Camp Journal
Where are they now – Jodie Parker
25th March 2013
Spring is supposed to have arrived here in England, and yet at the end of March, snow is still falling! The scenes aren’t quite as picturesque as over in Torgon, and I am pretty sure that we Britons aren’t enjoying the snow as much as the Torgon folk are either.
I spent last summer working in the office at Camp Suisse helping to run the business side of things, and after a few months off I returned to my position as administrator in January. With my time off, I have been continuing my studies of Business and French at university in Leeds, as well as finding tome to reunite with some close friends that I made last summer at camp; this has involved trips to both Sheffield and Glasgow.
Since returning to Camp Suisse, I have been playing a behind the scenes role in the recruitment process for the upcoming summer staff, as well as continuing with the admin duties that I was responsible for last summer. When my university term ends here in Leeds at the end of May, I’ll be heading back over to sunny Switzerland for another great summer of work in The Alps, and I for one cannot wait.
You wont recognise us?!
30th January 2013
Visitors to Torgon this week would not recognise the home of Camp Suisse!!!
We have had an extraordinary amount of snowfall much to the delight of the skiers and boarders of the region! All the iconic toblerone-shaped buildings are covered in a thick layer of the white stuff and the pine trees lining the streets are just picture postcard perfect…
Did you know there are webcams all round Torgon – you can check up on us in the summer as well as the winter!!! – Check them out here:
http://www.torgon.ch/domaine-skiable/webcams/
So at least for Camp Directors Richard and Julie who are beavering away in the Camp Suisse igloo / office, the view from the window is stunning!
And… the fantastic new suspension bridge which was under constructed in summer was finally completed and unveiled in September. The pioneering project aimed at protecting pedestrians and walkers sees a 145m long foot bridge suspended 30m from the ground joining the old part of Torgon village with the newer part (La Jorette). It will be an good fun excursion for our campers to take a walk across the bridge and will greatly improve links to the restaurants, hotel and other services located in the old part of the village.
Here’s what the local press had to say:
http://www.lenouvelliste.ch/fr/valais/monthey/nouveau-pont-suspendu-a-torgon-495-510756
On Your Marks….. Adventuremark!!!!!
1st September 2012
International Camp Suisse is proud to announce that following a rigorous audit and inspection of its activities and operations this summer, the Company has been awarded ‘Adventuremark’ accreditation.
What is Adventuremark? Adventuremark is a non-statutory safety scheme devised by the Adventure Activity Industry Advisory Committee (AAIAC) in the United Kingdom for providers of adventurous activities.
The award demonstrates that International Camp Suisse and its staff deliver the adventurous activities of the programme to the highest standards in terms of safety, risk management, organisation and staff competence. Adventure activities include Mountain Biking, Rock Climbing, Hiking, Archery and Orienteering and all were inspected to ensure delivery with the highest safety standards in accordance with current best practice.
At Camp Suisse, we work very hard to ensure that our summer camp provides exceptionally high quality adventure activities and we have always strived to maintain our excellent safety record of which we are very proud. As we operate outside of the UK we are not subjected to the Adventurous Activities Licensing Regulations, but gaining Adventuremark mirrors the AALA requirements.
Technical Adviser Ian Johnston said “I am really pleased with the outcome of the inspection, from the very beginning Camp Suisse have strived to recruit the right people to deliver their adventure programme. Year on year the staff, programme, venues, equipment and external providers are scrutinised to ensure activities are delivered to the very highest standards. Rather than just believing we do it, Adventuremark proves we do it! All the hard work has paid off and we now have a firm footing in the Outdoor Education marketplace from which we can further develop our programme of activities. This is a significant moment.”
Clean up Week
16th August 2012
Despite having a crack team of domestic staff present throughout the season it’s amazing the wear and tear that over 700 youngsters can have on our centre; dust and dirt has a way of hiding itself in all those nooks and crannies. That’s why we keep a handful of dedicated staff behind for a whole week after camp to deep clean the whole centre; and when we say deep clean we mean you could eat your dinner of practically any surface.
Much to everyone’s delight today is the last day, very shortly the mop buckets will be drained, the brushes put away and a giant sigh of relief will spread across the valley.
To give you a summary of what’s been going this week, Group Leader Nat has written us a nice poem entitled, rather fittingly, ‘Clean up Week’:
Clean up week, no campers around
The centre’s so quiet there’s hardly a sound
Only the staff are here to stay
It’s time to pack those memories away
In the kitchen scrubbing the knives
Remember all those delicious pies
The activity store is completely bare
You’ll find no arrows or footballs there
And if you look in the climbing wall
You won’t see anyone there at all
In the corner there’s a mop
Let’s clean the stairs bottom to top
Music playing and plenty of sun
Who knew cleaning could be this much fun
The end of the week is drawing near
The time to leave is nearly here
Now the centre’s really clean
And what a great summer it has been
Farewell Torgon for another year
We’ll soon be back, never you fear!
Departure Day
10th August 2012
The church bells chiming for the 5:30 call signalled with it the start of that dreaded day here in Torgon: the final departure day of the season.As children awoke early, there was a cloud of sorrow lingering in the cloudless sky as the sun rose over the Swiss mountains. For few could believe that some 3 months after it all began, the summer of 2012 was drawing to a close. So many memories created, friends made and experiences that will last a lifetime all happened here at Camp Suisse and we’re incredibly grateful to all of the campers and staff for making it happen.What are the highlights of camp this year for myself? Who would ever be able to forget the sheer volumes of snow that were found at the Glacier for the first international session, or the bitter cold and wind-chill accompanying it? Then fast forward one month to see the same location practically without snow and basking in temperatures that meant we were able to bask in the magnificent glory of the mountain-top views with just a t-shirt on. Talk about a special location to take a group photo! One of the things that has really impressed me this year though is the way that the campers have dealt with the variety of challenges that have been handed to them. Whether these were team building games, mathematical challenges or something simple like organising a football game for the staff against the campers, there has been nothing that has proved impossible. The team spirit and helpful nature of the campers in the yellow group when helping the younger campers onto the chairlifts almost brought a tear of pride to the eye, for it was remarkable how mature they were proving to be. Although the phrase “an old head on young shoulders” may be tossed around too often, it was particularly poignant to mention here.Another highlight for myself has to be the wonderful staff that decided to work for us this summer. Whilst the summer may well prove to be a long and tiring one, we staff enjoy an unforgettable and incomparable opportunity to take in such wondrous sights under the slight condition of having to work. The staff this summer have all contributed enormously, made their mark and have helped us to reflect back on what we can call our most successful season ever. We can only just say a huge thank you to the staff members who have helped create memories (both for staff and for campers) that will hopefully endure as long as the mountains around us do.From the superb sports sessions in the morning to the educational and interactive language classes, mornings in Torgon were never rife with boredom and although campers may have gotten used to their surroundings, the variety of our extensive programme here meant that there was always something different for them to partake in. Afternoons though brought with them something amazing, different and adventurous. Whether these were coordinated by our very own adventure specialists or on excursions with the group leaders (and coach drivers!) the dinner tables were rarely short of conversation of an evening, with many campers eager to share with anyone willing to listen an in-depth synopsis of the day’s activities.What’s left though for the remaining staff to do? High up on the priority list is a full-scale investigation into our programme for this year, to see which activities were most enjoyed and to see where we believe that our programme can be bettered for the summer of 2012 and onwards. The Camp Suisse ethic isn’t one that rests on its laurels because we know that despite our winning formula, we want to improve upon it for next summer so that for those people who wish to return (including Charlotte, Juliette and Martin who will return free of charge as part of the Queen/King of Camp competition) then there will be a different challenge for them to overcome. Then, as the floors are scrubbed and all of the mirrors have been polished, the doors to Camp Suisse will be locked, remaining staff will return to their homes and many will start to think of ideas ready for the next summer.
Once again, a huge thank you to everyone who has helped make this summer the most magical of experiences for everyone who has taken part. You most certainly shall not be forgotten.
All Groups Go Camping
8th August 2012
A reasonable hike took all groups to their camping spot, a refuge deeper in to the mountains. This is a popular excursion that allows campers to experience some camping in true rustic spirit. Their meals are cooked and consumed in the outdoors, while they are also needed to hunt for suitable wood to build a camp fire to provide the heart and soul of their outdoor living. They entertain themselves with ping pong and table football tournaments and later in the evening share their stories while indulging in toasted marshmallows.Take a look at all the photos on our Facebook page International Camp Suisse
Spider’s webs but no spiders!
7th August 2012
Red group
The Red group were up bright and early for a filling breakfast, followed by language lessons and basketball as the morning activity. Campers warmed up for sports with some quick games of Fishy! Fishy! Fishy! and a spontaneous bit of dancing led by Isaac and Kirsty! Everyone joined in and had a great time; having kick-started the day so energetically, lunch was very well deserved.
Afternoon activities consisted of team building games and the eagerly anticipated ghyll scrambling. The Reds worked together through three different challenging games, showing off their newly formed friendships and communication skills with other campers who speak a different native language. An enormous sense of teamwork and achievement swept through the group as each game was conquered including stacking crates to reach and ring the bell a few metres above, and tackling the spider’s web, where campers must pass through the gaps of the web without touching the edges.
Once the games were mastered, a delicious afternoon tea of banana cake and juice was handed round, before our activity staff kitted the campers out for some ghyll scrambling! Akin delighted his group leaders by exclaiming ‘this is the best day of my life!’ before he’d even got to the ghyll. The Reds clambered their way up and down the ghyll effortlessly, taking every challenge Kirsty, our activity leader, threw at us. Every single camper attempted the obstacles along the way, from crawling through a bike tyre to sliding down a small rock slide. The water was colder than usual but that did nothing to dampen the yells of encouragement each camper gave to each other throughout. Out of the water, the campers hurried to put on their warm coats and jump around to thaw off some of the water’s chill. A hot shower and cooked meal was awaiting us on our return to camp.
Back at camp, after a busy day everyone relaxed at casino night, with games of roulette and blackjack taking centre stage, while games of jenga, snap and twister supported.
Campers rounded off the night by packing before bed, ready for the camping trip tomorrow.
Blue group – rock climbing
The sunny day began with language lessons outside on the decking and fast paced basketball games. With all the children getting to know each other well, team spirit was high and the campers arrived at lunch full of excitement from the morning. Then into the minibus and down the mountain to the daunting rockface. Gasps of uncertainty of the challenge ahead could be heard amongst the campers. Calmed by some fun warm up songs and games, they were keen to get in their harnesses and up the rock with 5 different routes and only 12 blues, all the climbers got stuck in, clambering up and down until their bodies couldn’t handle any more! Some children managed to overcome great fears of heights as well as every child learning to belay, a great afternoon!
The evening entertainment was kid’s casino where they enjoyed a variety of games such as jenga, twister, snap, roulette and blackjack. The call for bedtimes was responded by a loud groan all round. But for the hike to camping tomorrow, sleep is definitely a good idea!
An Aquatic Adventure For All
6th August 2012
Monday morning and the sky was grey
It wouldn’t be much fun going walking today
Instead we had a much better plan
Going to the Aquaparc in the Camp Suisse van
But first it was sport and language time
A hockey match would do just fine
Who would win, green or blue?
Some amazing play and some great goals too
Lunch was delicious with lots of bread
Then on the coach and off we sped
Arriving at the Aquaparc, we could hardly wait
This day was turning out to be just great!
Splishing and splashing with all our friends
On the flumes with lots of bends
Then whizzing down the yellow slide
And into the wave pool to feel the tide
Back home just in time for tea
Followed by hot choc and a DVD
A casino night for yellows and greens
Before bedtime and off into our dreams
Would the summer rain be our downfall?
Certainly not, this is Camp Suisse after all!
Left, right, left – Mission Day
5th August 2012
The weekend brought thunder storms and heavy rain to Torgon, with an almighty storm taking place over night that continued in to the hours of the morning wake up and breakfast time. The ground was sodden with low cloud and rain still lingered during the morning as the campers partook in their language lessons and sports sessions.
The scheduled use of the football pitch and tennis courts therefore had to be unfortunately cancelled due to water logged pitches. They opted for the drier option of an indoor football tournament. Following this the campers separated into their squadrons for this session’s mission day. Mission day is an entire camp activity spanning the whole afternoon and requires the campers to work in their assigned teams to complete various tasks in which all aim to build up their score in a mission league. The team with the highest number of points are crowned mission day champions.
The teams – Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta and Echo all gathered firstly in the Patinoire for face painting and to devise a team chant of which could be heard all over camp throughout the entire afternoon. After initial preparations, a packed lunch was high on the agenda, while the teams briefed the squadrons for the tasks ahead.
Due to the stormy weather conditions, most activities were re-located indoors, apart from Archery where the campers dashed out in the midst of a sunny spell to shoot some arrows. The mountain bikers completed an obstacle course before clambering on to the climbing wall. The teams carried out an orienteering task by finding treasure around the centre and then they were required to make use of their inventive skills and design a rocket to be launched in a distance competition at the end of the afternoon. All squadrons completed their tasks with an impressive rocket launch by Alpha, which secured them their victory as overall champions.
After dinner the campers stayed in their mission day groups for the evening’s entertainment comprising of a murder mystery game. A fictional plot claiming that camp Director had been murdered was read out to the campers before they were given one hour and 6 locations to complete tasks that won them information from each suspect to enable them to piece together clues, leading them to the murder , motive and weapon. The majority of the campers correctly deduced that Night Angel Rachel had killed Rich in the Tuck shop over language teacher Lattifa.
The day ended with the clouds darkening and another storm looming over Torgon. Scheduled outdoor activity have been reshuffled with the Aqua Parc being tomorrow’s activity.
Thundery Nights
4th August 2012
There was a fabulous display of electrostatic discharge in the skies of the Rhône region here on Wednesday evening…
According to meteocentrale.ch this area is more prone to thundery storms due to its situation immediately to the east of the French Prealps, where the altitude of land facilitates the build-up of humid air from Northern Europe. Eventually, prevailing winds push the humid air further inland and as it meets the yet higher altitude of the Swiss Alps the moist air rises rapidly, where its particles reach dew point causing them to turn into droplets of water and forming cumulonimbus clouds.
Within these clouds lightening occurs due to a build-up of unbalanced electrical charge. The vision of the cloud’s imbalance of electrical charge would be like visualising an arena which is half empty of people condensed near the stage. So like a magnet, negatively charged particles (areas where there are too many electrons) are attracted to areas of positive charged particles (areas where there are not enough electrons). As the particles collide with each other they form visual electrical static or light, which we know as lightening. Similarly, the noise these particles make when they collide together is thunder.
Here is a picture that our camp photographer, Mark took during the storm. Go to our Facebook page International Camp Suisse to see more of Mark’s wonderful photos of camp – let us know what you think of them by ‘commenting’!
