Gstaad Switzerland School Ski trips

Your coach will depart and travel overnight bound for Switzerland. After a short Channel crossing the spectacular journey through France and in to Switzerland is framed by alpine views and majestic scenery.

Arrive at Lovell Mountain Lodge. Lovell Mountain Lodge is quite simply unique; there is no other way of describing it. The Lovell family have owned and operated the prestigious John F. Kennedy International School and Summer Camp in Saanen-Gstaad, Switzerland for over 40 years. Now known as Lovell Camps, they have expanded their recreational and learning opportunities by opening up a winter camp program which offers a wide variety of winter sports and a whole host of fantastic and fully supervised activities. The Mountain Lodge has 18 rooms which all offer en-suite facilities and there is a spacious kitchen and dining room, a large terrace and an outdoor play area – perfect for sledding! It is outfitted with relaxing lounge areas, video room, equipment storage area, and free internet access. On arrival you will be met by Victoria and the team of 16 in-house staff and get together for a briefing with complimentary snacks while you’re divided into ski school groups. Ski fit will follow with the ski tutors providing the students with all the equipment needed, ski fit information will be pre-supplied ensuring a speedy process! The group will then settle down for dinner in the hotel’s restaurant. After this tiring day your group can relax with some pre-arranged evening activities.

Breakfast at the hotel and then you walk outside onto the piste. The professional ski instructors are part of the team at the lodge so no walking to ski school! The lodge is located 600 metres from the 4man Horneggli lift, in the heart of the world-renowed ski resort of Gstaad. After your initial 2 ½ hr session your well earned lunch will be either hot meal back at the lodge or a packed lunch. A joint decision will be made each day regarding lunch arrangements. If the weather is great then a packed lunch on the slopes, if not, a hot meal back at the lodge! Return to the slopes and enjoy the next 1 ½ hr session. Snacks will be provided upon your return from the slopes. The first of the days 2 activity sessions will follow. All the activity sessions will be arranged prior to travelling to ensure they are age appropriate. Activities can include swimming, sledding, indoor climbing, ice skating, capture the flag, team building and leadership sessions and even French or German language lessons! Dinner at the lodge followed by the day’s second activity.

Head out after breakfast for another full day on the piste. By now the instructors will have a very good idea of the groups’ abilities and will take you to appropriate areas of the regions 250km of piste. Another major plus factor with this trip is the 1:7 ratio for ski and board instruction. At the end of the day it’s back to the lodge for snacks followed by a visit to the local swimming pool for an afternoon of swimming complete with swimming teachers and lifeguards. Return to the lodge for dinner after which you will settle down for a group quiz.

Breakfast starts another day and everyone will be starting to feel they are making good progress. The Gstaad ski region certainly caters for all abilities. There is a total of 250km of piste roughly divided into 40% blue, 40% red and 20% black. The immediate ski area outside of the lodge, Saanenmöser-Schönried, has lifts upto 1985m and the highest lift in the region is at 3016m on the Diablerets glacier. This afternoon’s activity will be rock climbing so after you have enjoyed snacks back at the lodge you will have fantastic fun indoor rock climbing at the local sports centre. Return for dinner followed by a relaxing movie night.

After breakfast hit the slopes for another fun day in the snow. By now the students will be skiing backwards, on one ski and mastering the moguls, although possibly not all at the same time! Weather dependant, the afternoon’s activity will include a variety of sledging, igloo building and snow shoeing, great fun for all! Tonight after dinner you can all go outside for a game of ‘Capture the Flag’.

Another hearty breakfast and out to make the most of the snow. Today is race day! Preparation in the morning and with tips from the instructors and after lunch the races themselves. Snacks will follow along with a prize giving ceremony held on the mountain. Awards and presentation of photos and videos will follow back at the lodge. Dinner tonight will be a special Fondue party followed by a last night disco to end another fabulous day…

All good things have to come to an end and unfortunately it’s your last day. Luckily you still have one last day on the snow so head to the slopes after packing! At the end of the day board the coach, tired but infinitely better skiers and boarders than when you arrived!

After a short Channel crossing you are back in England for the remainder of your journey back to school.