Extra Extra! Winter Excursion Recap!
February 27, 2024
Another mild February brought bleak predictions about winter sports in the days leading up to the Winter Excursion in Zell am See from February 23rd to 25th. However, the ski and snowboard gods answered our prayers with a major deposit of new snow on Friday the 23rd, following two consecutive days of sun.
We invite you to watch the highlight video below—put together by Mr. Burns and his omnipresent drone—and read the Winter Excursion summary by Mr. Fox, following the video.
By dorm parent and winter excursion co-coordinator, Kevin Fox
When Hollywood makes movies depicting a particular time in US history they often write in certain characters or features to help us remember that particular era. Movies about the 1950s have girls wearing poodle skirts and guys with slicked-back hair. Movies about the 1980s have neon clothing and big teased hair. Often when a movie is made about the early part of the 20th century you’ll find a paperboy—the age of one of our junior high or early high school students—selling papers on a corner and yelling the headlines. Upon reflection today, I think that the Winter Excursion 2024 can be summed up by a series of headlines as they would be called out by a paperboy on a street corner in early 20th century America.
EXTRA EXTRA: WINTER RETURNS TO AUSTRIA JUST IN TIME FOR EXCURSION
Although much of the past few weeks has felt more like spring than the calendar would indicate, winter came roaring back the end of last week which fueled 3 days of wonderful skiing. Friday, our first day, started with rain in the parking lot which quickly turned to snow as we rode the lifts. Skiing on top of Schmitten ski area above Zell am See was an exciting experience to say the least. Constant heavy snow showers and strong winds reduced visibility and chilled students, in some cases, all the way to the bone. For those who braved the elements, the snow was cold and light and would fill in your tracks run after run. For many there were more hours spent hiding inside restaurants rather than fighting the weather. But for others, the reward of venturing down the slopes was great.
Saturday we returned to Schmitten with weather almost as opposite from the previous day as you could find. We found clear blue sunny skies and zero wind. For lovers of fresh snow, this is the day that you dream of. Students skied the variety of runs from top to bottom and enjoyed the incredible views over the lake and nearby mountains. For our last day of skiing on Sunday, we were driven by our bus to nearby Kitzsteinhorn. Here we found another sunny day with beautiful skies. Kitzsteinhorn is the highest elevation ski area in all of Salzburgerland with elevations up to 3000m and a glacier forming much of the upper skiing terrain. Here students found cold fresh snow (almost 1 meter fell here on friday!), a variety of runs, glacial caves, and terrain park features. Many students commented on this being the best day of skiing for the entire trip. Over the three days of the excursion students skied with their friends, in the Austrian alps, and there were no significant injuries to speak of !!
Big celebrations here go to everyone but especially to our new skiers and snowboarders. At the beginning of January, Vlad, Sofia H., and Alejandro were completely new skiers and Eva B. and Marybel were new snowboarders. With just 4 days of instruction, these 6 were able to learn the skills required to navigate not just the beginner slopes, but also more advanced terrain safely with their friends. Quite an accomplishment!
EXTRA EXTRA: STUDENTS CHOOSE SPORTS INSTEAD OF STARING AT THEIR PHONES
For the third year in a row, we stayed at the Jugendclub Kitzsteinhorn in Zell am See. This location works out very well for a number of reasons. First off, it is only about a 5-minute walk from one of the main ski lifts that service the Schmitten ski area. This means we do not have to load everybody up on a bus to go to and from our desired ski area. It also allows us some flexibility as to when we return. A second great feature are clean rooms, good food, and a friendly group of employees. The third great feature, and one of the main advantages, are the sports facilities that we are able to use at night. Over two nights students were able to play indoor football, basketball, indoor beach volleyball, go rock climbing, use trampolines, and watch a movie in the on-site cinema. It’s fun to see the different ages and friend groups of students come together to play pick up sports in the evening after a day of skiing.
Shout outs here go to: Diego for helping to organize a game of football which was inclusive to all levels of players. Barbara A. and Marija for keeping the flow and good times running on the volleyball courts. Erno, Lars, and Laura B. for showing off impressive skills on the trampolines.
EXTRA EXTRA: RESIDENT STAFF TAKES WHOLE SCHOOL OF SICK KIDS SKIING
While it is probably true that not everyone on the ski trip was sick, at some times it sure did feel like it. Any time we were together as a group the cacophony of coughs, sneezes, sniffles, and groans was clear. Frequent administration of anti-inflammatories, cold tables, and throat lozenges kept the RA’s occupied. Upon looking at my email inbox this morning, I am amazed that more students were not out sick today. Fortunately, illness didn’t stop a good time and many of the sick kids rose to the moment, washed ibuprofen down with a spoonful of cough medicine, and headed up the lifts. Special mention for grit here goes to Milan, Barbara A., Milla , and Petar for going skiing when they were not feeling 100%. A shout out also goes to Artur who was so looking forward to the excursion but found himself too sick to ski, even spending a whole day sleeping in the hotel. Despite the setback, he kept a positive attitude for what I’m sure were three long days for him.
EXTRA EXTRA: NON-SKIERS ATTEMPT TO KILL THE VIBE OF EXCURSION CHAPERONES
With no alternative option this year during the winter excursion due to injuries or lack of travel options, there were a small number of non-skiers that went along with the larger group. They participated in the evening activities with the other students but their days were punctuated with fewer activities. One day they went to the nearby Tauren Therme which contains numerous indoor and outdoor pools, waterfalls, and waterslides (1 of 6 students chose to get in the water). Another day they rode a series of lifts up Kitzsteinhorn to ‘The Top of Salzburg’. Here, at 3000m above sea level, an observation platform hangs over glaciers with views of the Alps south into Italy (They were there 30 seconds before a “can we go now?” was uttered). With 2 trips to McDonalds in 3 days under their belts, the non-skiers headed home on Sunday afternoon a little before the rest of the group. Despite their best efforts to sour the experience, their only casualty was Ms. Fox, the staff member who spent the most time with them.
All-in-all, it was another wonderful excursion is in the books. It’s hard to single out any more students because almost everyone was an excellent member of our 61 student group in one way or another. These excursions wouldn’t happen at all without the hard work of the resident staff team. Big thanks to Laura, Abby, Ali, Arabella, Matt, Nick, and Tom Henry for all their hard work on this one!
