Camp Journal
Climbing Everest
25th July 2011
On Friday the 29th of July the Camp Suisse Activity Leaders will be climbing the height of Mount Everest (8,848m from sea level to summit) in one day to raise money for Suranna’s Stepping Stone Appeal!
The team will have to climb the 8 metre wall 100 times each to achieve this target!! The challenge starts on the indoor climbing wall in the Ex-Patinoire at Camp Suisse, at 6am on Friday morning and ends at midnight.
Please Sponsor any amount of money! You can sponsor us using the Suranna paypal link found on the charity page of our website or at the centre in the money box provided!
Campers will be able to watch the event at arranged times during the day to check we’re not cheating, but if you will not be at Camp on the 29th you can still sponsor us and keep up to date on our progress via this journal.
To find out more about the very worthy cause of Suranna’s stepping stone appeal please visit the website: https://www.campsuisse.com/en_page/charity-news or look at some of the posters around centre!
Thank you in advance,
Camp Suisse Activity Leaders
Brazil, Brazil… we are the best!
24th July 2011
Brazil, Brazil … we are the best
Brazil, Brazil … put us to the test
Brazil, Brazil … show us what you’ve got
Brazil, Brazil … we’re everything you’re not!
The winning chant from the winning team of Camp Suisse Session 2 Olympics’ 2011. They were closely followed by Spain and China in second and third place respectively. Countries were shuffling up and down the leader board throughout the day, as teams excelled in events such as Tug of War, Egg and Spoon and the Assault Course. Campers and staff alike were tested on their teamwork, agility, precision and strength along with concentration and pure determination!
The afternoon kicked off with preparation for the opening ceremony as teams decorated themselves in face paint according to their country and started composing the infamous team chants. It was then time to light the Olympic Torch which kicked off the Opening Ceremony, with the various national anthems blasting in the background…. so let the games begin! The teams set off for their first event at various locations around the centre with enthusiasm sky high. After 3 challenging events, the teams re-grouped and re-fuelled with some afternoon tea. Following a pep-talk from their Team Leader, everyone was raring to go for the second half of the games. Energy levels remained impressively high as the final challenge, String Hunt, commenced. Teams raced around the centre and the grounds to collect string in order to clinch the final points that were up for grabs.
At the ‘Dance/Chant off’ Switzerland gave an impressive display with Michiel from the Yellow Group leading them loud and clear, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to save them from the bottom three before the evenings finale, Olympic Scrabble. At the other end of the leader board, Spain were resting comfortably in first and hopeful of a clear win.
As scrabble kicked off the tensions were high and all teams put in a lot of effort into creating words in any of the languages taught at Camp Suisse. Brazil, in particular, showed off their language skills and cruised to the top of the leader board in an extremely tense finale. The Gold Medals and chocolate were eagerly accepted during the podium presentations before a much deserved bed time for all the Olympians.
Ain’t no mountain high enough
23rd July 2011
Today’s alpine adventure for the White and Yellow groups was a daring mountain biking session up at Plan de Croix, 1340m above sea level. Firstly everyone assembled ready for the routine ‘M’ check headed by our Activity Leader Jim.
Some first run nerves resulted in many a slalom cone being knocked over coupled with the screech of rear tyre skids.
The group were split into 3 and headed out onto the specially designed courses to test the campers balance, control and awareness.
Everyone performed each course to the best of their ability and it wasn’t before long before bridges were crossed and jumps were performed.
For the more advanced cyclists the highlight of the day had to be the challenging descent from Plan de Croix down rocky tracks covered in mud and twigs into Torgon village.
There was then a 700m uphill climb back to the centre which all campers completed amazingly well with no one getting off to push. Everyone had a great fun and came back covered in mud just in time for shower hour!
Spiderman poses at the ready…
The session kicks off with an energetic game of shark attack for the White and Yellows! Leaping onto the climbing wall with enthusiasm we were slowly whittled down to just one survivor. After traversing the length of the wall we put on our attractive safety harnesses and set off to reach the top. We followed on to learn about bee-laying – a few tongues were poking out as campers concentrated hard and gained each other’s trust.
As the session went on, we gained more and more confidence and it was time to attempt the challenges set by the Activity Leaders. One challenge was to climb approximately 6m off the ground and stay there while putting on a pair of socks, a pair of trousers and a jumper. As we left the climbing wall for orienteering a solitary pair of trousers remained on the wall, evidence that not all was achieved this time around…
Reds go for a walk….. Blues blow their chips….. & Greens fire some arrows…..
22nd July 2011
The Blue group hit the tables for some high stakes in Las Torgon last night and with each camper starting with the same amount of chips (€250), the challenge was to see who had the most at the end of the evening. With most blowing their entire stack in the final 5 minutes, one budding poker player managed to walk away over €3000 up!
Well done boys and girls!
Despite the poor weather the following morning, after language lessons and lunch the Reds went on a nature walk with Taff and Rosie from the activity group. Taff and Rosie livened up the walk with many interesting stories and facts about trees, moss, birds, goats and cows!
Later in the afternoon the Reds completed the Camp Suisse treasure hunt and after only a matter of minutes all the children were running round trying to find the next clue. The hunt ended with the individual groups finding the final treasure in the swimming pool of all places! Who would do that eh??
The Green group honed their Robin Hood skills by partaking in a spot of archery up at the football field. For our experienced archers it wasn’t long before the arrows peppered the inner rings of the targets (unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the majority of our Group Leaders).
Not even the odd spot of rain could dampen our group of merry men and women as arrows whizzed through the air and thudded triumphantly onto the targets.
After a successful archery session, spirits were high as some of the Greens headed back to camp to try their hands (and feet) at salsa dancing.
The Camp Suisse dining hall was filled with Latin American fever as campers strutted their stuff for an hour and a half.
Many new moves were learnt by all, which we hope to see at the Camp Suisse fortnightly disco next week.
Parc Aventure
21st July 2011
Today the Green, White and Yellow colour groups went to Parc Aventure and it was brilliant!
It has always been a favourite activity as the campers get the chance to climb through the trees completing various obstacles and defeating many fears.
Using a series of wires and harnesses we were able to overcome numerous challenges such as tight ropes, spinning ladders and even a flying skateboard. Remember this is all high off the ground and built in trees.
We also had the chance to let the wind blow through our hair as we took the massive zip wire back to the middle of the park. Much to the campers’ amusement I managed to get stuck in the trees and had to be ‘dramatically’ rescued by a member of the Parc Adventure staff. All in all it was a fantastic day and everyone wished we could stay longer, even if our arms and legs ached a little.
Alex
Camp Mentor
Camp Suisse make a splash on the rapids
As the rain continued to fall in the Swiss Alps, spirits remained upbeat for the Blue, White and Yellow groups as they embarked on a daring raft down the river.
After a winding drive up the mountain past the Glacier, the coach pulled up to a flotilla of rafts with all the equipment needed for the afternoon. Sporting some fetching wetsuits, life jackets and helmets the brave group boarded their vessels and headed off downstream.
Meandering tight corners, dodging submerged rocks and ducking under treacherous branches – the group did an excellent job at riding the waves and staying upright.
Finally our ‘daft’ rafters obliged to get out of the rafts and jump into the ‘cool’ water from an inviting rock in the middle of the river. Creating a final splash was Head of Colour Harry who performed the most elegant entries.
As the rafts were lifted out of the water some eager beavers were keen to enter the water one last time before the difficult task of removing the wet wet suits. A quick change into dry clothes was all that was left before we boarded the coach back to Torgon in time for some homemade Chinese and casino night.
Team Building
20th July 2011
So, after trying our hand at archery and orienteering the day before, on Tuesday the Blue group enjoyed a day of indoor wall climbing and team building games.
For many it was the first time that they had climbed and whilst exciting; the prospect of scaling the 8 meter high wall was also a little daunting.
However, everyone managed to conquer their fears and threw themselves into the activity, with each camper exceeding their personal target.
After a break for some well deserved afternoon refreshments, we embarked upon some team building games. Campers had to work in groups to complete various tasks such as guiding each other through a giant Spiders Web without touching the wires and walking a plank over a pool of shark infested custard to reach safety.
The Blue group emerged as a force to be reckoned with as no challenge was left uncompleted and some strong friendships were forged. Tomorrow, we tackle the Mountain Bike trails!!
Olympic Museum
“Most people would dismiss it and not care, I must say that it was one of the most informative and fun museums ever”
Some of the Green group were able to visit The Olympic Museum in Lausanne recently and this is one of the campers view on the day.
“Seven of us were staying on from Session 1 and attending Session 2 at Camp Suisse, so on arrivals day we were able to pay a visit to The Olympic Museum in Lausanne. The guides talk you through the history of the Olympics and explain how they were discontinued at one point as there wasn’t any interest in them, yet we were also told how years ago the Greeks would stop anything and everything in order to attend the Olympics. The Olympic goals are to create respect, friendship and excellence, three very important traits.
One of the highlights of the Museum was being able to exhibit the artefacts, replicas of Mohammed Ali’s boxing shoes, the first bobsled ever used and the 2.45m high jump that is now the World Record.
None of this will ever be forgotten and we all had a fantastic time and really appreciated the day. Thank you Camp Suisse for taking us to a truly awesome place”
Diana, Green Group
Sessions 1&2 2011
Session 2 gets underway
17th July 2011
Our first full day at Camp Suisse arrived with miserable weather, however, the rain didn’t ‘dampen’ anyone’s spirits and after a morning of language tests, the Red & Blues headed to Gruyere to visit its famous cheese and chocolate factories.
Cherry the cow guided us through the cheese making and maturing process and explained how Gruyere cheese gets its delicious flavours. After the tour we were able to sample 3 different cheeses, which had been aged 6,10 and 12 years, the latter proving to be a bit too strong for many of the campers!
When we moved on to the chocolate factory, the children took full advantage of buying souvenirs from the shop (much of which was eaten before we got back to camp) before moving on to our tour. We learnt about the history of chocolate from its form in Aztec times to the milky Swiss version we know and love today.
Much to everyone’s delight we were able to sample copious amounts at the end of the tour and the campers went home satisfied – if not feeling a little sick 
