Bear Grylls at Mountain School

For the second consecutive year, Bear Grylls set out into the mountains with our youngest explorers. 

Nestled at an altitude of almost 1,800 m, Bretaye became an interactive terrain where Bear and his Bear Grylls Survival Academy team integrated classroom studies with practical outdoor learning.

“Once a week we’re able to come up here and link the learning that we do in the classroom with the learning we see here in the mountains,” stated Stuart Hamilton, Director, Aiglon College, Junior School.

Highlights from the Day 

Junior School students in Years 2–6 participate in outdoor education through a partnership with the Bear Grylls Survival Academy, coordinated by the Aiglon Mountain School. Established in 2024, this structured programme uses the local alpine environment as a classroom where students learn practical survival skills, build resilience, and develop environmental stewardship in a safe, guided setting.

 At the start of the morning, in the pouring rain, all the students huddled together to hear Bear share some life lessons: 

"We at Aiglon, we're different. We're built tough, inside and out. We always respect Mother Nature. You don't respect Mother Nature, she'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget. So we always respect Mother Nature, but we're not scared of Mother Nature. We embrace it.

Some days it's sunny, and we have fun and we swim in the lake. Some days it's raining, and we come to hike. Some days it's going to be hard. You're going to have exams, you're going to have big matches, you're going to have interviews, you're going to be nervous, you're going to be facing the storm, into the rain. And if you're not trained, you don't know how to deal with the tough days of life.

So the point of these expeditions is that we walk into the storm, side-by-side, well-prepared, inside and out, but we embrace it.

Remember, 'If it ain't raining, it ain't training'.” 

During the activities with Bear Grylls, students embraced a thrilling hands-on challenge by tasting dried maggots - showing courage, open-mindedness, and team spirit as they stepped outside their comfort zones without hesitation. Alongside this adventurous trial, they built practical real-world skills by learning essential rope-knotting techniques, fostering both self-confidence and practical problem-solving abilities.

“J’aime bien jouer avec les amis et on joue dans la forêt ensemble, on y va explorer” a dit Owen (Year 4). “ On a fait de la marche avec Bear Grylls. On a mangé des trucs bons, des  baies. J’ai appris à faire un nœud de batelier. J’ai appris comment persévérer dans les météos qu’on n’aime pas.”

Aiglon Mountain School 

Each week, students have Mountain School, where knowledge and skills developed in the classroom are taken outdoors. Based in local mountain huts or other nearby rivers and forests, students undertake personal and team challenges which have been developed in collaboration with the Bear Grylls Survival Academy team.  

The programme is integrated and connected to the curriculum through inquiry and problem-based learning, encouraging students to think creatively about solutions to complex problems. It fosters leadership, teamwork, and creativity by involving students in designing their learning experiences, gradually building their independence and self-efficacy. Delivered in both French and English, the Mountain School emphasises engaging with the local community, ensuring that students benefit from a bilingual, culturally rich environment.

 “It’s been so great to have the Bear Grylls Survival Academy with us as well. And their links to our curriculum, their link when they come over and do programmes with it just makes it extra special. What a wonderful day,” concluded Stuart Hamilton.