Year thirteen pupils studying BTEC Sport attended ‘The Towers Outdoor Education Centre’ from 23rd to 27th February. A great week was had by all pupils, teachers and instructors, with memories that will last a very long time. The trip was arranged as part of their studies, where they are required to demonstrate advanced skills in two outdoor and adventurous activities.

The week commenced in fitting style with wind and rain, coupled with mountaineering, being the order of the day. It was hard work due to the adverse weather conditions and made map wading, walking on a bearing, and group work that much harder – however, the group pulled together! It was the following day when the fear really set in during an abseiling session; but then again, a thirty metre decline down a rock face will possibly do that to anyone! The rock climbing assessment was complete by the afternoon at Plas-y-Brenin, The National Mountain Centre.

The weather conditions had not improved when climbing Cnicht on the Wednesday. Students managed to reach the summit of the mountain, or at least that’s what the instructor said as they could not see more than ten metres in front of them. The snowball fight on the way up was pretty tiring too! The pupils completed their assessments in mountaineering, and thanks to their good navigation skills, they made it back down again!

Gorge walking, map reading and a session on the via-ferrata completed the week of assessments. The instructors, Gareth and Lorenza from Towers, commented on how the desired criteria had been achieved by all pupils, and thought that they had been a pleasure to spend time with. They particularly liked how the group had developed socially throughout the week, and had made use of their expertise to help them complete their assignments.