This year’s ski trip saw Priestnall School return to Austria for the first time since 2016, staying in the beautiful resort of Sankt Michael im Lungau.
After a long journey, they settled into the beautiful Hotel Weissenstein and readied themselves for the first day on the slopes.
On the first morning, they awoke to fresh snowfall which continued throughout the day, giving the resort a well-received 20 centimetres of snow which set them up for the rest of the week.
The advanced groups were able to test themselves in the fresh powder snow whilst the beginners got hard to work with their snow plough turns and stops.
That evening, the group enjoyed their first après ski activities, visiting a local swimming bath which had a spa area, an indoor and heated outdoor pool, slide and hot tubs. The perfect remedy after a day of travel and then skiing!
The following day saw more fresh snowfall leaving the slopes in pristine condition.
That evening students explored the village, picked up snacks from the local shops and visited cafes to sample various regional delights.
Day three started with beautiful blue skies and freshly compacted pistes (ski runs).
This allowed the beginners, who were now progressing nicely, to really push on, moving from snow ploughs towards parallel skiing.
That evening, students enjoyed a meal at the local pizzeria.
As the students were making such great progress, they decided to visit a new mountain.
The whole group went to Fanningberg, famous for its wide and beautiful pistes, and stayed for two days.
Whilst there, students had their lunch on top of the mountain in traditional Austrian mountain restaurants.
An evening of shopping for presents followed before they returned to the Grosseck mountain for their final day of skiing.
Mr Morrison, trip leader and Director of Studies for KS3, said: “It was a joy to witness how much students had improved their skiing over the 6 days due to the excellent tuition of Schishule St. Martin. The students were an absolute credit to Priestnall and I could not be more proud of them all.”
We would like to thank all the staff who gave up their half term break to facilitate this trip, and the students for representing the school with pride.
Finally, a thank you to the parents and carers who once again supported this trip.
We look forward to seeing the students out on the slopes again soon!