20 - 31 August 2003: 31 Troop B Scouts and leaders headed out to the Swiss Alps for the adventure of a lifetime. It didn't disappoint and we experienced what was unquestionably our most memorable camp ever. Here's the detail...

Gatwick: Much to the leaders surprise, everybody arrived on time at the airport. Much to the Scouts surprise, the leaders were all on time too. We took over the easyJet check-in desks, and, after some emotional see-you-laters, made our way through to departures to waste money on food and board the plane.

easyJet: Were superb - friendly staff who were helpful, let us take tents outside of our luggage allowance, let us on the plane first, arrived ahead of schedule on both flights. All round, a great service - thanks.

Flying: The quickest way to the Alps. We flew to the very hot Geneva, which has got cool views as you fly in. The scouts took the journey in their stride, which made the leader's lives easier. We think the other passengers were pleased to have thirty odd scouts join them on their trip.

Kandersteg International Scout Centre: We stayed at the only world scout centre, which made our trip. We met loads of other scouts from around the world - Portugal, Jamaica, Belgium to name but a few. The pinkies (KISC staff) were brilliant, helpful and friendly. Got a nice river next to it too, which rises alarmingly quickly in heavy rain.

Site 34: We camped on Site 34, below the massive cliff. Fortunately it was sunny whilst camping, so we had a few very pleasant nights under canvas. Someone had obviously driven a gravel lorry across the site before we arrived, because it was rockier than a fat man's boat in a storm.

The Chalet: For the final week of our trip, we moved in the Chalet and comfortable rooms. It was cosy and the ideal place to be. Even the toilets were comfy.


The International Disco: Our first night meant putting the tents up quickly and heading straight into the village for the International Disco. There's nothing like Eminem for breaking down international boundaries! Loud music, lots of dancing and a moonwalk competition all made up an excellent evening, before we retired to our sleeping bags late, exhausted.


Oeshinensee: A very pleasant hike alongside rivers and waterfalls took all of the group up to the Oeschininsee - a beautiful blue glacial lake surrounded by mountains. Certainly the most impressive any of us have ever seen, which is why we jumped in (yes, it was pretty cold, but that didn't seem to matter as it was very hot and sunny!!). Adam and Stephen insisted it was warm, we didn't agree, they had blue lips.

The Toboggan run: We then made the short trek across to the alpine toboggan run at 1600m where all the Scouts enjoyed throwing themselves down it several times. Fastest times go to Giles and Rupert!

International BBQ: We donned caveman outfits (well five of us did) and headed across to the Chalet for a tasty BBQ laid on the by KISC team. Several hot dogs, burgers and potato salads later and we were ready for bed.

Dawn hike: A 4am start for most of the Scouts as we chased the sun on our dawn hike. At 7.10am we arrived at our viewpoint 1800m up the mountainside, in time to see the most amazing sunrise reflecting itself off the mountains. After a well-deserved rest under the blue skies, we had a quick tour of an alpine cheesery before descending via the steepest cable car in Switzerland! We also met Sabre the killer cat who tried to savage Ed.


Swimming in Kandersteg: Our first swimming excursion of the week saw us soaking up the sun at Kandersteg's schwimmbad. The diving boards were the attraction for most, as was the slide. Trying to push a leader into the deep end was also a popular thing to do. But simply cooling off and relaxing was a pretty good reason for going altogether. A quick five-a-side game followed before the trek home.

International Campfire: We went to two. One in the sun, with loads of people which was great fun. One in the pouring rain, which we sung "The Music Man" at and James and Michael lead the "Hokey Cokey" which wasn't at all shameful.

Mountain Expeditions: Over the weekend the Scouts went off into the Alps for an overnight stay and to take part in a mountain/climbing workshop. For the younger Scouts this meant trekking to KISC's very own mountain hut (complete with cows living downstairs!) and spending the evening playing games and celebrating Erez's birthday (he told us it was wicked so we think we got it right). After a good night's sleep at 1890m the Scouts got up to enjoy a fantastic day of rock climbing, bouldering and abseiling. It was great and everyone earned a badge to show their achievement. Meanwhile the Patrol Leaders had another early start and got the first train out of Kandersteg to join our professional mountain guide in Interlaken. Hano took them to the Steingleitscher (massive ice glacier) where they were taught to use ice axes and crampons, hiked to the top and spent several hours abseiling down the ice and climbing as many of the routes as they could fit in. They then headed down to spend the night in an Indian teepee. A 6am start on Sunday heralded the beginning of a full day on the Tallistock (Europe's longest via ferrata). The PLs spent their time climbing up steep faces and traversing ledges with the security of iron cables to clip in to all the way.

Note - there are more photo's than we can fit onto one page for this great activity - click on any thumbnail below to enlarge:


Both groups had a fabulous time and both sets of guides commented that our Scouts were one of the most fun and competent groups they'd ever taken out.

Brig: A well earned rest day meant jumping on the train to Brig, jumping out to go shopping and jumping into the swimming pool. Brig pool is great, with a wicked slide, boulders to jump off and some outrageous rapids. So good, we had to visit twice!

White water hot-dogging: We boarded three man inflatable canoes and rode the rapids on the Dranse. A great way to cool off. And get stranded on rocks.

Blausee: A group of scouts went for a relaxing hike to the fascinating Blausee, a lake full of fossilised trees. Alledgedly.

The Balmhornhutte: Two mountain parties hiked up to the Balmhornhutte. This involved basking in the sunshine as we made our way up from the valley, playing on some swings, before joining the incredibly narrow and exposed Balmhornhutteweg - a path in places no more than a foot wide with a drop of several thousand feet off to one side. It did have handrails, which was a nice touch, but it didn't stop the adrenaline pumping. We arrived at the spectacular glacier and hut, where we relaxed with a pricey drink. There was only one way down - back the same route!

Poo jumping: A potentially smelly game, invented on the way down from the Balmhornhutte - we'll leave it to your imagination...

White water rafting: We joined a multi-national team of raft guides for a thrilling descent of the River Simme, from Boltigen. Five raftfulls of us hit rapids, rocks and waves - getting a soaking in the process. Some rapid running in ice-cold water finished the day before heading home.


Mountain biking: We travelled on the Glacier Express (not all that express it has to be said) to Zermatt where we had hired some mountain bikes. The morning group jumped aboard the Gornergrat railway and got out at the top. A mega-exhilarating descent from 3100m to the valley floor followed, taking in all types of terrain - the only common theme was that it was fast! Unbelievable views all the way down too. The (late) afternoon group got out of the train at the first station to make the most of a first-class fast decent back to Zermatt. A great way to round off the week.

Boo-ga-loo: Probably the catchiest song ever, "What's that you say?!!!"

Man of the day: Each evening we nominated and voted for a Man of the Day and a Wally of the Day. Clear winners in the latter categories were the two Michaels.

Our summer camp in Switzerland was a storming success, and everybody had a great time.Thanks go to all the leaders for taking the time and effort out to make the trip happen. We'll definitely be going international again, and plans are already underfoot for Summer Camp 2004 and 2005!

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