From March 27th, we held a 3-day, 2-night ski and snowboard program for beginners at Shiga Kogen Yokoteyama in Nagano Prefecture! Out of 43 children, 16 were completely new to skiing/snowboarding and 18 were beginners, making up about 80% of the participants. Significant improvements in skill levels were observed for both skiers and snowboarders.
Day One
Participants began gathering at Tokyo Station shortly after 7:30 AM. The circle of participants gradually widened, using leaders in their green CAMPSHIP fleeces as a landmark. After checking in, they introduced themselves and played icebreakers with their group leaders. After the program director greeted the parents, they departed for the Shinkansen. Even though they had just met, the children showed initiative in looking out for younger members of their group amidst the Friday crowds.
On the Shinkansen, they quickly bonded with friends and leaders through card games and CAMPSHIP original word hunts. Afterward, they took a chartered bus from Iiyama Station to Yokoteyama, where their hotel was located. On the bus, they chatted and sang together. Even though they had only known each other for about three hours, their excited smiles were bursting.
Upon arrival, the bus dropped them off, and they walked through the ski resort to the hotel. This was possible due to the hotel's location, right in front of the slopes, which maximized the children's enthusiasm to start skiing! First, they had lunch at the inn, changed into their ski wear, and went to put on their ski boots. Leaders checked what they wore under their ski wear and how to put on ski/snowboard boots, and only after ensuring they were properly prepared for skiing/snowboarding did they begin their runs.
After thorough stretching, lessons began for each ski and snowboard group, divided by skill level. Snowboard novices started by learning how to fall correctly!
After the lessons, they played in the snow! They went sledding and had a snowball fight, enjoying the wide slopes to their hearts' content since the lifts had closed.
After a bath and dinner, it was free time. Everyone celebrated the birthdays of participants turning 13 and 15, and they played card games, made friendship bracelets, and stargazed.
They laid out their own futons in their rooms, bringing a jam-packed first day to a close.
Day Two
In the morning, when leaders went to wake the children, some rooms were already awake!
In the older groups, they were enjoying themselves playing king's game. It was only the second morning, but it was heartwarming to see friendships already developing within the groups.
After breakfast, it was off to ski and snowboard again! The ski and snowboard groups were reorganized based on feedback from the coaches and leaders from the previous day, aiming for further improvement.
They skied on slopes of a higher difficulty than the previous day.
At the CAMPSHIP Party, we played a game called "Treasure Hunt Poker." It was designed so that every child in the group could participate and it was a huge hit! Leaders hid 10 cards, each with a number from 0 to 6, in the main hall. One child from each group would go to search for a card within 30 seconds. This continued for 6 rounds, with each group collecting a total of 6 cards. After a strategy meeting, the group would discard one card, then choose one person to go search for the final card. The closer the sum of the numbers on the cards was to 21, the higher the score they received. We saw team members cooperating and cheering each other on.
Day Three