Camp Journal
Team Building
7th July 2011
Today the red and blue groups were supposed to go camping, but due to the bad weather we had to postpone. However, nobody’s spirits were deterred and we enjoyed an afternoon of team building and orienteering together.
Everyone worked well in order to complete the tasks and some budding engineers were found during the camera game, as well as some acrobats in the crate climb.
Later in the afternoon, everyone managed to build upon their orienteering skills learnt earlier in the week and sucessfully navigate around obsticles in the dining room, as well as learning how to use a compass. Our day of team building went really well and the red group are ready and elated for more fun activities tomorrow. Go red and blues!
Despite an ominously cloudly sky and a definite chill in the air over Camp Suisse, the courageous green group were not to be deterred as they embarked upon an obstacle course through the icy river!
With a few initial screams (not only from the girls!) as the water seeped into our shoes, everyone soon got into the spirit of things and embraced the icy waters!
Through hula hoops, over rocks and across planks went the green group, with lots of encouragement (and even more splashing) from the Staff. After the excitement of Ghyll Scrambling, it was back to camp to dry off and have a quick snack, followed by some team building games with the yellow group.
Both groups showed that they can work together fantastically to achieve anything – from getting through a giant spiders web to climbing 20 foot crates!
Its not just Montreux that has the talent!
Not only is there talent down in Montreux at the Annual Jazz Festival, some of the Camp Suisse staff were privileged to catch Aida from the green group playing and singing with her acoustic guitar.
Aida, aged 13, had several of the staff in the palm of her hand as she sang songs such as ‘walking on sunshine’, ‘more than words’ and ‘hey soul sister’.
Will we see her in a few years performing with the likes of Ricky Martin and Sting? Either way, she certainly entertained us and put a smile on some faces!
Parc Aventure
5th July 2011
After their first language lessons of camp and a game of tennis and dodgeball (dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge!), the older campers headed to Parc Aventure, which is one of the biggest adventure parks in Europe.
Complete with zip-wires, high-ropes and a veritable smorgasbord of other alpine activities an afternoon of high jinx avidly awaited for our happy campers 
The green, white and yellow groups were soon found to be monkeying around, swinging through the trees, wires, cargo nets and zip lines. The more athletic campers even managed to complete some of the hardest routes in the park, which are not for the faint-hearted!
Upon returning to Camp and a quick shower, the campers burnt off their remaining energy completing “The Torgona Hunt”.
Les Diablerets
A 6 o’clock wake up might have been too early for some given the yawns and somewhat quiet breakfast, but unsurprisingly this didn’t last long and by the time the coaches were boarded, Camp Suisse picked up where we had left off the day before.
For the Green Group, a trip to Glacier 3000 at Les Diablerets was the first port of call, and following a coach journey across the valley, an ascent of 1800m was navigated by all without the slightest hint of nerves. Following another two cable car and chair lifts, all campers had an urgent meeting with a team of husky dogs for a breakneck tour of the glacier up on the sledges. At times it was difficult to see who was more excited to see who; the campers or the dogs. The scene was one of all round excitement, although a few sneaky snowball attacks on members of staff gave the whole morning a cold hint (we know who you are!). The afternoon took a much warmer turn, with the lake and swimming pool at Villeneuve.
As for the evening, tomorrow sees the eagerly anticpated talent show, and having sat in on some of the preparations tonight, it promises to be an interesting one to say the least!
Until tomorrow, over and out.
Green Group
The internationals are up and running!
4th July 2011
Good morning to one and all!
It is yet another glorious day here in Torgon, where the first of our 3 international sessions are underway! Yesterday represented the first full day for all of our campers and the younger groups (Red & Blue) took a trip down to the Labyrinth to have an afternoon frantically searching for the 10 missing castles and treasure chests before taking advantage of some of the more unusual looking bikes and slides on offers. Semen from Maddie’s group was particularly good inside the maze, whilst all the others managed to get a respectable 8 out of 10 castles!
This morning the language classes have begun and as the mid-point of the first classes fast approaches, the roaring laughter of certain students combined with the frantic note-taking is obvious to all staff here. This afternoon will be particularly enjoyable for the older groups (Green, White & Yellow) as they attempt to conquer the challenges of Parc Aventure. Who will come out on top, the children or the course? Only time will tell….
Archery & Ghyll Scrambling
Underneath the scorching sun and beautiful mountain backdrop the Green group unleashed their hidden skills as Robin Hoods on the archery field. After plenty of practice, the session finished with the ‘Cutlery Challenge’, where campers win their evening cutlery for dinner based on their success on target. In was then off to the climbing wall where some budding Spidermen & women were revealed. In the evening the Green group joined the White & Yellow groups for some charity bingo in aid of Suranna’s Stepping Stone.
The afternoon for the White & Yellow groups started with an introduction to orienteering where our scout leader (Taff) imparted his knowledge through a series of interactive challenges. This was put into practice in the woods, where the teams had to navigate their way around to find answers to a word jumble. To cool down the two groups went ghyll scrambling through the local (icy) mountain river. Ghyll scrambling consists of campers making their way through various water obstacles, which ensure that they get wet through. This ended with a brisk walk back to camp and a nice hot shower followed by a yummy dinner!
Goodbye Tanay… hello new camp site!
1st July 2011
It is with an incredibly heavy heart that all members of staff here at Camp Suisse bid fare-well to the stunning location of Lake Tanay from the camping agenda for the imminent future. Speaking on behalf of all at Camp Suisse, both staff and campers alike, I think it goes without saying that the memories of Tanay will be dearly cherished by all those fortunate enough to have spent time there. However, fear not, for the closure of this chapter represents the dawning of an entirely new and exciting one here at Camp Suisse! As of summer 2011, the traditional camp bonfire, complete with roaster marshmallows and an abundance of truly terrible jokes and ghastly ghost stories, will be relocating to a new site, just over the border in France. Not only does this new camp site bring together all the best bits from our previous site, it also has the promise to be so much better! Not least because once reserved, the site is exclusively ours; which apart from the fact that the site is far from any nearby shops and other signs of civilisation, and although we realise this results in the end of the ice-cream run, means our campers receive a much more authentic camping experience.
The camping trip consists of a hike, the distance of which is tailored to the age and ability of the group. On arrival at camp, after a short afternoon tea break to replenish the energy stores, our camp leaders take the campers through the basics of camp craft, not least how to erect their own tents. A session of games and team building games ensues, before campers head off on a nature trail to discover the surrounding wildlife, finishing up on the shore of the beautiful Lac d’Arvouin. On the way back from the trail campers are tasked with collecting the firewood for the campfire, some finds being rather more substantial than others. Back at camp, campers wind down and fill up with a BBQ followed by toasted marshmallows and chocolate banana boats, before the traditional round of camp songs and camper told jokes and ghost stories.
Camping presents our campers with a variety of new challenges and experiences, and while some may not always appreciate every aspect, little do they know they how much this experience will add to their personal development.
Yummy food!
26th June 2011
So far this year’s been amazing in the kitchen. Only a few weeks in and never have I heard so many positive comments on the quality and quantity of food on offer here at Camp Suisse. The kitchen team are solely responsible for the success of dining here at camp. Having Anna, our kitchen manager/Head chef, made a massive impact on what we feed our campers on and what an asset she has been so big shout out to her. Never a dull day in the kitchen when finding out what new, delicious meals we will be preparing, (even if it means cutting 20 Kg’s of onions) The variation has been sublime and the quality of the food makes working in the kitchen fun and enjoyable. As for serving, it’s been an absolute pleasure to hear so many of the kids and adults alike rave about how much they enjoyed their meals. We all love our food so well done kitchen guys. Here’s to a summer of scrumptious food, yum yum!
The end is just the beginning!
24th June 2011
Well another week has unfortunately come to a close, as our latest group of campers have just set off from Torgon full of memories. Final highlights include some serious Poker faces last night at the casino, where some of the staff made a huge loss, whilst a handful of campers had as many chips as the bank! As soon as the Casino night finished, one of the real highlights for both the campers and staff took place at the disco. Some criminally good dance moves materialised upon the dancefloor, especially from a couple of the senior members of staff. Souvenirs from the newly expanded range of Û÷Camp SuisseÛª goodies were traded like hotcakes, with all campers keen to take home some memories of their unforgettable experiences in the Swiss Alps. Though everyone here was sad to see another group of incredible kids leave, the preparations (and excitement!) for another set of campers to arrive have already begun.
The arrival of some more (lovely) staff!
Recently we’ve welcomed the arrival of the remaining members of the Kitchen Team which has now doubled in size. Up until then there were nine of us working morning, lunch and dinner to make sure all the campers we’ve welcomed in the last few weeks were given plenty of food. I’ve personally worked in the kitchen at Camp Suisse for the last three years and the quality of food being created by our chefs has been by far the best and theres been plenty of it too.
This afternoon we’ll be training the new staff and getting them up to scratch with the in’s and out’s of the kitchen and get them up and running in no time. This will mean that the shifts will change allowing everyone to get a decent rest and some time off after some intense shifts, particularly those involving cutting 10 kilos of onions.
Theres a lot to do in Torgon making the time we do get off fly by and before we know it were back in the kitchen again. Personally I like to do a lot of rock climbing and mountain biking on my time off and if its sunny, walk to to the football pitch and kick a football around. In the kitchen were a really good team and everyone’s great friends with one another so we all get involved making both time in the kitchen and out of it a lot of fun.
Anyways I’ve got to go dash, these onions aren’t gonna chop themselves. 🙂
See you soon.Glen 😀
