Ski Trip

Arno Tuts

Ski Trip

18-26/03/11

Hours: 50

1.                  In this activity I went to Switzerland on the Ski Trip. There I learned how to snowboard. It was the first time I had ever snowboarded and I really enjoyed it. We started on the baby slopes and learned the basic techniques. By the third day we were on the main slopes and we were learning simple tricks and getting more and more experience. Every time we went down the slopes we went faster and we did harder slopes. By the end of the week we were on the black slopes and I was speeding down these slopes. We snowboarded for most of the day and then did different activities in the evenings such as ice skating and swimming. For the remainder of the time we relaxed at the dorms or went to Verbier village to shop and enjoy the local atmosphere.

2.                  During this activity I hoped to accomplish learning how to snowboard to a good level and I also hoped to feel comfortable on the snow slopes. I wanted to be able to master all the basic snowboarding skills and learn some new tricks that I could test out. Another goal was to not fall too much. I also wanted to enjoy the village and Switzerland itself.

3.                  I believe that I was successful in achieving my goals. I was able to learn how to snowboard to a high level. By the end of the week I was very comfortable on the snowboard and I could go down steep slopes at a fast pace. I had also mastered all the basic skills and I was able to do simple tricks. I also was very successful at achieving my goal to not fall much. I hardly ever fell hard and I did not get any sore places as was expected from us beginners by all the leaders and teachers. The town was also very fun and we were able to experience Verbier to its fullest. We shopped a bit and drank the famous hot chocolate. Some difficulties I encountered were that some people in my group were slower at learning that I was and therefore I was unable to make the very most of my learning. However our leader, Kevin, was very good so I was able to improve on specific things that he said on my own. Some techniques were also a bit challenging but after practicing them a few times I was able to grasp these techniques and I was therefore able to snowboard better.

4.                  I learned that I was a very fast learner and that I am good at snowboarding. I was able to learn the skills of snowboarding very quickly and this allowed me to gain a lot of good experience. This will be a great advantage for me in the future if I decide to snowboard again. I also learned that I really enjoyed snowboarding and therefore I would really like to do it again if I can. It was a great and very fun experience.

5.                  My peers helped me improve my skills even more by challenging me and Kevin helped me learn very well. I was able to master the basic skills very quickly because of the good explanation skills that Kevin had. When I asked Kevin what I specifically needed to improve on he would tell me what I needed to do to make my technique better. My peers also ensured that I enjoyed Verbier and had fun even when I was off the slopes.

6.                  This activity helped others by teaching them how to snowboard or ski at a higher level. It also helped the ski and snowboard leaders gain more experience as leaders. Therefore everyone gained experience and everyone had a lot of fun. This activity also helped the younger students because they were able to look up to the older students as inspiration. Therefore everyone improved together.