week produced legends such as Stella Greathead losing her salopettes as she fell, and Ben Ellam, who managed, somehow, to get himself wedged underneath a chair lift. Oh, and Mr Heath, was our first legend, but for reasons I simply can’t print!)

Food at the hotel was top quality with the Bellavista boasting the best pizza in Livigno, and great accommodation which we all settled into very quickly. The Homelywood bar hosted the Karaoke competition with some fine acts showing their talents, and Miss Heslop had many, many, many goes as well. Bowling night proved a great success with winners Emily Rowell and Adam Lightowlers taking home the prizes. Well done to both of them.

Slalom day dawned on the Friday as did a lot of volcanic ash, and all students made it down pretty much unscathed, with the exception of Harry Wood and resident slalom secretary Kathryn Campion who unfortunately fell on the ice about half-way down. (Not forgetting Alice Green who got her pole stuck in the starting gate…don’t worry, at least we caught it on DVD).

The journey home will go down in the history of Shelley College as the Great Escape, with very early mornings, long coach trips, hotels, expensive taxi journeys and a credit card bill I daren’t look at…maybe it’ll just go away!! My lasting memory of the trip will be waiting in a car park in Calais at 2 a.m. to see our other rep Ian wander up having made the trip from Venice to Calais by train, taking in 6 countries, 12 changes, and arriving just 20 minutes after we did. We also picked up Mr McNally and his family who had been left stranded by the unpronounceable volcano.

All in all, an excellent last trip for Mr Tipler who now passes on the baton to Mr Lockett and Miss Heslop, who will no doubt take the ski trip on to an even higher plane.

I would like to thank all the staff: Mr Heath, Mr Lockett, Mr Bardsley, Mr Briggs, Miss Heslop, and Miss Senior for their help and support during the trip. Also I would like to thank the students for their amazing behaviour and support during the return journey, and of course to John Bedford, Ian “Gene” Kerrison, and Tom Bedford from Maxski. I would like to say a big thanks to all the parents who have contacted me with their gifts and gratitude for getting their children home safely.

I will miss the ski trip dearly, and I wish safe trips for you all in the future.

Ciao!

Mr Richard Tipler