Young reporter: Chigwell School's 2024 ski trip- Roma Pabila

On Saturday the 30th of March, Year 12 students from Chigwell School set off to Austria, for their 2024 ski trip. This trip lasted a week, ending on Saturday the 6th of April. There were 34 students on the trip along with 4 teachers. The group flew from Stanstead airport into Salzburg Austria. After landing, the group took an hour-and-a-half coach journey to Saalbach Hinterglemm. The drive up into the mountainous area included beautiful views of lakes and greenery. The students split off into their rooms when arriving at the Buchegg Young Generation resort. Pupils were divided into rooms of 6, and the teachers had their respective rooms. After settling into their rooms, everyone went down to the boot room, where they were all fitted for their ski gear. This included getting skis, ski poles, a helmet and ski boots. After dinner, the group went on a hike in the woodland area surrounding the youth hostel. This walk was a nice peaceful way to end a long tiring day of travelling.

This group included skiers of all abilities, for some pupils, this was their first-time skiing. Whereas some students have been skiing since as young as 3. This meant that there was a real mix of abilities within the cohort. Pupils were split into three groups: beginners, intermediates and advanced. Each group had a ski instructor, as every group skied for 5 hours per day, with a lunch break in the middle of the day. Sometimes for lunch, depending on location the groups would stop for lunch at a restaurant in the mountains. This enabled the pupils to order food and eat their lunch whilst enjoying the stunning views of the mountains. Over the whole trip, the students skied for 6 days.

In the evenings, the group got to experience various activities, such as watching a world tournament of ice hockey, at Zell am See. Both were boys' matches, and both included teams from Canada playing teams closer to Austria such as a team from Bayern. The games were fast and filled with high intensity. In these games, there were 5 players allowed on the ice per team as well as a goalkeeper. Substitutions were regularly made throughout the game; subs would roll on and off. Another evening activity was swimming at Zell am See Hallenbad. This pool included 3 diving boards and a water slide, which the pupils had fun going down. The group also took a trip to Bobby’s bar, where they played bowling. The students also played the arcade games in the pub such as the foosball table, the air hockey table, and the punching glove machine.

Overall, the trip was a success, enabling people to ski and form new friendships. Year 12 students says that “this was my first time going away on a school trip, and it was so much fun. Definitely one to remember.” Chigwell School hope to continue holding an annual ski trip in for coming years.