The IAPS skiing championship, held in Italy last week, was a unique experience for the 12 boys from The Prep who competed against some of the very best skiers in the UK. The ski team joined 310 other young athletes from almost 30 IAPS schools for a week of intensive race training that climaxed in a very exciting and daunting championship. Staring down from the start hut to a very steep and icy mountain, with many hundreds of spectators, is no mean feat.
The high level of skiing on display across the week was breathtaking, although learning to giant slalom is a whole new skill to most of our boys. After four days of advanced training from Alessandro, our instructor, the Dulwich Prep team narrowly missed out on a podium finish but the experience will remain for a lifetime. The disco, talent show and mountain hot chocolates very quickly washed away any disappointment.
The Dulwich Prep boys always impress at this event with their attitude, willingness to learn and enormous sense of fun and this year was no different. The boys didn’t only develop from good recreational skiers to budding racers but they grew in confidence, in independence, in sociability (we banned all electronics) and as a group of young people learning and sharing new experiences together.
Have a look at the official IAPS film below or click here to see some photos of our boys.