Camp Journal
Camp Suisse On Film
11th July 2012
Fuelled on beans and toast, the red group could barely be seen as they descended through the cloud down to Camp Suisse. These intrepid explorers had been camping high in the Alps with only the home comforts of bunk beds, BBQs, Ping-Pong and table football…OK, so maybe this was ‘glamping’!
After a short downhill hike, red and blue polo shirts were donned for a show of true camp spirit. Photo time! Abiye’s cheeky grin won him the best smile prize and Bianca’s skilful jumping made for a fabulous Red group photo.
The afternoon held more adventurous surprises as we tackled the Torgona Hunt. The scavenger hunt led the Reds to explore their surroundings from bus timetables to totem poles and the team
of Ali and Sulaiman were crowned as our victorious champions.Led by Calum, the woods was now the guiding path whilst Joe’s den featured a fern blanketed place to be as the Reds lovingly crafted shelters for animals using only what they found on the forest floor. Amna’s efforts even included a
floor. Only the best is good enough for our woodland friends.
The day was perfectly rounded off by a cow mug of Swiss hot choccy and a film (Shark’s tale) to watch on those comfy bean bags. Excellent day 
Upper Mountain Camping To The Banks Of Lake Geneva
10th July 2012
In the depths of the Alpine wilderness you will find the Green group awakening to the fresh air of the upper strata of the Rhone valley.Green group stayed their night in the Ski Refuge – an alpine outpost a respectable hike away from Camp Suisse HQ. Here, Julie – Camp Director, explains more about the outpost.
A trip that truly embodies the spirit of the young adventurer, the campers had the chance to indulge in an alfresco breakfast before setting off back down the mountain…
No time to squander, Green group were en route to the valley floor where they discovered the visual delights Lake Geneva and all that its backdrop presents. Even though Lake Geneva beds the valley floor it remains 62 m (203 ft.) above sea level. The children take a ride on the banana boat at the Geneva end of the lake – the aim being to remain on the boat (or off if you prefer the wilder side of the ride) Despite the periodic bouts of dull weather, the lake water is warm! And besides which we were lucky to experience a sneaky peek of the sun just as we were drying off.
Many creative greats have graced their presence upon the vibrant bank of Lake Geneva during the world renowned Montreux jazz festival. So on their return around the lake, the Green group relished the chance to saunter around, the various quirky stalls with the back drop of live music and vivacious atmosphere while indulging in the wonderfully rich gelato on offer (Gelato is the Italian word for ice cream and according to some, the slower churning rate is what creates the intensity and richness of flavour)
Language Learning – Yellow
Chloe, French teacher by morning and group leader by afternoon, checks in to tell us about Yellow group’s climbing skills.
The flood of raised hands and finely tuned accents is what every foreign languages teacher desires to achieve for their students…
It is evident, that as session one comes to a close, the campers have enriched themselves linguistically. Our wonderfully enthusiastic team of teachers have brought with them a multitude of creative ideas to aid learning. This combined with the fervent aspiration of the students to learn has served to create a pleasant atmosphere for the
children to learn in.
In the afternoon, Yellow group went rock climbing in the outdoor terrain near Torgon. Some people disregard the mental workout that rock climbing presents as wells as the physical. It is beneficial for our young campers to consistently push their boundaries in both ways and so although the rocks were steep and reached dizzying heights many of the members of Yellow group were keen to tackle the more challenging routes.
Each camper completed the session with enormous success and the flushed faces suggested it was an intense workout! The international varieties of food on offer at Camp Suisse tantalised the taste buds of our rock scaling Yellows. A choice of Moroccan tagine, British cottage pie and peach crumble kept the diners’ hunger at bay. A fun filled evening of film making put the campers’ drama skills to the test and rounded off the evening.
Good Egg Trip To Montreux
9th July 2012
This week our Good Egg and Mini Eggs were treated to a trip to the fantastic Montreux Jazz Festival. Our Good Egg award winner was, Toria, while the Mini Eggs consisted of Phil – Group Leader of the week, Poppy – Kitchen staff member of the week, Jodie – Ancillary staff member of the week, and Calum – Activity Leader of the week.
Mike the Driver took them down to Montreux in our Camp Suisse minibus where they were treated to a fun-filled night out. The celebration was in full swing with a variety of artists playing live music for their enjoyment and plenty of opportunity to dance the night away! Luckily they missed the storm or we would have had some soggy eggs returning to camp!
Stay tuned to find out this week’s winners and where they’ll be heading next Friday evening!
Fearless Bridge Crossing and Crevasse Traversing – White Group
‘Fear’ is not part of our campers’ psyche. This time around, the White group together with the yellow group have faced a new challenge at Adventure Park. Shakey bridge climbing and zip lines was the activity choice of the protagonists in the group during the afternoon. Sunshine and the valuable help from our instructors Jon and Nathan completed the ingredients of another wonderful day in Camp Suisse.
Camping – Green group
Waking up to a beautiful sunshine was just the start of a great day for the green group. After morning lessons, we set off on the long hike up to our alpage (mountain refuge) where we were to spend the night. We walked happily the sun beating down as we were led by activity leaders Sarah and Toria. Despite the heat, it was hard not to be amazed by the breath-taking views looking over the Rhone valley! Keen to get some shade and a sit down we plodded on until the welcoming sight of our alpage emerged as we turned our final corner. Once inside, we were shown to our beds and given time to explore. Next up we went out to collect firewood for our campfire before sitting down to a yummy BBQ dinner. An evening of songs and games around the fire and we were all knackered. What a wonderful day, better get some sleep in for banana boating tomorrow.
Torgon 2012 Olympics
8th July 2012
Unfortunately, yesterday’s sun had disappeared and been replaced by rain clouds, but as the Olympics kicked off the sun started to show right on time. All the campers were divided into different countries. The campers prepared for the opening ceremony by painting the flags of their country on their faces. Each country was introduced with their national anthem and the Olympic flame to commemorate the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus from Prometheus blazed throughout the duration of the games. Olympics had officially started and the teams were taken to the football pitch where they had to compete against each other in numerous events. Everyone tried their very best and after a great afternoon in the sun, we headed back for shower hour so everyone could scrub off the facial paint and prepare for dinner. Everyone put in a titanic effort and congratulated Brasil on their success.
Their fame however was only short lived as we were getting ready for the talent show. We discovered that the campers are not only great at sports, but also possess other great skills and talents. A performance of stretches, which is a traditional Israeli dance kept us entertained. A human pyramid, a piano solo and a guitar solo with singing were among the exposé of talents presented to us this evening. The best, however, is always saved until last as two of the staff members, Phil and Harry, closed the show with their rendition of the upbeat summery track Keep On Moving by 90s band 5ive. The campers were thrilled with their performances and the opportunity to show off their many gifts and abilities had left them in need of a good sleep.
Happy Hiking
7th July 2012
A previous thundery night had cleared the sky for bright Saturday in Torgon. Languages and sport preceded an afternoon hike for the whole camp. Everyone took the chairlift up the mountain, with the Yellow groups buddying up with some of the smaller members of camp.
A swift pace set by activities Jim ensured good progress was made, and we were soon at the half way mark for a well-deserved water break. Scaling fields, mud, rocky paths and occasional cow in an opposite field, the group, before long, gathered as a whole for afternoon tea on the football pitch where a great sense of achievement was felt by all.
Following shower hour and dinner, the campers had time to prepare for the forthcoming talent show – ideas ran wild, so who knows what awaits the audience tomorrow night!
Olympics days dawns on us tomorrow so our campers had better be recharging their batteries for some gold medal performances!
Camp Suisse Brings Education To The Mountains
6th July 2012
International Camp Suisse is well known for its school holiday summer camps, but did you know that the camp also opens its doors to school groups from mid-May to the end of June?
Schools all over the UK use Camp Suisse’s perfect combination of Alpine location and excellent facilities to offer students the opportunity to study and enjoy a wide range of outdoor pursuits at our purpose-built centre.
Whether it’s brushing up on language skills, getting hands on with the unique geography and geology of the Torgon area or learning teamwork and useful life skills such as map reading and how to use a compass, Camp Suisse can be the perfect end to a long school term.
Students stay at Camp Suisse with their teachers who work closely with the knowledgeable camp staff to ensure that each camper gets to enjoy everything that Camp Suisse has to offer as well as boosting their learning by bring subjects like glaciation, European history and languages to life.
Biking – Blue Group
Even after the fantastic thunderstorm during the night, all campers slept well and awoke to a glorious sunny day. We were happy to take part in a 45-minute session of hockey skills then practised our climbing skills on the inside wall. 
Everyone loved the fish finger sarnies with fries, salad and cheese toasties. Mountain biking was the afternoon activity, which began very sunny but then as we were returning to camp a flash shower doused us on our bikes, luckily it was then 5.30pm – so time for a lovely hot shower. Giant Scrabble completed the day and the winners are to be announced tomorrow.
