“A great week that we’ll never forget”

Anna Dinges (Class 8a) wrote the following report about her grade’s school ski trip:

On January 18, the 8th-grade class and eleven chaperones gathered early in the morning in the schoolyard at Steinmühle amid freezing temperatures to set off for a week-long school ski trip to Mayrhofen in the Zillertal. What made this year special was that all three homeroom teachers for the grade—Rosie Boebel, Gisela Opper, and Frank Wemme—came along. That hadn’t been the norm before. The mood was lively as the large tour bus pulled out of the schoolyard at 6 a.m.

After a long bus ride, we finally arrived. After taking the yellow gondolas up to the Gschößwandhaus at about 1,800 meters, everyone was thrilled by the fantastic view of the valley from up there. Room assignments went smoothly, since groups had already formed beforehand that wanted to share one of the cozy rooms with four to fifteen beds.

The next day, we finally got started with skiing. While the advanced students were already exploring the large ski area, the beginners had their first experiences on skis in front of the Gschößwandhaus under the patient guidance of several instructors. They quickly overcame their initial difficulties and made rapid progress, so that after just a few days they were able to ski on blue runs and, by the end, even some red runs. Before long, everyone was able to ski down the “Steinmühlenweg”—the trail leading back home from the slopes—which made them all very proud.

Many activities were planned for the evening to wrap up the day together. The program included, for example, a disco by the campfire under the open sky, interesting talks about skiing, snow soccer, nighttime sledding, and room cleanup sessions. Ms. Boebel took care of the sick and injured—fortunately, there weren’t too many of them—and kept everyone in good spirits. That way, even those who didn’t ski didn’t get bored.

After a wonderful week—which flew by far too quickly thanks to all the great activities and the cheerful, friendly teachers—we left the Gschößwandhaus and set off for Steinmühle. It was a fantastic week for all of us, one we won’t forget anytime soon!