While students at most schools are spending their weekend having a lie-in or catching up on homework, up to half of Aiglon’s students, of all ages, will be out on an expedition. These trips, scrupulously overseen by experienced and highly trained staff and experts, are both fun and challenging, and may involve the acquisition of new skills or trying out exciting activities: camping, orienteering, kayaking, rock climbing, and mountain biking.

Expedition activities vary according to the seasons, from Switzerland’s celebrated Via Ferrata in summer, to ski-touring in winter. Examples of expeditions include: kayaking and camping at Lac Léman, road cycling on the circuit at Bex (with safety instruction from the police), and cross-country skiing and snowshoeing between mountain huts in the Dents du Midi.

Every student will be exposed to activities new to them, some of which they may find extremely challenging, or outside their comfort zone. Nonetheless, with encouragement and support, they all rise to those challenges. Students consistently describe “going on ex” as among the highlights of their time at Aiglon: from the sense of accomplishment at achieving more than they thought themselves capable, to the wonder of being in an environment very different from home and reliant on their own resources, to the friendships forged amid the lows and highs of a challenging trip.