QM are heading to "The Greatest Snow on Earth"

QMHS and QMGS are officially going to be travelling to Utah for their 2014 ski/snowboard tour. The trip will be taking in 6 nights in southern Utah skiing/riding Brian Head. The group will then travel back to Nevada taking in some retail therapy before spending a night and day in Las Vegas. The package is quite brilliant and has been put together by Equity Ski. The location of Utah is perfect for getting amazing snowfall that is light and dry. The best kind of powder! See the Utah ski site. Ski Utah

The resort will open early November and has already begun snow making to set an early base.

Discover Brian Head Video

Here Comes the Snow!

What a wonderful scene yesterday in Italy after the recent snowfall. The better the base now the better it will be during Easter 2013! Remember to look out for bargains for your kit. In the next few weeks many of our local shops will be selling ski wear. TK Maxx has some great gear in their stores already.

Ski & Snowboard Show 2012

2012/13 ski season is about to commence. For me the start of the season coincides with the October half term which is when the first FIS race is held in Solden, Austria and is when the Ski and Snowboard show is held at the NEC. It is also exciting to see how many resorts open in this week too! Several European glaciers will open and many North American resorts open like Loveland in Colorado.



The show consists of exhibitions, ski/snowboard taster sessions, resort information, holiday exhibits and many snowsport retailers who often some fantastic bargains. Shopping around can really help save money when it comes to ski clothing. Discounts and more information can be found at the following link: Ski Show 2012.

Clothing is always a worry for parents, especially if this is your son or daughters first time. Here we hope to help reduce the burden and offer some cost saving ways to kit your children out. Kit is always readily available from specialists, like Ski Warehouse, but at this time of year, Lidl, Aldi, Decathlon and TK Maxx have some fabulous offers too. Parent will also get a brochure and optional order form from Ski and Sport who also have some fabulous offers and also offer the hiring of key clothing and helmets. The later is better if it is brought outright, remember it does not have to be expensive to be effective. Just look for the EU approved logo on the helmet.

Finally I would like to remind all parents that the balance for the 2013 holiday, £999, is due at the end of January and it is essential that we have all the relevant information for your son/daughter. This includes:-

1. A photocopy of a current passport valid until the end of April 2013.
2. A photocopy of the students EHIC. (formerly E111)
3. All medical forms complete and signed.
4. Ski statistics sheet complete, height, weight, shoe size and ability.
5. Code of conduct form signed.

As always if you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact us at school or by email.

2013 & 2014 Launch

Finally we are able to launch our forthcoming ski trips. We are launching 2 trips simultaneously to help parents budget and pay for the trips they want their children to go on. The cheaper trip being a flight trip to Europe next Easter and a North america trip in the Easter of 2014.

Italy 2013 - Claviere

Students will fly to the Italian resort of Claviere, this high altitude resort sits in the Milkway region of the Italian Alps. It is close to the resorts of Sansicario, Sauze d’Oulx, Sestrière and Montgènevre. In total over 500 pistes are available. Our Ski company this year will be Equity Ski, who have put together a competitive package for us. The trip is a 6 day on snow package with 7 nights accommodation on a full board basis. The total cost including a range of activities will be £999. Letters are out now so sign up asap to avoid disappointment.

North America 2014

Due to the huge costs of transatlantic flights we are encouraging parents to commit early to our Easter 2014 trip. It will certainly be a fantastic package. We plan to ski/snowboard for 5 days with 6 nights in the resort and then spend one night in a city close to the airport. The 2 resorts on option are:-

Crystal Mountain - Quicksilver Lodge - Seattle Stopover

Homewood/Alpine Meadows Lake Tahoe - San Francisco Stopover

Both of these areas we have stopped at before and have extensive experience of North America tours so although it will be expensive it will be an awesome tour. See our Blog from Easter 2010! and Feb 2011.

The cost is hard to predict exactly but under current rates we expect a cost of £1400. Letters are available now, so book your place for a trip of a lifetime.

Remember what Warren Miller says... "if you don't ski this year you will be one year older when you do!"

2013 and 2014

Where next?

This is always the question I ask about our ski trips. The careful considerations started September 2011. For many reasons it has not been possible to launch our next trip until now. We are just finalising the locations and the best deal. Keep looking as the trips will be launched real soon. It is likely that we will launch 2 trips simultaneously. Easter 2013 and 2014. That way parents will have the opportunity to pay for these expensive trips over a much longer time scale.

We are considering resorts in:-

Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Canada - Jasper, USA - California/San Francisco and Vermont/New York

Wherever we go you can bet it will be amazing and great fun. Just look back at the last two trip blogs. :-)

Day Six - On Our Way Home

We were all bleary eyed as we met in the hotel foyer at 2.30am. Luckily, all students were ready on time and we left promptly at 3.00am in the first snow fall of the holiday.

We made good time and checked in quickly. Despite our reminders, some students still managed to pack shower gel and other liquids in their hand luggage. Nothing of great importance was left behind though and we are sure everyone will mange without a shower until they get home, lol.

Students had two hours to relax and get a starbucks coffee and McDonald's hash browns to fortify them through the morning.

Our plane arrived on time, for flight AA156, so we expect to be back in Walsall at the planned time.

Thank you for following snowsportsqm and as Warren Miller would say "If you don't ski this year, you'll be one year older when you do"

So, until next time, bye y'all.

Day Five - Costume Day

Today was the sunniest day of the week. We came down for our last breakfast and weren't disappointed. Cheesy eggs, bacon and potatoes, bagels and cream cheese, fruit and a surprise of blueberry muffins.
Everyone then went to get ready for costume day and there were some really fantastic outfits on display.
Our arrival at the slopes created a flurry of interest.
Here are some of the outfits from the day.

In the evening we had presentation of awards. 

Liam Jones                                       Soap Dodger

Andrew Edmonds                            Most Improved in One Week

Paul Houlston                                   Endurance

Katie La                                            Endurance

Hannah Byrne                                  Best Backward Skier

Jay Sahnan                                      Best Helmet

Holly Randall-Williams                    Most Psychedelic

Bradleigh Smith                              Liftmaster

Kayleigh Hill                                     American Snail

Dominic Boniface                           Most Improved

Rebecca Toni-Walsh                      Best Beginner

Ben Fortes-Mayer                           American Speed Demon

Eleanor Harris                                  Poser of the Week

Tom Olivo                                         Biggest Bruise

Molly Stapleton                                Best Hat

Year 8 boys                                      Most Punctual

Naomi Fallon                                   Reddest Nose

Charlie Shardlow                            Best Panda Eyes

Rachel Chorley                                Most Spectacular Wipeout

Simran Bains Sira                           Most Stylish Skier

Jahnvi Patel                                      Most Wipeouts

Fancy Dress Prizes

Rebecca 

Little Red Riding Hood

Naomi                      Tiger

Liam                          Superman

Ben          Clumsy Smurf

shown with Kayleigh as Mr Potato Head

Our drama queens turned into Zombies for the day.

The whole party had a fabulous time at Waterville Valley and will remember it fondly.