Enthusiastic About the Mountains: Steinmühle Boarding School’s Ski Trip Is Growing in Popularity

Zell am See was the destination for 14 boarding school students in grades 6 through 13 who had signed up for a group ski trip. This was the fourth time the Steinmühle Boarding School had hit the slopes, and Zell am See was a first for them. The description of the accommodations—“a youth hostel right on the lake and just a few minutes from the Schmittenhöhe ski area”—had sounded promising. Suffice it to say, it lived up to expectations!

Accompanied by boarding school teachers Patric Hahn and Nils Schwandt, the group set off for their destination in two Steinmühle buses on the last day of February.

It takes a few hours to get from central Germany to the Pinzgau region in Austria. So they had a döner for dinner, but then it was time to check into their rooms—and soon it was lights out for the Steinmühlen students.

 

Let’s Go Skiing in the Sun Together

The next morning, a Friday, after breakfast at the youth hostel, the plan was to rent skis and pick up our ski passes. Then we took the AreitXPress gondola up to the Schmittenhöhe ski area. — What’s everyone’s skill level on the slopes? Who goes in which group? To figure that out and assign everyone to a group, we all took a test run together. In sunny weather, the Steinmühlen team hit the slopes.

Of course, exercising in the fresh air soon made everyone hungry. And despite being warned about the steep prices, the students ordered a midday snack. The delicious meal turned out to be a really expensive surprise for many, so that by the second day of skiing, most of them decided to take advantage of the free packed lunch offer after all.

Back at the hostel, dinner and group games were on the agenda later that evening. Favorites included “Lügenmäxchen” and the good old game “Mensch ärgere dich nicht.” Everyone also realized that they had a lot to share with one another!

 

Waltz or drive in reverse

The next day, Saturday, the group encountered mixed weather. The plan for the day was to head to the neighboring Kaprun glacier ski area. There, they tried their first jumps in the snow park. Other students were given special tasks by Patric: waltzing on skis, skiing backward—or a lesson in carving, true to the motto: “Skiing is all about turning.”

In the afternoon, the weather became very stormy, and the Kitzsteinhorn ski resort was closed before the end of its regular daily operating hours. — This was a unique experience for some participants, who had never before seen this measure become necessary. On Saturday evening, games were once again on the agenda.

The weather can change quickly in the mountains—and so, the next day, Sunday, the blue sky was shining again! We headed back to the Kaprun glacier ski area, and at the end of the day on the slopes, the group enjoyed a little “après-ski” in the sun. The evening was once again spent playing games in the common room—not a trace of boredom!

 

Everyone wanted to stay a little longer

The young people were so taken with the slopes in the glacier area that they were back there again on Monday morning. Unfortunately, they then had to return the rented equipment and get changed—it was time to head back to Marburg.

The ski trip to Austria was a complete success: rustic accommodations, good and hearty food, snow, and great weather. There was only one reason why everyone was sad when it came to an end: the students from the Steinmühle boarding school would have loved to stay one more day.

So the motto for the trip ended up being “With a little room to grow.” That applied to the game “Lügenmäxchen,” it applied to skiing—and it certainly applied to the length of our stay as well.