Putting their midterm break to good use, some of our TY students spent the week expanding their horizons by skiing in the Alps at the amazing Maria Alm Resort. Jugendgästehaus was their home away from home for the week. The staff kept them well fed for the long days on the slopes, with the girls particularly enjoyed the Austrian pancakes, a local specialty.

All of our students were first-time skiers, but with help of great instructors from Denmark; Si, Carl and Danish ‘Sean’; they demonstrated great progress throughout the week. By Day 3 they were already perfecting their turning, parallel skiing, and stopping! On the last day there were four brave ASM skiers who skied all the way down to the bottom of the mountain – a fantastic achievement!

It wasn’t all tough work on the slopes though. They enjoyed some great après ski activities which included a games’ night, bowling, a pizza party, and a ski show. The last après ski was a particular highlight. The girls enjoyed a sing-song (accompanied by gallons of hot chocolates), a snowball fight (with the students beating the teachers!), and a great evening sledging!

Thanks to our first ever ASM ski group for making us proud with how they represented our school community abroad! The positive attitude to skiing, the smiles on faces (even with early starts, a few falls on the slopes, and the pain of the ski boots) lit up the snowy slopes of the Maria Alm Resort!

A huge thank you is also due to Mr Cross, Ms O’Brien, Ms O’Connor, and Ms Shanahan, who worked so hard to make this such a memorable trip for the students! We are already looking forward to 2021!