Austria Ski Trip
In the evening of 16th February, 88 Year 10s set off on the 2018 Ski Trip to Salbaach in Austria. Elizabeth Cornforth writes:
Despite being tired from the 24-hour coach journey, day 1 on the slopes was very exciting, labelling our skis, poles and boots and arriving on the slopes— many people’s first time skiing on snow. After meeting our ski instructors, we headed off. No one managed to get through the first day without falling over, skis falling off or Mr Singh chasing them down the mountain, camera in hand! After lunch (a sandwich and an enormous bowl of chips) the higher groups made it to the top of the mountain, and the lower groups used the button lifts. After this we headed back to the hotel for some dinner and a quiz in the games room.
On day 2 we all made it to the top of the mountain to try some blue runs. This was successful for most groups, a huge achievement because the slopes were much steeper. Whilst this was happening, groups 1-3 were enjoying some harder blue, red and black runs. Day 2 also involved experiencing chair lifts and gondolas.
Now that everyone could ski from the top of the mountain, we changed location to more difficult runs. This meant more falling over, more pictures, and more beautiful views. It also included the teachers falling over a few times whilst trying to keep up with group 1 on the black slopes! After day 3 of skiing, we had the option to go ice-skating on a frozen tennis court with snowy mountains surrounding us.
Day 4 started on the same slopes as the previous day, but most groups went off to other runs via ski lifts. Groups also started going on snow trails through the trees, especially as more groups could parallel ski—great fun! After ski school we went into the local village to look around the local shops and supermarket to see to see the food and shops on offer.
Day 5 was slalom day. This meant racing in and out of poles to get the fastest time, competing within our individual groups. We all took turns and had more fun racing down the slopes with our instructors and teachers (Mr Singh still collecting videos and pictures.) After dinner we headed back into the village for our awards evening. Our instructors joined us for this evening and presented us with medals and certificates from the slaloms earlier in the day. We all danced and sang, before returning to the hotel to pack.
On day 6, everyone was very tired, and feeling sad because it was our last day. We made the most of it, taking hundreds of photos of views, friends and our instructors. When we returned to the hotel we ate and got ready to leave for home, starting the long journey all over again. Unlike the journey to Austria, everyone was worn out, much quieter and we made it back in a record 22 hours!
This was an amazing trip, which we would recommend to anyone! Thank you to all the teachers for taking us away and organising the trip, and thank you to all the instructors for helping us so much in ski school!
