The Journey

After an early cold start everything went smoothly. A good check in and flight.

On arrival we picked up our coach and headed for the Manchester malls.

 Wow it was a 2 hour frenzy, brand names and male torsos bags everywhere!

 On arrival at the hotel we got our huge rooms.

Some of us managed to see the fireworks albeit at a distance - a few of us lost our way to the village! 

Students, adults and staff had a nice meal at the Valley Inn and were in bed by 9! Ella has been awarded the splat hat for a sneaky fall on the coach steps and one romantic year 8 has the dude hat for swish moves on the opposite sex.

Bluebird!

Just 2 more days and we will be skiing at Waterville Valley. At this time they have cool temperatures, -6 to +2 degrees Celsius with 49 out 52 runs open. It is going to be brilliant.

Just a reminder 3.30 am Saturday 11th February do not be late but do not be early! It will be cold, let's hope snow free. Parents please ensure the road up to the silver gates is kept clear for the coach.

Remember not to pack gels, creams or liquids in your hand luggage. 100ml or less is fine but it will need to go in to a clear plastic bag. Contact solution is often a problem, so make sure it is of the accepted size.

See you Saturday morning! :-) Mr. Hinks

Almost there...

Cool temperatures and 49 out of 52 trails

Great snow and we will be there on the 11th February!

Final Information and reminders:

Airline Company: American Airlines AA109 & AA156

Saturday 11th February Arrive QMHS 03.30 GMT
Depart QMHS 03.50 GMT

Arrive London Heathrow T3 06.55 GMT
Depart London Heathrow T3 09.55 GMT

Arrive Boston Int. 12.35 EST
Arrive Waterville Valley 16.00 EST

Hotel Details:
The Valley Inn & Red Fox Tavern
PO Box 1
17 Tecumseh Road
Waterville Valley, NH 03215
Tel: 001 603 236 8425

Friday 17th February
Depart Hotel 03.15 EST

Arrive Boston Int. 05.50 EST
Depart 08.50 EST
Friday 17th February

Arrive London Heathrow 20.50 GMT

Arrive QMHS *00:30 GMT (Sat 18th midnight)

The above information will be in the final letter. I would like to remind parents of the early start, 3.30am, no earlier is needed but please do not be late, and not to park anywhere before the silver gates at the Teddesley Street end of Upper Forster Street. We need to keep this free to get the Coach on to the school car park. We will load on the car park to keep the noise distruption down to a minimum for our local residences.

The staff all look forward to seeing you bright and early on Saturday 11th February.

Let it snow!

Cold and more snow on its way!

POW who said you need to go west.

:-)

(48/52 runs looking good at WV)

We will be there in 3 weeks.

Hoodies are go... the count down begins!

44 out of 52 runs open and just over 3 weeks to go!

Happy New Year to everyone! In just over 3 weeks we will be heading off to Waterville Valley. Conditions are looking good and if mother nature is on our side then as we arrive the resort will be 100% open. I hope everyone is working on fitness and working off the Christmas Turkey!

Final details will be out shortly but do not hesitate to ask if you are concerned about anything.

Trip hoodies, from WavePrint, will be available for £20 each and letters will be out this week. There will be a school logo on the front and ski specific artwork on the back. You can personalise your hoodie with an appropriate nickname too. Ensure you get a letter asap. All forms need to be in by Wednesday 25th January 2012.

Passport Queries

Please note that all students and adults travelling to America need authorisation to travel. This is gained by the ESTA form. The form lasts for 2 years or until the passport that it is connected to expires, which ever is the sooner.

Your passport needs only to be indate for the time in the USA. So it is perfectly fine to have a passport that expires on the 18th February 2012. The only slight anoyance is that the 14$ ESTA would also then expire. So unless you plan to travel to the US again in the next 12 -24 months then there is no need to replace your passport. Here is an extract from the fco :-

Does my British passport have to be valid for six months beyond my date of departure from the United States?
No, if your passport is not valid for at least six months beyond your date of departure from the United States, it will not affect your eligibility to travel. The United States has an agreement with the United Kingdom automatically extending the validity of a passport for six months past the passport's expiration date. Therefore, your passport need remain valid only for the duration of your stay in the United States.
If you are travelling visa free under the Visa Waiver Program and your passport is not valid for 90 days, you will be admitted into the United States until the date on which the passport expires.

Please ensure your passport photocopies are in school along with your valid ESTA form asap.

WV Opening Day

Waterville Valley turned on the snow guns on the 18th November as temperatures dropped well below freezing. Coupled with this some efforts by mother nature and we have an open resort for the 45th season.

Check the opening day video here:

Ski season 2011/12 is officially here! If you want to see some FIS World Cup skiing action, this can be seen this weekend on British Eurosport from around 5.00 pm on Saturday 26th November. This will now be weekly feature from now until March on Eurosport.

Trip Information Update

Please remember, all payments for the trip are to be complete by the end of November and that all paper work is in school asap. Please make a copy of the ESTA form when you get authorisation and hand it in to school with any other outstanding paperwork.

We have had confirmation from American Airlines that the ski carriage, 1 boot bag and 1 ski bag, is charge at $60 per set. If you are serious about taking all your own equipment then contact Mr. Hinks or Mrs. Wood at school urgently.

A ski training up date will be issued week beginning 28th November.