After a very smooth trip out to Folgaria, high in the Italian Dolomites, our group of Year 6 and Year 8 pupils settled straight into snowball fun upon arrival. We soon got set up with our equipment for a full day of skiing the next day. 

The beginner groups got used to their skis, using the magic carpet and practising how to start and stop. There were naturally a few little bumps to the ground, but soon the group progressed to using their poles - with some attempting a red run or two early on!  

Over the course of the week, our more experienced skiers had fun skiing through the clouds, descending red runs and practising doing exercises to help on a mogul course, as well as learning how to take technical turns. Some of our expert skiers even tackled some black slopes, impressing us as they came down in perfect formation; our experienced skiers whizzed down the red slopes working on speed and steep gradients; and our beginners continued their adventure of exploring the area, with one group very excited on their return with talks of having skied over a frozen lake. 

It was also great to see the girls taking responsibility for their nutrition and energy stores for a day ahead of skiing adventures. We had some lovely weather on the slopes, with the sunshine warming us in -5 temperatures. 

An evening of ice skating was great fun - with probably twice as many bottoms hitting the ice that evening than in the preceding 5 hours on the snow! Other beautiful nighttime trips included snow shoeing with a glorious walk under the stars, and some detective work looking out for different animal tracks under the light of the moon. The girls also got to play on a pit that was created by tectonic plate movement, and finished by lying down, switching off their headlamps and looking at the stars and planets above that filled the sky. Naturally, we had a few games night sessions back at the chalet too, plus a fab film night at the local cinema to see Mufasa. 

The views from the slopes were breathtaking and we were able to look out across the Dolomites, whilst taking in views of mountain ranges in Austria and Germany. The girls also skied past a fort from the Austria-Hungarian empire, and some ruins from World War I.  

The girls had a fantastic week and it was a privilege for the teaching team to be part of their experience. Despite a few little hiccups along the way (like losing a few poles and skis off the lifts), the girls mastered the pistes and lifts pretty well by the end of the week. At the end of the week, the girls were presented with a certificate and keyring from their instructors. 

Thank you to everyone for such a delightful and energising trip.