Junior Ski Trip 2024
Travelling to the Stubai Glacier in Austria, students from Years 7 through to 10 enjoyed six full days of skiing and a host of other activities on their Junior Ski Trip over Easter. You can read more in our report from Mr Brous:
“We set off from Woodbridge on Thursday 11 April in the evening, by coach, to the Stubai Glacier, near Innsbruck. The sailing and coach trip went smoothly, arriving midday on Saturday.
We quickly settled into our hotel in Schonberg, located about 30 minutes from the glacier and ski area itself, in a beautiful location in the Stubai valley, overlooked by snowcapped mountains. The hotel is in its fifth generation of the Steixner family, who are extremely passionate about the place. Once settled in we took a gentle stroll around the village, taking in the gorgeous views in 28 degrees, absolutely perfect weather. Dinner that evening in the hotel was followed by an early bedtime.
Saturday morning saw everyone up bright and early to get up the mountain for our ski fit; once fitted we were allocated into five groups, with an average size of six to eight people per group. After the instructors’ assessments to ensure everyone was in the right group, the ski instruction began. Conditions were near perfect, with blue skies and temperatures of four to eight degrees up on the mountain, just having had a huge snowfall the week before. At the end of the day, tired but happy, we came back down the mountain for a lovely swim in the indoor/outdoor pool, and spent time on the water slides and lazy river.
Sunday followed the same routine. Still extremely warm, the day was spent skiing followed by bowling in Innsbruck in the evening. On Monday it was skiing followed by another swim in the local pool.
The weather changed overnight and we woke up to much colder conditions on Tuesday, with snow falling in the valley. However the snowfall stopped just as we started skiing, and blue skies broke out. With a 30cm dump of snow the night before, blues skies (but temperatures of minus eight to minus 14) and almost no one on the slopes, we had the best conditions possible! Skiing improved quickly and we learnt new techniques for skiing on powder. Beginner and intermediate groups were really starting to get around the mountain, and advanced groups were quickly learning and developing their skill levels.
Tuesday evening saw us visit the beautiful city of Innsbruck. We went straight down the mountain to the city and were able to shop and view the scenery in the old part of town. Highlights include the gummy bear shop and the beautiful buildings, all hand-painted, with the backdrop of the river and the mountains behind.
Wednesday saw the return of heavy snow; it pretty much snowed solidly for the remaining two days. The views on the journey up the mountain were a picture postcard, with snow lining the fir trees. We also had our race day, with medals and certificates won for fastest person down the slalom for each of the five groups. Our evening entertainment was at a burger restaurant, Herr Klaus, in Neustift. The food was absolutely delicious and possibly one of the best burgers had by many! This was followed by packing for our journey home the next day.
Our last day, Thursday, was spent enjoying the glorious snow conditions, followed by a quick meal at the hotel before we started our trip home at 7.00pm. We also celebrated two birthdays on the last day, Frankie and Valentina. The trip back was uneventful, and we woke up in Calais at 6.30am the next morning, having slept the whole way there.
All in all, it was a wonderful trip, with many memories and new friendships made. A big thank you to everyone who came along or helped organise the trip, and to all the staff who came along and made it the success it was.”
