ICE & SNOW is an annual, seven-day ski trip combining engineering challenges with alpine activities.
Designed for young people and children accompanied by adults, the event attracts professional engineers and their families, from around the UK. It is also an opportunity for graduates and students and unaccompanied or accompanied like-minded professionals to gather in a unique, inspiring environment.
Click the hyperlinked titles below for details of the next ICE & Snow trips:
ICE & Snow 2013 - For Adult members, G&S and their friends 15-22 Dec.
ICE & Snow 2014 - For Families and Children at Half Term
ICE & Snow 2012 a major success!
Click the title to find out what happened at the most recent and best ICE & Snow event so far....!
Big Bang
ICE & Snow features at the 2013 Big Bang:
ICE & Snow also featured in the 2012 Big Bang Fair at the NEC Birmingham with over 50,000 attendees. To see what the ICE & Snow influence was click here.
If undecided about joining the 2013 or 2014 trip and want to know more view the 2012 report or simply scroll down and view the comments and clips from past ICE & Snow events or simply contact richard.armstrong@ice.org.uk .........
ICE & Snow 2011
ICE & Snow 2011 took place from 17 to 24 December 2011 high in the French Alps at Meribel Mottaret and was an outstanding success. A total of 65 attended with 26 children/young adults (aged 7-19) taking part in daily skiing and evening engineering challenges.
GPS treasure hunting
There was an exciting twist to the trip as a “skiing geocache” was introduced for the first time, introducing geospatial engineering to the group. The ICE & Snow teams used highly sensitive GPS trackers to find hidden boxes dotted around the largest ski area in the world.
Inside the boxes were engineering questions, which the teams then researched in the evenings. The game was so popular that the second prize for answering all the questions (GPS trackers) suddenly became more popular than the first prize of an android tablet!
Evening engineering
After GPS treasure hunting on the slopes there were more challenges in the evening. These included building a ski park, ski jump, toboggan run and a cable car with legomindstorm equipment (see picture below). Points were given for engineering, innovation, design, team work, engineering knowledge, to name a few. And for the second time in three years a girls team won. This year the team consisted of Olga White (15), Amy Monk (13) and Amy White (13). Take a look at the videos on this pageto get a taste of the engineering activities.
ICE would like to thank our 2011 sponsors; The Ove Arup Foundation and Jackson Civil Engineering.
The 2011 Winners surround their four constructions, from left to right a legomindstorm cable car, toboggan run, ski jump, skier and ski park.
Since its creation in 2004, ICE & SNOW has been helping under-19s to:
- Develop their knowledge and appreciation of engineering
- Understand the basic principles of engineering and apply their learning to practical and enjoyable challenges
- Question, analyse and problem-solve
- Develop team working and social interaction skills
- Liaise with engineering professionals and learn from real-life experience
- Gain the inspiration to pursue a career in engineering
The activities
Past programmes have included:
Visits to sites, attractions and organisations with an engineering interest- Practical engineering challenges requiring team work, problem-solving and innovation (such as building bridges, combustion engines and ramps from basic, everyday materials)
- Engineering quiz and prize-giving
- Ski event or toboggan race
In 2006 ICE & SNOW featured in a BBC report, which was broadcast on regional television. Now in its 10th year, the event is as popular as ever.
See BBC report. 2010's wind generator challenge and Swiss skiing resort can be seen by clicking ICE & Snow 2010
Supports
Each year the event encourages sponsorship from leading civil engineering organisations and previous sponsors include AECOM, Jackson Civil Engineering and The Ove Arup Foundation.
ICE & SNOW also receives backing from schools and parents because it:
- Has a range of educational and practical benefits
- Is managed by a well-respected and long-established Institution
- Is co-organised by a trusted, industry-regulated tour operator
- Allows children to make new friends in a learning environment
Engineering challenge 2010
The 2010 event attracted similar numbers as for 2008/9. In the seven year history of this alpine adventure, the challenge was one of the most demanding and technical ever set by the organisers - to construct a wind generator, a house and produce sustainable energy -. Four teams competed for the most points - wind generator speed and power output (accurately measured on an oscilloscope), house design and overall innovation. Team Hurricane consisting of children from Herts, Rutland and predominantly South Eastern Schools won the challenge. Team Mistral, Typhoon and Levante had possibly a better designed building however it was Hurricane’s generator that won all other aspects and stole the top prize.
Engineering challenge 2008
The 2008 event attracted 54 adults and 30 under-19s. The engineering challenge, which involved four teams of young people was a huge success. The winners of the challenge, an all-girls team led by Megan Charles from sponsors AECOM, included pupils from schools in Yorkshire, Derby and Kent.
*Terms and conditions apply.