Between the 27th March and 5th April, 33 cadets and 13 Adults from Northumbria ACF travelled to Serre Chevalier in the French Alps for weeks Alpine Skiing. This was the first venture of this size to be undertaken by Northumbria ACF. The Exercise was designed to give the cadets the opportunity to learn to ski or improve on their current level of skill under the supervision of local ESF/UCPA staff and qualified Military Instructors. For the vast majority of the cadets this was their first experience of Alpine skiing and, for some, the first time they had been abroad.
The coach left County Headquarters, Cramlington, Northumberland at 1900hrs on Friday 27th March and after an eventful and at times emotional journey the party arrived at the UCPA hostel in Villeneuve some 26hrs later at 2100hrs on the Saturday where the cadets, after a late supper, quickly settled into their surroundings.
The ski area of Serre chevalier is one of the largest in the French Alps with over 250km of Piste with the terrain ranging in height from 1400m at the valley floor where the accommodation was situated to 2700m at the top of the mountain range.
The following morning they were met with sub zero temperatures, glorious sunshine and uninterrupted blue skies. The snow conditions were very good and there are a number of wonderful nursery slopes situated high up on the mountain.
The cadets were up bright and early and were issued their safety and ski equipment. After lunch they were placed into their respective ability groups, introduced to their instructors and ventured onto the local nursery slopes where some took to the sport like a seasoned professional, whilst others looked rather reminiscent of ‘Bambi on Ice’ and spent a significant amount of time improving their core muscles by repeating the act of ski, fall over, get up again !
The next six days had 5hrs ski tuition daily on ever more challenging slopes and conditions, where it was so rewarding to observe the permanent smiles on the cadets faces as they moved round the mountain with ever increasing confidence and skill.
In the accommodation after the daily debrief, the cadets were able to use the outdoor heated swimming pool, which for many strange to be swimming in a pool surrounded by snow. Then after dinner they had organized activities such as games nights, quiz nights and obligatory Disco night !
The cadets had a break from skiing on the Wednesday morning where they undertook a cultural and shopping trip to the historic town of Briancon (20Km away along the valley) with its breathtaking array of hill forts and castles perched high in the mountains.
On the last day the cadets in the novice groups received their respective grades and badges from the ESF/UCPA instructors, whilst the more experienced groups found out if they had attained their Ski Foundation (SF1) military qualification which had been registered prior to their attendance. And all were relieved to find out they had passed.
The exercise proved to be a great success and all of the cadets and adults had a fantastic time learning new skills, achieving qualifications and experiencing the language and culture of France. Planning has already begun for Northern Alpine Adventure 2016, building on the experience of this year's venture, all of which would not have been possible without the support of the Ulysses Trust.
