We have been on many exciting trips at Surbiton High Girls’ Preparatory School, but nothing can beat the sheer exhilaration of hurtling down a ski slope at top speed, with your friends cheering you on. At the end of the 2024 Easter term, a group of girls from Year 4 to Year 6 and seven teachers travelled to Zauchensee, Austria, to do just that!
The skiers ranged from complete beginners to advanced and we were all put into pools that gave us an appropriate challenge.
Day one started with glorious, warm weather conditions and, for many people, the excitement of trying something new.
The beginners learned to control their skis, the intermediates perfected their technique and the advanced group sped down the mountain.
We skied for about five hours every day; by day four we were all brave enough to go all the way up to the top of the mountain and were even treated to some delicious hot chocolate there. But the greatest battle was still yet to come, the snowball fight. On our final day of skiing, we all gathered to pelt our teachers with snowballs, even burying some teachers (and each other) in the snow.
“ I can’t believe I started off the week on a nursery slope and by the end I could confidently attempt a black slope, the hardest slope,” said one Year Six on the trip.
After an invigorating day of whizzing down the mountains, we had some lively activities planned for us.
A personal favourite was when we went to the local bowling alley. The teams roared and yelled in excitement, as their teammates bowled with ferocity. The teachers had an amusing round at the end, achieving strike after strike. This game embodied the competitive spirit of Surbiton, friendly yet ambitious as we responded to the challenge to score as many points as we could. We had more entertainment, including the annual fashion show and quiz, a treasure hunt where we motored off in the small village around the hotel, and the end-of-trip ceremony. We were each presented with a certificate describing ourselves or our key attributes (for example ‘best coat’, ‘craziest hat’, ‘most improved’, or ‘most wipeouts’) by our ski instructors.
The ski trip brought together people from other year groups and encouraged us to chat with others. We all enjoyed time meeting new people and making new friends. The whole experience of the trip, travelling and having fun was extremely enjoyable, and we hope this article encourages others to give it a go.
Written by Corinna and Liya
Year 6 Journalists
Learn more about Surbiton High Girls’ Preparatory School.
