News
21/02/2008
Scouts get on the slopes for Alpine Adventure
As part of our continued campaign to put adventure back into the lives of young people, Scouts from across Birmingham and Hereford and Worcester have been swapping the shops for the slops and their schoolbooks for snowboards as they embarked on an alpine adventure.
Two hundred young people from across the West Midlands joined young people from around the world in a week of snow adventure, exploration and international friendship.
From their base at Kandersteg International Scout Centre, the world centre of the World Organisation of the Scout Movement, the Scouts spent three days learning to ski and getting to grips with their new environment. This was followed by a Snow Adventure Day where the young people challenged themselves to learn how to snow walk.
With no stopping them, the group then mastered the Olympic sport of Curling before relaxing with some moonlight sledging in the town of Kandersteg. The Scouts also hiked towards the Gemmi Pass up to a height of 2300 meters where they spent time studying the unique environment and enjoyed its warm Alpine springs.
For Charlotte, an Explorer Scout from Solihull this expedition was quite a challenge. For her it’s the first time undertaking this type of activity.
She said: ‘Last year, I spent half term hanging out at the Bullring. This year I have learnt new skills and met people from Australia, many of them had never seen snow before, it was really amazing.’
Steve, an Explorer Scout Leader from Birmingham said: ‘Being part of this leadership team gave me a real buzz, I am learnt new things and am as excited as the young people about having been involved in this adventure.
'I had never skied before so this was a fantastic opportunity for me, challenges like these are what I joined Scouting for.’
The trip was rounded off with the young people spending time in the historic city of Bern. The Scouts spent time exploring it’s famous Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and enjoying the charm of this unique European atmosphere.
Read about the Scouts' adventure in their own words our blogs page
