The day before arriving, Verbier received quite a bit of snow and the road going up the mountain to Les Elfes was sketchy. As we proceeded up the mountain, the bus began to slip, and there was not traction; so the driver stopped to put chains on the tires, twice. Upon arrival to the camp we were greeted by the friendly staff, there was a fire burning in the fire place, hot dinner, and warm rooms. After dinner and a bit of settling in, everyone went to get fitted for ski or snowboard boots and get their equipment for the next day. Most of the students skied; Amanda and I snowboarded with three of the students. Everyone, including the chaperones if they wanted, was divided up into groups of about 10 based on level of experience, lead by an instructor from Les Elfes, and started on the beginner slope. Since this was my first time snowboarding I joined the level 1 group and started learning how to snowboard. Depending on how the groups did the instructors would start taking them up the mountain to the harder slopes as the week advanced. By the end of the week, every ski group made it off the beginner slope, and the level 1 snowboard group was ready for the mountain. Daily it seemed one new student was added to the level 1 snowboard group, which slowed the instruction down, and kept us from getting up the mountain. Regardless of the slow instruction, pain from using muscles I didn’t even know I had, and multiple bruises from the “button” lift and falling; snowboarding has become my new hobby!
Every morning started with a 7:30 wake up call, followed by breakfast at 8:00, and departure at 9:00 with a warm lunch on the slopes. After daily skiing or boarding, from about 9 in the morning until about 4, we would go back to Les Elfes for an afternoon snack, activities (shopping, swimming, or staying at Les Elfes), dinner, an evening activity, and then bed. The schedule for the students keep them very busy and was well organized. Evening activities included ice skating, “talent” show, game nights, night skiing, and an awards ceremony on the last day. Les Elfes was fully staffed, and provided the supervision for the students while at the camp and on the slopes; leaving free time for Amanda and I. During our free time we explored Verbier, spent some time in the hot tub, and went para-gliding (which was absolutely phenomenal). I must admit, I was a bit nervous before going para-gliding, but it was an amazing view of Verbier and a great flight!
On our last full day in Verbier, we went on an excursion to a “near-by” chocolate factory, visited the capital city of Bern for some site seeing, and then went to the mall. The chocolate factory was by far my favorite part of the day, and yes, I ate a lot of chocolate that day! When we arrived at the chocolate factory with the students, we were divided up into 4 small groups for our tour. The tour was self guided, using a PA system, and automatic doors to guide through the factory. Basically, we started in one enclosed room and a pre-recording was played, when it was finished a door opened and we proceeded to the next room and another pre-recording started. The last stop on our tour was the tasting room with 20 plus different kinds of chocolate to enjoy. In Bern, we had a picnic lunch, saw the sites, and then went to the mall. Our day ended with dinner back at Les Elfes, an awards ceremony for the students, and then a “disco”
Thanks to the athletic director at ABS I was able to have this opportunity to help chaperone the students and enjoy the beautiful country of Switzerland. Since I coached volleyball and volunteers don’t get paid like other who coach, the trip was the AD’s way of thanking and paying me. My experience in Jordan has been very rewarding and positive, and I look for to more amazing adventures like Switzerland. Until Next Time ~ Stella
