Fresh powder snow and low temperatures provided excellent conditions for the Twycross House fifteenth ski trip to Oberperfuss in Austria for 34 fifth and sixth form pupils and five staff, although temperatures rose after the third day and the snow softened.  The new snow-making equipment, installed in the summer of 2005, had worked perfectly to maintain excellent pistes through the trees right down to the valley.  The Kleissl ski-school provided the equipment and four ski instructors for the four hours instruction each day for one beginners’ group, a top group and two intermediate classes. 

The beginners had already had lessons at the Snowdome, which they had organised themselves, and so were well placed to benefit from the first-class instruction from Rudi, who has instructed our groups for twenty years.  The top group of only eight pupils had extensive instruction in deep powder, a black off-piste descent through the trees and some interesting avalanche and recovery training, although the chances of an avalanche in Oberperfuss are only very slightly greater than one in Twycross.

Given the choice of a dreary weekend at home or team-building with sixteen of the Lower Sixth in wildest Wales…well, the latter surely wins every time. The first team challenge was to consume the biggest portions of fish and chips in Welshpool and proceed to Ty hwnt ir parc without feeling in the least bit queasy. The next challenge was more cerebral: to invent a new game of ‘guess the silhouette’ using bright lights and shadows inside the minibus (but without distracting the driver). Challenge three was to walk the precipitous half mile lane to the camp-site in pitch-black without losing anyone or annoying the locals (sheep). Challenge four was to erect the tents by torchlight, drink hot chocolate and eat biscuits before midnight curfew. All these tasks having been successfully accomplished, we felt confident in taking the students the following day to an activity centre where they could enjoy themselves tunnelling, climbing and raft building. The staff at the centre were so impressed with the students and so complimentary about them that it seemed a pity to take them away to dry out and clean up – but we did. The rest of the evening was spent as a kind of reward enjoying a barbecue under the stars followed by a bonfire in the woods and fireworks. Refreshed and raring to go, the final day’s challenges were to build a device from newspaper, string and tape to fly a fresh egg safely down a mountain and then to circumnavigate the edge of the estate through treacherous gullies and over windswept rocky heights tied together in groups and walking backwards blindfolded. (Well, we didn’t actually do the blindfolded backwards bit but maybe next time!) It was a really enjoyable weekend and all the students learned some valuable lessons which we hope will be of use to them in the future.

In early November 30 students from our partner school in Schweich on the River Moselle near Trier arrived to spend a week with their English hosts in Senior 4, Senior 5 and the Sixth form. During their short stay the German party visited York and Stratford, but they also spent one day in lessons with us and joined in a memorable Halloween disco and basketball tournament.  Many thanks to all the families who made their visitors so welcome, and also to Mrs Holder, Mrs Cunningham and all the staff and parents who shared in organising activities.
 
Everyone’s experience was different, but here are some comments which are typical of many more:  ‘I was slightly nervous at first …. I didn’t know what to expect, really….she was lovely and we talked for ages as if we were best friends …. I miss them all and I am really excited about going back at Easter.’

‘I was a bit nervous about the exchange, but in the end it turned out to be absolutely fantastic fun… My partner was a likeable and funny person and we enjoyed his presence in the house ….I’m definitely looking forward to seeing him and everyone else again at Easter.’

‘I’m really excited about going back to Germany in April. The only bad thing is that we have to wait for so long.’