Day 7 was full of adventure and fun in the snow! This is the day of the Itinerary that many of us were looking forward to, and it sure didn’t disappoint. Today started with temperatures at -1 degrees outside our dorms. We promptly dressed in our ski clothes and headed to breakfast to fuel up before the big day. At 8:20, we began getting into the coach and eventually left for Thredbo while it was pouring down with rain. The anticipation had been building since Day 1, and as we neared Day 7 the weather forecasts and conversations with locals built up high expectations for heavy snow. About half way through the drive we noticed white sprinkles falling from the sky. At first it looked like rain but then we realised it was snow, and there was so much of it! We were thrilled by the tiny flakes of ice that clung to our windows, as most students had never seen snow before.

It took a while to actually get to the ski fields due to the heavy snow falling along the road, and our stop to put chains on the tyres. By the time we got there, the coach was bustling with positive energy and excitement. It was a bit of a struggle putting on our ski boots, and who could blame us for being distracted by the beautiful views outside. We were split into groups to have a ski lesson with the wonderful instructors there – who taught us important skills such as stopping, how to get in and out of our skis, pull ourselves along with our poles, and shuffle up hills sideways. Many of us pictured skiing to be an easy sport, of which we would be practically Olympians by the time we finished, but no. The constant snow pouring down was a hinderance, along with the tight space and the steepness of the slopes. While we slipped and scrambled for balance on the Beginners slope, we watched in envy as groups of five year olds glided effortlessly down the hill. Many of us fell over, leading to sore joints and cold wet socks. We later checked in with our teachers before many more of us took to the slopes, taking the chair lifts up to the different hills, whilst others headed for the warmth of the cafe to eat and defrost.

From the top of one hill, Ava and Abby began skiing down at a slow, even pace, while Seraphina absolutely booked it down the hill, sending children flying in her wake. Ava was laughing hysterically as she completed the slope, meeting a disgruntled and aching Seraphina at the base of the slope. Before it was time to leave, some of us met at the coach a little earlier to frolic in the powdery snowdrifts along the bank of a nearby creek. We had snowball fights, built snowmen and ate the fresh snow, it tasted like fluffy water. (**Note from Admin: We did strongly recommend they not eat the snow!**)

Before we could depart, Connor and Noah found someone’s AirPods and ran back at the last minute to hand them in, in the hope the owner would retrieve them. It turned out, that whilst talking to the slope worker, they were standing next to the owner and managed to return them safely to her. She was very grateful!

Me (Kaylee) and Vayda were running a bit late so we got to the high hill with only 5 mins left. We tried our best to ski back but instead ended up skiiing ourselves into the side of the hill next to the bush. So we did the next best thing which was to run the rest of the way in our ski boots. After a couple of mishaps we were back at the bus! Finally, we all made it to the bus to shed our ski jackets and ski trousers and don less soaked clothing. All in all, we had a truly thrilling time, and made many new memories. We all clambered into the coach exhausted and delighted to have spent the day on the snowfield. It turned out to be the highlight of our trip (so far) for many of us.

After dropping off our ski clothes and equipment to Igor (owner) and his team at the hire place, we went straight to dinner at our accommodation and loaded up on soup, pasta and chocolate cake with icecream. The food here really has been amazing. We headed for hot showers and rugged up for our final night in the mountains. We kicked back, watched a movie together and reflected on the special moments of the day in the snow.

And just before we headed off to bed, we did have a not-so-little, furry visitor outside our rooms…a wombat (see pic below)!

Today’s adventures in the snow were recounted by Mr Barnes’ group: Kaylee, Maddy, Abby, Ava, Toby, Cayle, Lachie, Noah, Connor and Imani.

Thank you to all those at home who have been following our blog thus far. The students are having the time of their lives and your words of support and enthusiasm along the way are much appreciated!