By Steph Tidey, Outdoor Learning Coordinator
On Friday 4 April, we (5 staff) took 35 students to Austria for the annual ski trip. Leaving after lunch, we set off on the coach for Dover. We were all prepared for the long journey ahead with pillows, blankets and snacks. We picked up our main drivers (Danni & Jack) in Folkestone, who would take us across Europe and spend the next week with us. We got a late ferry to Calais which was full of British students heading out to ski resorts. The crossing was quick and very calm, which is always a bonus.
Once back on the coach, we slept throughout the night before stopping in France for a McDonalds breakfast and then another couple of stops in Germany before arriving in Zell am See in Austria, early evening on Saturday. Here we met with the True North rep, Debbie. This is the second year she has been with us, so it was lovely to have a friendly face to see upon arrival. We then had the chance to unpack and have dinner before an early night to catch up on some much-needed rest. The rooms were modern and spacious, all with en-suite bathrooms and plenty of storage for our stylish winterwear!
Sunday morning started with a lovely buffet breakfast; students (and Mr Lloyd!) were very impressed with the massive container of Nutella, complete with a pump! Here, we filled up with cereals, fresh bread, yoghurt, fruit, boiled eggs, juices and made our own packed lunches to take up the mountain.
We then walked a couple of minutes over to the main lift where the hire shop was and all got kitted out. We met our 4 ski instructors – Emily, Rick, Jesse and Max. We split into 4 ability groups and headed onto the nearest slope for some warmup runs before heading up the lifts to explore more of the resort around the Schmittenhohe mountain. We had 4 hours skiing each day with a break on the mountain for our lunch. All groups made fantastic progress and, by the end of the week, everyone was skiing on Red & Black runs. Our instructors were incredible – patient, understanding, calm and fun. Everything you could have asked for.
After skiing, we walked back to the hotel where students were able to take out some spending money with the bank of Mr Hartley and check out in small groups to visit the local shops before dinner. The students seemed to enjoy the variety of sweets and chocolates that the shops had to offer!
Our evening activities were all based within the hotel. On Sunday night, we booked the bouldering room. All students took part in the bouldering games, including climbing to find the mini chocolate eggs that Ms Davies had hidden on the top holds and ‘last man hanging’ on the holds without losing grip or putting their feet on the ground.
On Monday evening, we booked the indoor beach volleyball courts. Mr Holdsworth took the lead with teaching everyone how to play ‘Nuke ‘Em’ which got very competitive! We then had access to the small sports hall where some students enjoyed playing basketball and football.
The other evenings were spent in the hotel's own cinema watching Top Gun Maverick with popcorn, at the bowling alley with pizza and birthday cake for Maxwell’s birthday, in the sports hall to play more basketball and, one evening, Miss Davies organised ‘The Pirate Game’ in the common room.
On Tuesday, the top two groups took the coach round to Kaprun to visit the Glacier on the Kitzsteinhorn mountain with Miss Davies and Mr Lloyd. Sitting at 1976m, it was 1226m above our hotel, so the snow was pristine, even with the clear blue skies and sun beating down on us. The lifts were a little longer but it was certainly worth it! So much so that we took all 4 groups and staff back on Wednesday. We did intend on going back on Thursday, but the cloud came in and wind picked up so we made the call to stay back on Schmittenhohe. Friday was again glorious, so one partly cloudy day in the whole week was a big win for us. The views were incredible and Mr Hartley informed me that the mountain range we could see from the viewing platform on the Schmittenhohe is the same as the painting outside the Head's office here at Sidcot!
The meals at the hotel were brilliant – buffet style so students could choose what they wanted and how much, and there was always a salad bar. One evening we had a meal in the BBQ restaurant – grilled vegetables, halloumi, salad bar, chips, potatoes, chicken, German sausages, ribs... you name it! This was followed by a selection of mini local desserts and a big drinks machine – Coke, Fanta, fruit juices, water. They had everything!
The final journey back was after a hearty meal in the hotel on Friday evening. We said goodbye to a number of our European boarding students who went directly home from the hotel and then set off on the coach.
We slept through the night with the intention of stopping in France around 6:00am (depending on the driver swaps) but when Danni & Jack swapped, I seemed to be the only one awake! There was no McDonalds at the services, so we made the decision to power on and try to make an earlier train on the Eurotunnel. We made the 8:35am crossing (rather than 10:50am) and then drove straight on to Cobham Services, where we bought the students a McDonalds breakfast. It was then only a couple of hours until we were back at School.
What can I say? An incredible week away in the sunny mountains with a fantastic group of students and staff at a beautiful resort that is designed especially for Youth Groups. Our coach drivers were so friendly and accommodating, and even followed up with a message to us to say that we had been their best tour group they had had in 10 years!
True North Travel have also looked after us so well, from last minute changes of paperwork to their amazing rep, Debbie. A big thanks to Miss Davies, Mr Lloyd, Mr Hartley and Mr Holdsworth for all putting so much into the trip and helping to make it so successful.
We will certainly be looking at going back there again next year so, if you are interested, then it is never too early to get your name on the waitlist!
